Award shows are a way to recognize the talented artists working today, as well as honor those who came before. At this year’s CMT Awards ceremony, musicians came together to pay tribute to Gary Rossington, a member of the classic rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd who died earlier this year.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, creating hits like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Free Bird’
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an iconic Southern rock band, with hits like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” under their belts. They formed in the early 1960s, achieving massive success in the ’70s.
The band’s upward trajectory was halted by a tragic plane crash in 1977 that killed band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed 10 years later, and continued to tour and make music for their millions of fans. They were inducted into the...
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, creating hits like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Free Bird’
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an iconic Southern rock band, with hits like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” under their belts. They formed in the early 1960s, achieving massive success in the ’70s.
The band’s upward trajectory was halted by a tragic plane crash in 1977 that killed band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed 10 years later, and continued to tour and make music for their millions of fans. They were inducted into the...
- 4/6/2023
- by India McCarty
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Lynyrd Skynyrd have officially announced that they will continue as a band following the recent passing of founding guitarist Gary Rossington. As such, the legendary Southern rockers will honor all their upcoming tour dates, including their co-headlining summer outing with Zz Top.
Rossington, who was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on March 5th at the age of 71. While his cause of death has not yet been revealed, he had suffered several health setbacks in recent years, undergoing emergency heart surgery in 2021.
In a new press release, Skynyrd revealed they debated whether to continue but ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the band, the fans, and Rossington’s legacy.
Rossington’s widow Dale, who is a backup singer in Skynyrd, stated:
“I recently lost my husband and partner of over 41 years. He was an amazing father, grandfather, brother and friend, but most importantly was...
Rossington, who was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on March 5th at the age of 71. While his cause of death has not yet been revealed, he had suffered several health setbacks in recent years, undergoing emergency heart surgery in 2021.
In a new press release, Skynyrd revealed they debated whether to continue but ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the band, the fans, and Rossington’s legacy.
Rossington’s widow Dale, who is a backup singer in Skynyrd, stated:
“I recently lost my husband and partner of over 41 years. He was an amazing father, grandfather, brother and friend, but most importantly was...
- 4/3/2023
- by Spencer Kaufman
- Consequence - Music
An all-star cast of guitar heroes, vocalists, and sidemen will pay tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Zz Top’s Billy Gibbons, and Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes will all plug in their axes for a performance of two yet-to-be-named Skynyrd hits, while Texas country star Cody Johnson and Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers turn up the vocals. Chuck Leavell, the longtime Rolling Stones keyboardist, is also in the band, along with bassist Ethan Pilzer and drummer Rich Redmond.
It’s a...
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Zz Top’s Billy Gibbons, and Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes will all plug in their axes for a performance of two yet-to-be-named Skynyrd hits, while Texas country star Cody Johnson and Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers turn up the vocals. Chuck Leavell, the longtime Rolling Stones keyboardist, is also in the band, along with bassist Ethan Pilzer and drummer Rich Redmond.
It’s a...
- 3/30/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
If you thought the death of Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s sole surviving original member, last Sunday would bring the Southern rock band’s 52-year career to a close, you only had to be at the Plant City Strawberry Festival in Florida Sunday night. Lynyrd Skynyrd took the stage a week after their founding guitarist’s death at 71 to play all the hits, from “What’s Your Name” and “Gimme Three Steps” to the one-two show-closing punch of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”
But the group also paid tribute...
But the group also paid tribute...
- 3/13/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Gary Rossington, the founding guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 71.
He was the last surviving original member of the rock band.
The band made the announcement on Facebook: “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
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Rossington has had many health scares, including a car accident in 1976 that inspired the song “That Smell” and a plane crash in 1977 that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.
In recent years, Rossington has had a series of heart problems, undergoing quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, suffering a heart attack in 2015 and having several heart surgeries as a result. He left the...
He was the last surviving original member of the rock band.
The band made the announcement on Facebook: “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died In 2022
Rossington has had many health scares, including a car accident in 1976 that inspired the song “That Smell” and a plane crash in 1977 that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.
In recent years, Rossington has had a series of heart problems, undergoing quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, suffering a heart attack in 2015 and having several heart surgeries as a result. He left the...
- 3/8/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
When Artimus Pyle, the drummer of Lynyrd Skynyrd for the bulk of the Seventies, heard the news yesterday about the death of his former bandmate, guitarist Gary Rossington, he immediately pulled up the last text messages between the two.
“I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stone over the phone from his home in rural North Carolina.
Rossington...
“I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stone over the phone from his home in rural North Carolina.
Rossington...
- 3/6/2023
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
Gary Rossington, a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died. He was 71.
The news of Rossington’s death was confirmed by the band in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday evening.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the statement shared. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
“Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time,” the statement concluded.
No details regarding the cause of Rossington’s death have yet been released.
Rossington co-founded the band, which would eventually become known as Lynyrd Skynyrd, in the early 1960s, alongside Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns,...
The news of Rossington’s death was confirmed by the band in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday evening.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the statement shared. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
“Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time,” the statement concluded.
No details regarding the cause of Rossington’s death have yet been released.
Rossington co-founded the band, which would eventually become known as Lynyrd Skynyrd, in the early 1960s, alongside Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington, the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who survived their 1977 plane crash and played with the band until this year, died Sunday. He was 71.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on its official Facebook page. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Gary Rossington Recovering After Emergency Heart Surgery Related Story Lynyrd Skynyrd Biopic Producer Slams Band Suit As Attacking Freedom Of Speech
No other details were provided.
Rossington was badly injured in the 1977 plane crash that killed four members of the legendary Southern rock band including frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Rossington broke both of his legs,...
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on its official Facebook page. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist Gary Rossington Recovering After Emergency Heart Surgery Related Story Lynyrd Skynyrd Biopic Producer Slams Band Suit As Attacking Freedom Of Speech
No other details were provided.
Rossington was badly injured in the 1977 plane crash that killed four members of the legendary Southern rock band including frontman Ronnie Van Zant. Rossington broke both of his legs,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Erik Pedersen and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Gary Rossington, guitarist and longest-tenured original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 71.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band announced on Sunday (March 5th). “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
Rossington formed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with childhood friends Ronnie Van Zant (singer-songwriter), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent a number of years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before being discovered by Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut in 1973 with a lineup featuring Rossington, Van Zant, Collins, and Burns, along with guitarist Ed King and keyboardist Billy Powell. Burns left in 1974 and was replaced by Artimus Pyle,...
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band announced on Sunday (March 5th). “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
Rossington formed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with childhood friends Ronnie Van Zant (singer-songwriter), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent a number of years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before being discovered by Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut in 1973 with a lineup featuring Rossington, Van Zant, Collins, and Burns, along with guitarist Ed King and keyboardist Billy Powell. Burns left in 1974 and was replaced by Artimus Pyle,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Consequence Staff
- Consequence - Music
Gary Rossington, a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd whose ethereal slide guitar helped make the Southern rock band’s song “Free Bird” an indelible anthem, died Sunday at the age of 71.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire...
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire...
- 3/6/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Lynyrd Skynyrd will revisit a classic Seventies performance with the release of a new DVD, CD, and LP set. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live at Knebworth ‘76 arrives April 9th.
The concert was recorded at the long-running Knebworth, England, festival on August 21st, 1976, with a classic Skynyrd lineup of singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Steve Gaines, bassist Leon Wilkeson, drummer Artimus Pyle, keyboardist Billy Powell, and backing vocalists the Honkettes. Van Zant and Gaines would be among those who died in the band’s tragic plane crash a year later.
The concert was recorded at the long-running Knebworth, England, festival on August 21st, 1976, with a classic Skynyrd lineup of singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Steve Gaines, bassist Leon Wilkeson, drummer Artimus Pyle, keyboardist Billy Powell, and backing vocalists the Honkettes. Van Zant and Gaines would be among those who died in the band’s tragic plane crash a year later.
- 2/17/2021
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
"This is something that should've have happened. But it did." 1091 has released an official trailer for a film titled Street Survivors, though the full title also sets up the plot: Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. This is not a documentary, it's a fictional feature made about the plane crash. Strange but it's real. This premiered at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival last year. Street Survivors centers on drummer Artimus Pyle's experience as a band member with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the tragically fateful day their rented plane crashed in the late evening in the swamps of Gillsburg, Ms in October of 1977 and took the lives of singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister back up singer Cassie Gaines, their road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the two pilots. Starring Ian Shultis, Taylor Clift, Jon Briddell, Sean McNabb, Kelly Lynn Reiter, and Krystyna Ahlers.
- 7/2/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Lynyrd Skynyrd have postponed this weekend’s stops on their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour so that founding member Gary Rossington can recover from a recent heart procedure. The 67-year-old guitarist had been experiencing fatigue, according to a press release, and underwent surgery to fix a leaky heart valve on July 31st.
The two concerts affected are the August 16th show in Las Vegas and August 17th’s gig in Wheatland, California. Both performances have already been rescheduled for October.
Rossington had quintuple bypass surgery in 2003 and had...
The two concerts affected are the August 16th show in Las Vegas and August 17th’s gig in Wheatland, California. Both performances have already been rescheduled for October.
Rossington had quintuple bypass surgery in 2003 and had...
- 8/13/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Lynyrd Skynyrd are stretching their farewell tour to “Freebird”-sized proportions by adding dozens of new summer dates. The group announced its Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour last year, and will resume it this year with a set at the Stagecoach festival. Cody Jinks, Hank Williams, Jr. and Bad Company will each appear with them on select dates. Tickets will go on sale on February 8th at 10 a.m. local time.
“It takes a long time to finish a farewell tour when you’re like us, ’cause we’ve played everywhere,...
“It takes a long time to finish a farewell tour when you’re like us, ’cause we’ve played everywhere,...
- 2/4/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s surviving members cannot prevent the release of the film Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York overturned a permanent injunction that previously halted the movie, which depicts the 1977 plane crash that killed the Southern rock act’s then-frontman, Ronnie Van Zant.
Street Survivors, named after the group’s 1977 LP of the same name, is partially based on the recollections of former drummer Artimus Pyle, who...
Street Survivors, named after the group’s 1977 LP of the same name, is partially based on the recollections of former drummer Artimus Pyle, who...
- 10/10/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a judge's injunction against Street Survivor: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. The decision will come as relief to Cleopatra Films, the producer of the movie about the 1977 plane crash that killed Lynyrd Skynyrd members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, although it doesn't go as far as free speech advocates in the media industry who rushed to support Cleopatra would have liked.
Heirs of Van Zant and Gaines as well as founding lead guitarist Gary Rossington sued the makers of the film in 2017 for working ...
Heirs of Van Zant and Gaines as well as founding lead guitarist Gary Rossington sued the makers of the film in 2017 for working ...
- 10/10/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a judge's injunction against Street Survivor: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. The decision will come as relief to Cleopatra Films, the producer of the movie about the 1977 plane crash that killed Lynyrd Skynyrd members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, although it doesn't go as far as free speech advocates in the media industry who rushed to support Cleopatra would have liked.
Heirs of Van Zant and Gaines as well as founding lead guitarist Gary Rossington sued the makers of the film in 2017 for working ...
Heirs of Van Zant and Gaines as well as founding lead guitarist Gary Rossington sued the makers of the film in 2017 for working ...
- 10/10/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ed King wasn’t a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd and he wasn’t with them on October 20th, 1977 when their plane crashed and killed frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and several others. But the bassist/guitarist — who died of cancer this week — was in Lynyrd Skynyrd when they recorded their first three albums, playing on classics like “Free Bird,” “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps” and their immortal classic “Sweet Home Alabama,” which he co-wrote.
“We wrote that song in half an hour,” King told Classic Bands in 2006. “The song came real quick.
“We wrote that song in half an hour,” King told Classic Bands in 2006. “The song came real quick.
- 8/23/2018
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
A new documentary promises to tell the full story of one of southern rock’s defining bands, warts and all. The film, Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow, covers a lot of ground: the band’s rise from Jacksonville, Florida, the plane crash that killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and several crew members, their return and unflinching use of the Confederate flag. It will premiere on Showtime on August 18th at 9 p.m. Et and Pt.
A clip from the juxtaposes the tragic plane accident...
A clip from the juxtaposes the tragic plane accident...
- 7/18/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Evenings like Monday night are why you move to Nashville. Or at least scrape together the funds to visit. It’s because of guys like Charlie Worsham, who threw an all-Lynyrd Skynyrd party as the latest installment of his Every Damn Monday residency at the Basement East and proved why Nashville is the most vibrant music hub in the U.S. right now.
On a single stage, you had a diverse group of musicians united by the common denominator of Skynyrd. The songs of the Southern-rock titans bonded the musicians as kids,...
On a single stage, you had a diverse group of musicians united by the common denominator of Skynyrd. The songs of the Southern-rock titans bonded the musicians as kids,...
- 7/10/2018
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
This was the bittersweet climax of Lynyrd Skynyrd's career. After a wild ride to stardom, these Southern Rock icons took a breather to craft an album more slowly than on their other four studio efforts, the last of which had seen a slip in standards. They succeeded triumphantly with Street Survivors, which shipped gold on October 17, 1977.
Three days later a plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister), and road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and injured the rest of the band. McA recalled the original LP cover [left], which depicted the seven main band members amid red-and-yellow flames, substituting a plainer, less eerily violent photo. (Most CD editions have reverted to the original cover.)
But they didn't change what was inside, in the music itself. The frightening "That Smell" was written by Van Zant after Gary Rossington passed out drunk while driving,...
Three days later a plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister), and road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and injured the rest of the band. McA recalled the original LP cover [left], which depicted the seven main band members amid red-and-yellow flames, substituting a plainer, less eerily violent photo. (Most CD editions have reverted to the original cover.)
But they didn't change what was inside, in the music itself. The frightening "That Smell" was written by Van Zant after Gary Rossington passed out drunk while driving,...
- 10/17/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Today is a sad day in music history, as it marks the anniversary of one of the biggest disasters in the history of rock. On October 20, 1977, the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd chartered a plane to take them from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In the middle of the flight, the tiny Convair 240 ran out of fuel, and though the pilot attempted an emergency landing, the plane crashed in a forest in Gillsburg, Mississippi. The crash killed the two pilots, Skynyrd assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick and band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines. The rest of the passengers suffered injuries as well, and the group disbanded shortly after the accident.
A decade later, the band came back with a number of replacement members (including singer Johnny Van Zant, younger brother of Ronnie). Though the band has seen a revolving door of members since then, the...
A decade later, the band came back with a number of replacement members (including singer Johnny Van Zant, younger brother of Ronnie). Though the band has seen a revolving door of members since then, the...
- 10/20/2009
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
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