Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964 — the band that made Southern rock a genre with a triple-guitar attack and Ronnie Van Zant up front. Second Helping (1974) and the 1973 debut with Free Bird are the cornerstones; the 1977 plane crash ended the classic era, and they reformed in 1987. Shop Lynyrd Skynyrd vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Lynyrd Skynyrd formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964 around Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Allen Collins. The band's name was a deliberate misspelling of their high school gym teacher Leonard Skinner's name (he had repeatedly disciplined the band members for their long hair). They moved through multiple name changes before settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969. Their debut (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) (1973), featuring the foundational Southern rock anthems Free Bird and Tuesday's Gone, launched their commercial career. The October 20, 1977 plane crash killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the pilots - disbanding the original Lynyrd Skynyrd. The surviving members reformed in 1987 with Ronnie's brother Johnny Van Zant as vocalist. Gary Rossington was the last surviving member of the original 1964 lineup until his death on March 5, 2023. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The band has continued performing across multiple decades.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's sound is foundational to Southern rock as a recognized genre - combining Southern rock, hard rock, blues rock, country rock, and arena rock with the band's distinctive triple-guitar approach (Rossington, Collins, and Gaines), Ronnie Van Zant's distinctive vocal delivery, and lyrical content drawing on Southern American working-class experience.
Original MCA pressings of the 1970s Lynyrd Skynyrd catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues (Mobile Fidelity, Acoustic Sounds, Analogue Productions), and the comprehensive Geffen / MCA reissue programs have been released.
Listeners new to Lynyrd Skynyrd typically start with Second Helping (1974) or (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) (1973).
