The all-American band that suffered a plane crash and kept going

This southern rock band, formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964, combined rock and blues. You may know them from the hits 'Sweet Home Alabama' and 'Free Bird.'

In 1977 a tragic accident claimed the lives of several of the band's members. Yet, it went ahead with its shows, rotating different musicians to complete the unit and keep playing.

The original band, My Backyard, consisted of Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom, and Bob Burns.

By 2023, there was only one man of the original formation left. Gary Rossington, 71 years old, died on March 5, 2023, from undisclosed causes.

The band originally performed under the name 'My Backyard.' After much debate and many name changes, they would arrive at the name that we all know today: Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The band jokingly named itself after a folk song character, Leonard Skinner, from Alan Sherman's 'Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,' but also after a teacher in their high school who was named Leonard Skinner. Mr. Skinner would criticize male students with long hair, and Lynyrd Skynyrd legend even has it that Gary Rossington dropped out of school in part because of Mr. Skinner's harassment about his hair.

Although the band has been legendary in American pop culture, people find it hard to pronounce its name. That's why, on their first album in 1973, the band included the pronunciation of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the cover: "Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd."

On their first album, 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' (1973), they had a 9-minute ballad called 'Free Bird' which they released as a single. It was a daring choice at the time because radio stations usually avoided playing tracks of more than 3 minutes. Scoring a hit of 9 minutes was difficult. (Note that Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' did not come out until 1975).

Still, the band members believed that this song had hit potential, despite its length, and they were right. 'Free Bird' would be one of the iconic songs of that generation.

In 1974, the group released 'Sweet Home Alabama,' an American classic. Did you know that they wrote it in response to Neil Young's 'Southern Man,' which criticized the southern American states for slavery and racism? Lynyrd Skynyrd's song was an ode to the American South instead. It became the group's biggest hit.

Starting in 1975, the band lived a wild lifestyle. To cope with the travel, performances, and fame, many of the musicians began using illegal substances and alcohol excessively.

Ronnie Van Zant was worried about the road his group had taken and wrote an ominous song: 'That Smell'. Released on the album 'Street Survivors' in 1977, it warned against the consequences of excessive and careless consumption of drugs and alcohol.

Among the song's lyrics were these phrases: "Tomorrow might not be here for you... the smell of death surrounds you."
Ironically, three days after the song was released, the band suffered a horrible accident.

Before the plane crash, the band had a rotating group of musicians, including Cassie Gaines, Billy Powell, Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, Leon Wilkenson, Artimus Pyle, Leslie Hawkins, Gary Rossington, Steve Gaines, and Jo Billingsley.

On October 20, 1977, a plane carrying members of Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in Mississippi. The crash claimed five lives and seriously injured other passengers. Ronnie Van Zant died in the crash. This picture was taken a few months earlier.

Besides Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and his older sister Cassie - a backup singer -  also died in the plane crash. And so did their road manager and the two pilots.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, in 2006, Gary Rossington said: "I've talked about it here and there, but I don't like to. It was a devastating thing. You can't just talk about it real casual and not have feelings about it."

In the image: Ronnie Van Zant in 1976

The band took a pause after the plane crash. It seemed an eternity, and they might never get back together again. Just once did the remaining members get together to record something. They played an instrumental version of 'Free Bird' in 1979 for the 'Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam V.'

However, on the 10th anniversary of the plane crash, Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited for a full-scale tour with five of its crash-surviving members: Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, and Ed King. Meanwhile, Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother, John, stepped in as a singing leader and wrote songs for the band.

For guitarist Allen Collins, a founding member of the band, the infamous plane crash would not be the only bad luck in his life. He also suffered a car accident in 1986, paralyzing him. Collins continued with the group as musical director, but then, in 1990, he died prematurely anyway - at the age of 37. The cause of death was pneumonia, caused by the paralysis.

On tour, the band was a great success, given its fans' emotional bond with the unlucky musicians. The band often rotated members over the years, but it did manage to release new albums and tour.

None of the Lynyrd Skynyrd founders would get to be very old. Billy Powell (pictured) died in 2009 of a suspected heart attack at age 56. Bob Burns died in 2015 at age 64 in a car accident, and Ed King died of cancer in 2018 at age 68.

With their base of band members shrinking, the remaining musicians announced a 'Farewell Tour' in 2018.  They were accompanied by other famous performers, such as Kid Rock, Status Quo, and Charlie Daniels, to support the legendary band.

On March 5, 2023, Gary Rossington died. Since he was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, there was some debate as to whether the remaining musicians could continue to play as 'Lynyrd Skynyrd', media like Rolling Stone and Ultimate Classic Rock reported.

In true Lynyrd Skynyrd fashion, the remaining band members announced in April 2023 that they would keep going, even though none of the original musicians was alive anymore. The show must go on for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Alongside ZZ Top, the band announced its summer tour of the US in 2023. Thanks to its great success, the tour was extended into 2024.