Steve Gaines Guitar Solo, Sweet Home Alabama,(1977)

Youtube ^ | 7/2/1977

[DrJeff]

Unreal MtnClimber - two days after.

[Charles Martel]

My musical diversity is Steve's strat, Gary's Les Paul, and whatever that beast is Allen is playing!

Took me a minute to dig through the brain sludge, but I think that's a Gibson Explorer that Allen is playing.

[duckworth]

Wow, thanks for posting. I remember that feeling and it’s great to have some shred of it on my little laptop screen.

[Mr. Mojo]

Gaines replaced King in '76 right before One More For the Road. Outstanding player.

[blam]

I still have this album somewhere out in my shed. After the airplane crash it was withdrawn from the market and replaced with this one below:

Contrary to popular opinion, Ronnie and Neil Young were friends. Neil wrote a song and gave it to Ronnie for LS to record but they had the plane crash before anything was done with it.

Here is that (Powderfinger) song done by the the group Cowboy Junkies.

The same song done by Neil Young.

This is my favorite rendition of Sweet Home Alabama done in a live concert in Nashville.

LS dedicated their song Freebird to Duanne Allman.

- Roll Tide -

[Mr. Mojo]

Contrary to popular opinion, Ronnie and Neil Young were friends.

Yep, but most LS fans loves to believe otherwise. I've seen pics Ronnie wearing Neil tee shirts.

[DrJeff]

I think Neil is on Ronnie’s T-shirt....

[DrJeff]

Ah...thanks Mr. Mojo. I watched an interview with Medlocke and he talked about playing drums for the boys when Ronnie called him up to replace Bob B. Never thought of him as a drummer!

[Mr. Mojo]

Yep. A Tonight's the Night t-shirt, to be precise. Neil's best album, imo. Underrated classic.

[DrJeff]

Roger that - Thanks Charles. A.C. shreds - such a unique sound. I used to have some LP’s of Rossington-Collins band. They had some great tunes.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Big wheels keep on turning....

[FreedomPoster]

I love that Ronnie is wearing a Neil Young Tonight’s the Night t-shirt. HA!

[haywoodwebb]

!gnip

[GBA]

And just a few short months later, Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie and Ronnie Van Zant would all be dead.

For me, Steve Gaines took Lynyrd Skynyrd to the next level and it hurt when he died.

Here's a recording of Steve Gaines performing I Know A Little live before joining Skynyrd.

He and his band Crawdad with Ain't No Good Life follows.

[GBA]

Works better with a link: Steve Gaines and Crawdad with Ain't No Good Life.

[DrJeff]

Man - he absolutely shreds on this one....Steve was so talented...just wow. Thanks GBA - I had never heard this one!

[JoeProBono]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5GRpA5H3CI

[Ace the Biker]

I’m so pissed, went to Pandora to set up a Steve Gaines station and they have no record of him. Might just cancel my sub.

[GBA]

Sad, but that's the world we live in. Fortunately, you got there in time and, with any luck, their ignorance can be cured!

One Saturday night not long ago I was looking for guitar "how to play" videos and I Know a Little and You Got That Right are always top of my list.

I found what I was looking for and kinda got lost in Steve Gaines' life and work for a while. Lots of stuff I'd never heard or knew about. He was the real deal. A hard working musician coming up in an amazing time for music who added good stuff to the mix.

I still can't play either song all that well, but I sure like listening to him play them, from that first time on Zeta-4 in 1977 to now.

He left way too soon, but he left us with some great stuff to remember him by.

Bittersweet as it is, at least he went out while at the top of his game, with his highest note still ringing on with a Les Paul's sustain.

With my pick in my right hand, I raise my BIC with my left hand in salute.