Lynyrd Skynyrd-An Open Discussion

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Michael, Feb 27, 2021.

  1. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Well, I could never do it the justice that @Rose River Bear did.

    Besides, today is the 52nd anniversary of the ABB...March 26, 1969
     
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  2. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    fair enough...
     
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  3. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    It is the anniversary of the date the band met at the Jacksonville Jam session? Interesting.....I did not know the exact date. I wonder if the Skynyrd guys were at that jam?
     
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  4. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Not the hours-long with the guys (with Reese Wynans, sans Gregg), but the first time the original six played together after Gregg arrived :)
     
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  5. Jokersm123

    Jokersm123 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kiev, Ukraine
    Best Rock - Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence, Jimi Hendrix
    Best hard rock - Led Zeppelin, AC/DC
    Best pop music - ABBA
     
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  6. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Here’s a belated happy 69th to Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist and Southern Rock’s Mad Hatter himself, the late great Leon Wilkeson.

    Born in Newport, Rhode Island and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Leon was right there with all other kids in America when these four lads from England appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and knew that’s what he had to do. Picking up the bass, the instrument of his favorite of the four English fellers, he soon became one of Jacksonville’s top bassists. Little surprise, then, that he’d be the natural choice when Ronnie Van Zant was looking for a bassist for Skynyrd.

    Although he didn’t play bass on pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd due to his job at Farmbest Dairy Products stocking ice creams-and yes, Leon by his own account did get plenty of free ice cream in the process, he returned in no time as Ed King moved back over to guitar and continued to hold the low end down in every lineup until the end of his life. In a band with three guitarists AND a keyboard player, it can be quite daunting for a bassist to find their place in the mix. Yet Leon was able to do just that, adding these super tasty countermelodies that truly enhanced the already expertly crafted guitar melodies. Just listen to his work on cuts like “That Smell”, “I Need You”, “I Know A Little”, and “Travellin’ Man”, the latter being his one writing credit in Skynyrd’s catalogue. And rather with the swampy pocket of Bob Burns or the wild man flair of Artimus Pyle, he was equally at home. Leon and his bandmates don’t always get their due as players, partly because they rarely if ever launched into any big solos or the like, but if you listen carefully to them or the countless bands who’ve tried playing their songs and usually do a mediocre job of it (at best), then you’ll know how good they actually were.

    Besides bass playing, Leon provided the band with a great deal of life and personality. He was the primary backing vocalist prior to the recruiting of The Honkettes, and was the band’s light hearted jokester. That humor naturally extended to his habit of donning a revolving door of hats with varying degrees of outlandishness. And for a band with an otherwise very down to earth image and aesthetic, Leon’s quirky sensibility naturally made him stand out in the best possible way.

    The plane crash left its scars on Leon as it did everybody of course, his injuries restricting the mobility of his arms. Nevertheless, he still managed to forge on, providing his talents to Alias’ debut Contraband as well as the Rossington-Collins Band, the Allen Collins Band, and Vision with fellow Skynyrd bandmate and childhood friend Billy Powell. And when it came time for the surviving members to reunite, Leon was right there as always.

    Growing up in the South, you naturally know Skynyrd by heart. And as somebody who’s naturally fond of bass players and enjoys madcap humor, Leon has always been one of the guys in Skynyrd I have the most fondness for. Every time you watch a Skynyrd show and you see Leon there, you can’t help but love the guy. And all accounts, such a good guy, very sweet, kind hearted, and always there for you. I can talk about how much I miss Leon, and of course I do, but instead I’ll be thankful that we got to have him with us.

    Happy birthday Leon, may we never forget you.[​IMG]
     
  7. Interesting old lip syncing promo video.

     
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  8. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    @Zoot Marimba - Nice post. Back in 1978, I got to spend the day with the man, as our local FM station asked him to be the Master Of Ceremonies at a charity concert held on the lake.
    Only 9 months since the crash, his arm still in a sling, unable to play, his thoughts, humor, and banter leading to introductions entertained everyone there.
    Backstage, he kept all of us laughing for hours.
    A one-of-a-kind personality.
    A bass player constantly praised by Ed King, whom I got to know about 10 years before he died.
    Rest in peace Leon.
     
  9. geodos

    geodos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Island NY
  10. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    nice addition thanks!
     
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  11. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    wow! great pics...thanks.
     
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  12. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Love them, one of the best bands ever. :love:
     
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  13. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    nice post...just too young.
     
  14. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    I ain't arguing with that! ; )
     
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  15. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    nice list! I agree on nearly all of it...ABBA? great, but not the best.
     
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  16. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    maybe some info on youtube?
     
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  17. koondoggy

    koondoggy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey USA
    I have watched a bunch of documentaries and interviews about the crash in '77 and it is still unclear to me whether they ran out of fuel or the pilot intentionally ditched the fuel to prevent a catastrophic fire knowing the plane was going down. Does anyone here know the real truth?
     
  18. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    The most common theme I remember reading in stories about the crash was that they simply ran out of fuel (due to engine problems, as opposed to the fuel being intentionally ejected to prevent a fire).

    Just found this very depressing story below about the crash, written about 10 years afterwards. Read it if you don't mind ruining your day. So sad....the whole thing was avoidable & should never have happened in the first place. That plane was fffcked up & most of them knew it, one of the damn engines caught fire in flight days b4 the crash in the first place. Anyways these excerpts discuss the fuel situation:

    The report, issued in June 1978, concludes that the fuel supply was exhausted because the right engine -- the one from which Collins had reported seeing flames earlier -- was burning more fuel than anticipated because it was being operated in the "auto-rich" fuel mode, which increases consumption.

    The report adds: "The crew was either negligent or ignorant of the increased fuel consumption because they failed to monitor adequately the engine instruments for fuel flow and fuel quantity.

    "Had they properly monitored their fuel supply and noted excessive fuel consumption early in the flight, they could have planned an alternate refueling stop rather than attempting to continue the flight with minimum fuel.

    "In addition, the Safety Board believes that the pilot was not prudent when he continued the flight with a known engine discrepancy and did not have it corrected before he left Greenville."

    That story mentions that they fell just short of a muddy field which the pilot was trying to land on & crashed into the trees instead - like only 100 yards short. Sigh.

    Edit: Oops, I 4got the full article link above, here 'tis:
    THE LAST FLIGHT OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD IT WAS THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
     
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  19. Mullin

    Mullin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts
     
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  20. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    They have some good "classic rock" radio songs, but the day I never hear "Sweet Home Alabama" can't come soon enough. I've truly grown to hate that song. I don't 'Turn it up', I 'Turn it Off'.

    "Free Bird", while tiring after the 1,000,000th listen still isn't a switch the station moment, but when they have songs like "Tuesday's Gone" and "Simple Man", I'd like to hear those get played more often.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2021
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  21. Mullin

    Mullin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts

    I do tire of Sweet Home studio version but when they play it live with Gaines on guitar, it’s always a must listen
     
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  22. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    wow, so incredibly sad. : (
     
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  23. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    Nice!
     
  24. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O! Thread Starter

    I like them both but I tire of neither.
     
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  25. Jokersm123

    Jokersm123 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kiev, Ukraine
    One of the best rock songs ever written
     

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