LYNYRD SKYNYRD – Asbury Park, New Jersey – July 13, 1977

LYNYRD SKYNYRD - Asbury Park, New Jersey July 13, 1977

LYNYRD SKYNYRD
Asbury Park, NJ
July 13, 1977
By JAMES SIMON
Associated Press writer
ASBURY PARK, N.J. -
The rebellious, hell-raising image of rock groups is frequently just that — an image, say members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a Florida band which does its best to uphold the rough and tumble ideal. “Nobody wants to read about ‘Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ‘ , bassist Leon Wilkeson said with a smile after the band ended a year’s tour with a concert at Convention Hall here. “I’d love to read an article when an interviewer says, ‘Well, I went down to interview the notorious rebels of rock ‘n’ roll, expecting to get a black eye in the process.’ I’d like him to write the truth — they don’t get as drunk as you think, they really don’t get as high and they really don’t fight as much as they’re built up to.” Wilkeson said.

Despite the disclaimer, Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd ) cultivated the image carefully for four years as the band criss-crossed the country, giving 200 or more concerts a year of rowdy, guitar dominated rock and blues songs and working its way up to headline status. Stories of wild parties, drunken brawls and smashed television sets followed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and the rest of the band wherever they went.

“The band went on tour with the Who first, so I guess some of their insanity rubbed off,” said guitarist Steve Gaines, adding he hasn’t seen any “real violence” in his year with the band. Gaines replaced guitarist Ed King last summer in one of the band’s several personnel changes. He is one of three lead guitarists in the group who give Skynard a full, powerful sound on songs like the show closing “Free Bird,” one of the best extended songs to come out of the 1970s.

But even on the 11-minute “Free Bird,” which fans start calling for as soon as the band walks on stage, the band’s loose and ragged image hides the fact the song is as rigid as any three-minute AM radio hit.

“The song’s got a structure. And it’s always the same way, at least since I’ve played with the band anyway,” Gaines said. “That’s the song they used to play in clubs and Ronnie jokes that they used to throw it in in clubs because it’s a good time waster.” The band’s lineup includes singer Van Zant, bassist Wilkeson, guitarists Gaines. Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, drummer Artimus Pyle, keyboard player Billy Powell and several female backup singers. Most of the attention is on the guitarists, who trade off lead passages easily although their sound is so thick that Powell’s keyboards rarely can be heard.

GUITARIST STEVE GAINES

LYNYRD SKYNYRD DOCUMENTARY