Lynyrd Skynyrd was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964. The band was originally going to be called My Backyard. The original band consisted of five members: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums).
Lynyrd Skynyrd got their name from their high school gym teacher (and basketball coach) Leonard Skinner at Robert E. Lee High School. Leonard did not like boys with long hair or loud music, and an eventual run-in with Leonard helped to get the boys suspended. To get back at him, they named the band after him but changed the vowels to avoid a lawsuit.
Their first album was released on August 13, 1973, and it was called (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd). It was a big hit, selling over a million copies, and was awarded the gold disk by the RIAA. They went on to release multiple other albums, such as Second Helping, Nuthin Fancy, Gimme Back My Bullets, and many more.
On October 20, 1977, a few years after they started selling their albums, tragedy struck. A plane crashed a few miles outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Ronnie and his backup singer Cassie Gaines, as well as a few others, died in the crash. Once they passed, others took their place in the band, as they wouldn’t let their friends’ legacies die. One of those people was Ronnie’s brother, Johnny Van Zant. Even after taking over, he knew he would never be as good as his brother.
The new band members and the old continued to make and sell music, but as they say, “all good things come to an end.” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last performance was held on New Years 2024 in New York City. Their final song was “Free Bird,” which was Ronnie’s favorite. They put his hat on the microphone stand and walked off stage.
