Lynyrd Skynyrd

Released in 1974 on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s second album, Second Helping, ‘Don’t Ask Me No Questions’ captured the band at a moment when fame was hitting them fast and hard. Written by Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington, the song grew out of Ronnie’s frustration with people who suddenly wanted something from the band now that […]

Released in 1977 on the Street Survivors album, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell” remains one of the band’s darkest and most sobering tracks. Written by Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, the song was born out of frustration and fear as the band spiraled deeper into heavy drinking, drugs, and reckless behavior. At the center of […]

When Lynyrd Skynyrd stepped into Studio One in Doraville, Georgia in early 1973 to record their debut album, Pronounced ’Lĕh-’nérd ’Skin-’nérd, the band was still young but already fiercely disciplined. Years of performing six nights a week in the sweaty Jacksonville club circuit had sharpened their musicianship, and the studio sessions for the album reflected […]

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Saturday Night Special’ is one of the band’s most forceful and socially charged recordings, emerging from a time when the group was pushing its sound—and its stamina—to the limit. The track appeared on the band’s 1975 album Nuthin’ Fancy, a record created under intense pressure. Skynyrd had exploded onto the national scene only […]

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘The Ballad of Curtis Loew’ is one of the band’s most heartfelt and story-driven songs, blending Southern rock storytelling with bluesy soul. Released in 1974 on the band’s Second Helping album, the track paints a vivid picture of a young boy’s admiration for an aging bluesman—a song that captures both the magic of […]

‘Sweet Home Alabama’ is one of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s most iconic songs, released in June 1974 on their second studio album, Second Helping. Written by band members Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Ed King, the song quickly became a Southern rock anthem, celebrated for its swaggering guitar riff and unapologetic regional pride. The song was […]

The Fourth of July is quickly approaching, and like all holidays, music goes hand-in-hand with the patriotic holiday celebrating the founding of the United States of America – especially rock music. RELATED STORY: 20 Things To Do in Houston This Weekend (June 27 – 29) July 4 celebrates summer, freedom, patriotism and the American spirit, something […]

Formed in Jacksonville, FL, in 1974 by singer-guitarists Donnie Van Zant and Don Barnes, 38 Special initially embraced a classic Southern rock sound. However, over time, their music evolved, incorporating elements of arena rock and achieving mainstream success in the 1980s with hits like Hold On Loosely, Caught Up in You and Second Chance.  RELATED […]

After years of trying to make it big in the music industry, Don Barnes, Ken Lyons and Donnie Van Zant decided to give their dream of being rock stars “one last shot,” attempting to for the “ultimate band.” Van Zant was even about to take a higher-paying job with the railroad company he worked for, […]

The rock and roll lifestyle has seen many artists and bands experience tragedy in one form or another. Despite a major shift in a band’s situation, the members decided that “the show must go on.” RELATED: The Sky is Crying: Music Figures We Lost in Aviation Tragedies RELATED: Timeless: 60 Classic Rock Songs with 1 Billion […]

Live albums have been a staple in the world of “rock ‘n’ roll” since the 1970s, with many great bands from the genre’s heyday releasing at least one. While many of the studio recordings of the great songs on this list are amazing, we typically turn to the live tracks when we want to have […]

Rock music has seen a variety of great debut records over the decades, from commercial juggernauts like Guns N’ Roses‘ Appetite for Destruction, to genre definers like the Ramones‘ Ramones and sleeper hits like Montrose‘s Montrose. Some artists have had the fortune, or misfortune, of their debut album being the band’s best to date. RELATED: 20 […]