Skynyrd Thoughts

Anyone who has ever listened to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd will admit one thing: they have come up with some of the greatest guitar riffs of all time. Their sound is one that is so unique, different and incomparable to any other classic rock band. From the tremendous vocal work provided by the legendary Ronnie Van Zant to the riveting guitar solos from Allen Collins and Steve Gaines, Lynyrd Skynyrd is a band that truly is in league of their own.

The band took their name from their likeable high school gym teacher and because of its bizarre spelling; its pronunciation caused curiosity as well as much interest toward the band among music fans throughout the mid 1960’s. The band started out performing one-nighter gigs until they hit fame in the early 1970’s with the release of their first two albums, (pronounced leh-nerd skin-erd) in 1973 and Second Helping in 1974.

The band’s first release included their immensely popular hits, Simple Man and Freebird, which contains one of the most epic guitar riffs of all time. The second release featured Sweet Home Alabama which has become a time honoured anthem and has been included in numerous movie sound tracks.

Much of Skynyrd’s music possesses special qualities that keep people interested in their songs. Each time a song is listened to, it is usually possible to discover certain intricacies that had not been picked up on before. Be it their offbeat style in some songs to their subtle tempo changes in others, it is very difficult to get bored of Skynyrd’s music because it is always possible to hear something that had not been heard before.

When a plane crash claimed the lives of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gains in 1977, the band was dealt a punishing blow they were never able to fully recover from. Had the band not suffered this tragedy, there is no telling what kind of masterpieces they would have come up with.