Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Lynyrd Skynyrd have been playing their patented brand of Southern Rock music for over fifty years. The term ‘Southern Rock’ has been a contentious one, and their use of the Confederate flag has been controversial. However, the message the band put across today is one of unity and of bringing the generations together. In a short space of time, between 1973 and 1977, the band went from obscurity to stardom and were on course to become one of the world’s pre-eminent bands. However, in 1977, just days after the release of their Street Survivors album, the band suffered a terrible tragedy in a plane crash that took the lives of front man Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and backing singer Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William John Gray. The remaining members of the band suffered significantly both physically and psychologically, but against all the odds returned to the stage and in 1987 reformed for the Tribute Tour. This turned into a full-blown reunion and the band went on to record new studio and live albums. This was a move that divided fans, particularly as the original members began to pass. Their story is a complex one, and there are many contradictions in the recollections of band members and associates. This is not a biography, but it is an account of their music, and through their music, it tells their story.