Growing up in the South during the 1970’s I have always held an affinity with the Southern Rock genre of music.  One of my favorite bands from the era was Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd). The original group was formed in 1963 in Jacksonville Florida well before I was born using several different names until finally settling on the internationally recognized and seemingly misspelled cognomen in 1973 that helped launch them into stardom.

Consequentially, Leonard Skinner was the name of the high school basketball coach who the band members mocked after being sent to the principals office because their hair was too long. Little did he know then, but Coach Skinner would become the inspiration for the rebellious bands new name and decades later the rest is history.

Lynyrd Skynyrd was led in the early years by Ronnie Van Zant who would die in a tragic airplane crash On October 20, 1977 along with band members Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines three days after releasing their album Street Survivors. The cause of the accident was attributed to the airplane running out of fuel near the end of the flight, but members of the band, other eye witnesses, and plane crash survivors always felt like there was more to the eerie tale than could be left to a faulty fuel gauge.

This past summer I took my wife and kids to Lynyrd Skynyrd: Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour in Mountain View California where a special final tribute was paid to Ronnie Van Zant by Johnny Van Zant, the younger brother and frontman who re-launched the band in 1987, some 10 years after his brother’s untimely death.  Although I have heard and admired the lyrics of  Simple Man for literally my entire life, it struck a new special chord with me after hearing it played by the man who helped co-write it and hearing it sang live by a younger brother who carried out the legacy of his older brother for nearly 31 years.

I read somewhere that shortly after Ronnie Van Zant’s grandmother and Gary Rossington’s mother died, the two got together in Van Zant’s apartment and started telling stories about the two strong female role models and the impact each had on their lives. Rossington came up with a chord progression, and Van Zant wrote the lyrics based on life advice the women had given them over the years. They wrote this song in less than an hour. Proverbs 1:8 has a very similar message in that it says, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”  I have to wonder if the sweet women placed in the lives of these young men and the tragic events of that October day some 41 years ago might have played a role in changing the fate and the faith of the simple men and women this tragedy left behind. Simple Man is the 3rd most popular song released by the band just behind Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird  In a farewell address to fans the band members stated the following in an article found on lynyrdskynyrd.com

“It’s hard to imagine, after all these years, the band that Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins and myself started back in Jacksonville, would resonate for this long and to so many generations of fans. I’m certain they are looking down from above, amazed that the music has touched so many,” said Gary Rossington, original and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Lead vocalist, Johnny Van Zant said, “we’ve been blessed by these great songs and the messages they carry to the fans.  It’s been a true honor to try and fill in my brother’s footsteps for the past 31 years, keeping the music and his spirit, alive.”

There are still a few more chances to catch the remaining dates for Lynyrd Skynyrd: Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour presented by Live Nation.  I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves the genre or simply wants to pay tribute to the music, the men, and the message that these timeless classics continue to convey.