Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd formed in Jacksonville in 1964, first playing under names such as My Backyard before adopting the name that became synonymous with Southern rock. The classic lineup centered on Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, Artimus Pyle, and Steve Gaines, with a three-guitar attack that gave the band a heavier and more muscular edge than many of its contemporaries. Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, released in 1973, introduced "Free Bird," "Simple Man," "Tuesday's Gone," and "Gimme Three Steps," while Second Helping brought "Sweet Home Alabama" and cemented the band's national profile. Lynyrd Skynyrd's music fused blues rock, country feeling, hard rock volume, and extended guitar interplay, often pairing working-class storytelling with long instrumental climaxes. The 1977 plane crash that killed Van Zant, Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and others halted the original band at its peak, but surviving members and later lineups carried the name forward. Its best-known songs remain core texts of American guitar rock, defined by grit, melody, and Southern identity.