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Now the band has suddenly decided to become political correct. Gary Rossington, the only original member, grovelled to CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. He says he doesn't want to offend anyone by using the Confederate flag. He said the band will no longer display the flag. Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama" in 1977. This was three months before the plane crash that killed three of the original members. --SNIP-- The band released a new studio album just days ago ironically titled "Last of A Dying Breed." The band is preparing to go on tour to support their new album. However, there is...

Leonard Skinner, the no-nonsense, flattopped basketball coach and gym teacher whose name is forever linked with Jacksonville’s legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in his sleep early Monday morning. He was 77.

Music video by Lynyrd Skynyrd performing What's Your Name 1977

Bassist Donald "Ean" Evans of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died of cancer at his home in Mississippi. Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant says Evans died Wednesday. He was 48.

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell died Wednesday morning (January 28) at his home in Orange Park, Fla. He was 56. According to the Associated Press, Powell called 911 around 12:55 a.m., saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews arrived at the home, but Powell was pronounced dead just before 2 a.m. Orange Park Police Lt. Mark Cornett told the AP that Powell had missed an appointment yesterday for a cardiac evaluation.

A keyboardist for the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died at his northeast Florida home. Keyboard player Billy Powell called 911 about 12:55 a.m. Wednesday saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m., said Orange Park Police Lt. Mark Cornett. Powell, 56, who has a history of heart problems, missed a Tuesday appointment with his doctor for a cardiac evaluation. A heart attack is suspected. No autopsy will be performed because Powell's cardiologist will sign the death certificate, Cornett said. The Jacksonville-based band was formed in 1966 by a...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- You can call Neil Young the new spiderman. A biologist has named a newly discovered trapdoor spider after rock star Neil Young: Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. The musician is "worthy of that honor" because he's been an activist for social and political issues, said East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond. Bond, 40, examined the spider in a collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where it was identified as a new species that's indigenous to Alabama. He sent students there to collect more specimens. It's not the first time Bond has bestowed a beloved name...

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle has been arrested a second time after failing to properly register as a sex offender, sheriff's officials said. The 59-year-old musician, whose real name is Thomas Delmer Pyle, was arrested Tuesday at one of three addresses he gave to authorities, Sgt. Chuck Mulligan said. He was being held Wednesday on $50,000 bond, Mulligan told The Florida Times-Union. Jail records do not show whether he had a lawyer. Pyle had been released on $10,000 bond after being arrested on the same charge Nov. 19. He was arrested again after he still...

Thirty years ago today, a rented plane took off from Greenville, S.C., headed for Baton Rouge, La. Just before dark, just before it reached the Louisiana line, the plane ran out of fuel and sank toward the Mississippi landscape below. It first grazed the tops of the pine trees. "It was like the sound of a billion baseball bats beating the side of the plane." Lynyrd Skynyrd bass player Leon Wilkeson described in an interview a decade ago. The plane crashed down through the trees to the ground, breaking apart as it went. In the twisted, broken pieces of that...

HISTORY OF SOUTHERN ROCK CMT EXPLORES THE ROOTS, LEGACY AND ARTISTS OF SOUTHERN ROCK IN "AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS: SOUTHERN ROCK" Sun, Aug 21st 5:00 PM ET/PT on CMT American Revolutions: Southern Rock, a CMT original 90-minute documentary, explores the roots and legacy of Southern rock by tracing the rise of its greatest artists and their music from the late 1960s to the present. As a young white South looked to redefine its identity after the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, Southern rock gave a voice (and driving backbeat) to that struggle in the 1970s -- and had a pretty damn...

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. - Lacy Van Zant, father of members of the Southern rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special, has died. He was 89.Van Zant died peacefully Tuesday at his Jacksonville home of pulmonary illness, according to a release posted on Lynyrd Skynyrd's web site.He is the father of Ronnie Van Zant, the founder of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Johnny Van Zant, the band's current lead singer. Ronnie Van Zant died in a 1977 plane crash near McComb, Miss., that also killed two other band members.Another son, Donnie Van Zant, was amember of .38 Special.Lacy Van Zant, who was known for...

Ronnie Van Zant wouldn't begrudge ZZ Top's addition this week to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The "little ol' band from Texas" and Mr. Van Zant's Lynyrd Skynyrd were comrades in the army of Southern rock bands that conquered America in the 1970s. After the phenomenal success of the Allman Brothers, record companies suddenly discovered Dixie, a land overflowing with blues and boogie. Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, the Charlie Daniels Band, Elvin Bishop, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Black Oak Arkansas, Mother's Finest, .38 Special, the Outlaws, Molly Hatchet for a few years in the 1970s,...

It's hardly surprising that Lynyrd Skynyrd -- those ambassadors of Southern rock who soared up the charts in 1974 with their ode to "Sweet Home Alabama" -- would check in with a bow to patriotism in 2003. What's surprising is that they weren't the first ones with it after 9/11.The fabled rock band's new single, "Red, White and Blue," follows flag-waving songs by country singers Toby Keith, Darryl Worley and Clint Black. "Red, White and Blue," which reached the top 20 on Billboard's mainstream rock chart last week, comes from Skynyrd's new album "Vicious Cycle."Lynyrd Skynyrd performs today at...

Red, White, and Blue(Print the Lyrics)We don't have no plastic L.A. Frynds, ain't on the edge of no popular trend. Ain't never seen the inside of that magazine GQ. We don't care if you 're a lawyer, or a texas oil man, or some waitress busting ass in some liquor stand. If you got Soul We hang out with people just like you My hair's turning white, my neck's always been red, my collar's still blue, we've always been here just trying to sing the truth to you. Yes you could say we've always been, Red, White, and Blue...

JACKSONVILLE, FL - American's are pouring out support for the troops fighting in Iraq and the First Coast is no exception. From yellow ribbons and bumper stickers signs of support are everywhere. For local rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd , the band has decided to sing their support. The southern rock legends have written a new song called Red, White, and Blue about the United States and the song was given its worldwide debut on local radio Tuesday morning. Those who have heard it, including DJ's Lex and Terry, say it's a fantastic song and long time fans couldn't agree more....

The wait is finally over…… Copies of the new Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Red, White & Blue” have arrived at every rock and classic rock station in the country. Help us make sure EVERYONE knows there’s a new Lynyrd Skynyrd song to be heard. Start calling your favorite local stations and request the song. We’re interested in following your efforts, so are going to start a thread on the message board to post where you are and aren’t hearing the song. This will enable us to support you where we can. Every effort is appreciated and WILL make a difference.