Three members were killed in a plane crash in 1977 taking the lead singer and song writer of the bands life, Ronnie Van Zant. The band reformed in 1987 and has been touring ever since.
Today their is only one living member from the original lineup still in the band.Gary Rossington. Over the years there has been a total of 25 members part of the band. Can a band still be the same band with only one member remaining? When Def Leppard's drummer lost his arm in a car accident, they didn't just replace him with another drummer. Wouldn't it be safe to say that Lynyrd Skynyrd is today more of a tribute band. The question is at what point is a band no longer a band or that original band. If the Beatles lost two members could they still be the Beatles. Can Ringo (Peace & Love) go out and start a band today and call themselves the Beatles?
I think not. It is about time that Lynyrd Skynyrd retired the name. They need to pay respects to the original members and to all the fans of Skynyrd and put it to rest.
Pop Quiz!
Which picture is the band Lynyrd Skynyrd as seen in concert today?
Original Band Members on First Album
1972–1973
- Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
- Gary Rossington – guitars
- Allen Collins – guitars
- Ed King – guitars
- Leon Wilkeson – bass, backing vocals
- Billy Powell – keyboards
Skynyrd was done so long ago, with so much of the soul gone from the band after the plane crash. I don't blame the band from pushing on at a later point in life, but truely, this band was done when Ronnie was gone. He was the inspiration behind the music, and the band was the backbone. What a great great band. But that was then, and this latest band, should not continue with the name, even if their is an argument of the many changes that it has seen throughout the years. Gary Rossington is an original, and a wonderful part of that prior band. But it is past the point of giving the namesake its proper place, and it sure isn't on this lastest rendition.
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