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Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964. The band was named after a high school gym teacher who was notorious for enforcing the school's strict dress code policy. The original lineup included Ronnie Van Zant on vocals, Allen Collins and Gary Rossington on guitars, Billy Powell on keyboards, Leon Wilkeson on bass, and Bob Burns on drums.

Lynyrd Skynyrd gained popularity in the 1970s with their signature blend of blues, country, and rock music. Their hits include "Sweet Home Alabama," "Free Bird," and "Gimme Three Steps." They also became known for their live performances, which were often raucous and energetic.

Tragically, in 1977, the band was involved in a plane crash that killed several members, including Ronnie Van Zant. The crash also led to the disbandment of the original lineup. However, Lynyrd Skynyrd has continued to perform and record music with various lineups over the years, including a reunion in the 1980s featuring surviving members and Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother Johnny on vocals.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's influence on Southern rock and American music in general has been significant, and they continue to be celebrated and remembered today.

Thanks to Mike Daffron for the information on The Allen Collins Band. Thanks to John Warburg for helping with biographical information. -GSH

Me, You, and Him (1964)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar - b. December 4, 1951, Jacksonville, Florida, USA. d. March 5, 2023
  • Bob Burns - drums - b. Robert Burns
  • Larry Junstrom - bass - b. June 22, 1949.
Larry Junstrom later joins .38 Special.
The Noble Five / The Wildcats / My Backyard / The One Percent (1964 - ? )
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals - b. Ronald Wayne Van Zant, January 19, 1948, Jacksonville, Florida, USA; d. October 20, 1977, Gillsburg, Mississippi, USA - formerly with Us.
  • Allen Collins - guitar - b. Allen Larkin Collins, July 14, 1952, Jacksonville, Florida, USA; d. January 23, 1990, Jacksonville, Florida, USA - formerly with The Mods.
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Bob Burns - drums
Changed name to Lynyrd Skynyrd (after high school gym coach, Leonard Skinner, who used to catch them with their "long hair" down).
Lynyrd Skynyrd I ( ? - Fall 1971)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Bob Burns - drums
Lynyrd Skynyrd II (Fall 1971 - 1972)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Rick Medlocke - guitar - formerly with Blackfoot (ref: Doug, aka Wolves71).
  • Bob Burns - drums
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass - b. Leon Russell Wilkeson, April 2, 1952, Newport, Rhode Island, USA; d. July 27, 2001, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA.
  • Greg T. Walker - bass - formerly with Blackfoot (ref: Doug, aka Wolves71).
  • Billy Powell - keyboards - former Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie.
Album:
  1. "Skynyrd's First...and Last" (1978)
Rick Medlocke and Greg T. Walker rejoin Blackfoot.
Lynyrd Skynyrd III (1972 - 1973)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Bob Burns - drums
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Ed King - bass - b. Edward King, September 14, 1949, Glendale, California, USA - formerly with surf-rock group The Irridescents and The Strawberry Alarm Clock.
Album:
  1. "(pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd)" (1973) - Single: "Gimme Three Steps"
  2. "Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album" (1998)
Lynyrd Skynyrd IV (1973 - 1974)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Bob Burns - drums
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Ed King - guitar
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
Album:
  1. "Second Helping" (1974) - Singles: "Don't Ask Me No Questions", "Sweet Home Alabama"
Lynyrd Skynyrd V(1974 - 1975)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Ed King - guitar
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Artimus Pyle - drums - b. Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Album:
  1. "Nuthin' Fancy" (1975) - Single: "Saturday Night Special"
Lynyrd Skynyrd VI (1975 - 1976)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Artimus Pyle - drums
Album:
  1. "Gimme Back My Bullets" (1976)
Lynyrd Skynyrd VII (1976 - 1977)
  • Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Artimus Pyle - drums
  • Steve Gaines - guitar - b. Seneca, Missouri; d. October 20, 1977, Gillsburg, Mississippi.
Albums:
  1. "One More from the Road" (1976)
  2. "Street Survivors" (1977) - Singles: "What's Your Name", "That Smell"
Plane crash near Gillsburg, Mississippi, on October 20, 1977, kills Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Steve's sister and backup singer Cassie Gaines; other band members injured.  Group disbands. Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Billy Powell, and Leon Wilkeson form The Rossington-Collins Band. Artimus Pyle forms The Artimus Pyle Band.
Lynyrd Skynyrd VIII (1987) (reformed)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Ed King - guitar
  • Randall Hall - guitar
  • Johnny Van Zant - vocals - brother of Ronnie Van Zant and Donnie Van Zant (.38 Special).
  • Artimus Pyle - drums
Albums:
  1. "Legend" (1987)
  2. "Southern by the Grace of God / Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour" (1988)
Group disbands.
Lynyrd Skynyrd IX (1991 - December 1993) (reformed)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Ed King - guitar
  • Randall Hall - guitar
  • Johnny Van Zant - vocals
  • Artimus Pyle - drums
  • Custer - drums (ref: Doug, aka Wolves71).
Albums:
  1. "Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991" (1991)
  2. "The Last Rebel" (1993)
Lynyrd Skynyrd X(December 1993 - 1994)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Ed King - guitar
  • Randall Hall - guitar
  • Johnny Van Zant - vocals
  • Mike Estes - drums (ref: Doug, aka Wolves71).
  • Custer - drums
Albums:
  1. "Endangered Species" (1994)
Lynyrd Skynyrd XI (December 1995 - 1996)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Ed King - guitar
  • Randall Hall - guitar
  • Johnny Van Zant - vocals
  • Bob Burns - drums
Lynyrd Skynyrd XII (1996 - 1998)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Johnny Van Zant - vocals
  • Ricky Medlocke - guitar - formerly with Blackfoot.
  • Hughie Thomasson - guitar - formerly with The Outlaws.
  • Owen Hale - drums/percussion
Albums:
  1. "Twenty" (1997)
  2. "Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve" (2-CDs) (1998)
Lynyrd Skynyrd XIII (1998 - Present)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Johnny Van Zant - vocals
  • Ricky Medlocke - guitar/vocals
  • Hughie Thomasson - guitar/vocals
  • Kenny Arnoff - drums
  • Dale-Krantz Rossington - background vocals
  • Carol Chase - background vocals
Album:
  1. "Edge Of Forever" (1999)
  2. "Vicious Cycle" (2003)
  3. "Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour" (2-CDs) (2004)
Compilations:
  1. "Gold and Platinum" (1979)
  2. "Skynyrd's Innyrds" (1989)
  3. "Lynyrd Skynyrd" (3-CD box set) (1991)
  4. "Freebird the Movie: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack" (1996)
  5. "The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd" (2-CDs) (1998)
  6. "20th Century Masters: The Best of Lynyrd Skynyrd (Millennium Collection)" (1999)
  7. "Solo Flytes" (1999) - Includes songs from The Rossington-Collins Band, Steve Gaines, The Artimus Pyle Band, The Allen Collins Band, and The Rossington Band.
  8. "All Time Greatest Hits" (2000)
  9. "Thyrty: The 30th Anniversary Collection" (2-CDs) (2003)
  10. "Gold" (2-CDs) (2006)
The Rossington-Collins Band (1979 - 1983)
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Barry Harwood - guitar/vocals - b. Barry Lee Harwood, Georgia [Ref: Mike Daffron]
  • Derek Hess - drums
  • Dale Krantz - vocals
Albums:
  1. "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" (1980)
  2. "This Is the Way" (1981)
Gary Rossington forms Rossington-Rossington (with wife Dale Krantz-Rossington).  Allen Collins, Barry Harwood, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, and Derek Hess form The Allen Collins Band.
Rossington-Rossington( ? - ? )
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Dale Krantz-Rossington - vocals
Gary Rossington forms The Rossington Band (with wife Dale Krantz-Rossington).
The Rossington Band ( ? - ? )
  • Gary Rossington - guitar
  • Dale Krantz-Rossington - vocals
Album:
  1. "Love Your Man" (1988)
Gary Rossington later joins the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The Artimus Pyle Band (1979 - ? )
  • Artimus Pyle - drums
  • John Boerstler - guitar/vocals
  • Steve Lockhart - guitar/keyboards/vocals
  • Steve Brewington - bass
  • Darryll Otis Smith - vocals
Albums:
  1. "A.P.B. (All Points Bulletin)" (1982)
  2. "Nightcaller" (1983)
Artimus Pyle later joins the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The Allen Collins Band (1983 - ? )
  • Allen Collins - guitar
  • Barry Harwood - guitar
  • Randall Hall - guitar
  • Leon Wilkeson - bass
  • Billy Powell - keyboards
  • Derek Hess - drums
  • Jimmy Dougherty - vocals
Album:
  1. "Here, There, & Back" (1983) [Ref: Mike Daffron]
Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, and Randall Hall later join the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Johnny Van-Zant solo:
  1. "No More Dirty Deals" (1980)
  2. "Round Two" (1981)
  3. "The Last of the Wild Ones" (1982)
  4. "Van-Zant" (1985)
  5. "Brickyard Road" (1990)
  6. "The Johnny Van Zant Collection" (1994)
  7. "Johnny Van Zant" (1997)
  8. "Brother to Brother" (1998) (w/ Donnie Van Zant) (Ref: Wolves71)
Links:
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Last Revised:  May 17, 2007
© 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 by Gary S. Hartman.  All rights reserved.
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