The Lynyrd Skynyrd Band

Biography

Guestbook

Page 3

..........Soon after recording Sweet Home Alabama in 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd met with the Press, who were amazed at what they heard. They stood on tables and chairs to just to get a glimpse !! They were then contacted by Peter Rutledge of "The Who" to be the opening act for the 1973 Quadrophenia tour. On Opening Night, they were scared out of their wits and got drunk. It was enough to loosen them up, and the premiere was a success! Even with that experience under their belts and Freebird at the top of the charts, Lynyrd Skynyrd was still looking for the recognition they craved. Ronnie Van Zant was sure Sweet Home Alabama was the top 40 song they were looking for, but Al Kooper disagreed. Ronnie Van Zant then made a deal: if the single with Gimme Three Steps didn't make it, they would release Sweet Home Alabama.

So in June 1974 they released it to help the faltering "Second Helping" album. The controversy involving Neil Young and Watergate made it an instant hit. In September, only 3 short months after it's release, "Second Helping" became a certified gold record followed by "Pronounced" shortly thereafter. MCA then included the Civil War Confederate Flag as a backdrop, and the Band's "look" was cemented. Ronnie Van Zant was not a big fan of the term "Southern Rock", but the band's new face was in place. Lynyrd Skynyrd then went on tour themselves, playing one night shows, and then headed to Europe to continue their attempt to rise to the top. Exhausted from the constant travelling, Bob Burns left Lynyrd Skynyrd for health reasons, and Artimus Pyle was his replacement.

This inspired Ronnie Van Zant to write the song Am I Losin'. Lynyrd Skynyrd returned to Atlanta and continued touring with Artimus on drums. In 1975 they went into the studio and came up with "Second Helping" which included the feature song Saturday Night Special. To promote this album, they again went on tour. Many drunken nights during this 90 day gig resulted in Ed King splitting during the night. The "Torture Tour", as it became known to the band was completed by Allen Collins and Gary Rossington sharing Ed Kings job.

Often, a guy behind the amplifiers would remind them of which songs they were supposed to play. Still, the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band was not happy. Their new manager, Peter Rutledge, recruited Tom Dowd to take control. The first four songs on "Gimme Back My Bullets" were recorded in Los Angeles, and after another tour, they returned to Georgia in November to complete the album. The huge fan support for Gimme Back My Bullets resulted in the band not playing it, mostly due to the reference to a . 38 Special handgun. Fans a t their concerts would actually throw LIVE bullet s on stage whenever they played the theme song! ( Fearing one might go off caused them to not play it )

Continue