Gary Rossington: The Simple Man Who Made Lynyrd Skynyrd Endure

It’s 1987 and I and some friends, returning from college, stop at a bar in the woods near Aurora, Illinois. The gravel lot is surrounded by soybean and corn fields. It also borders an old railroad spur. The walkway is lined with a number of Harleys, each one muffler-to-muffler. You’d think this wouldn’t turn out so well — Midwest college boys mingling with the Lords of Anarchy. All you have to do is walk in and listen to the music.

The jukebox has been playing “You Got That Right” Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of those rare bands over which punk children and outlaws could connect: Lynyrd Skynyrd. The next thing you know we are playing pool with bikers and enjoying some chill time (albeit keeping our eyes open for possible theft) “best of” cut, “Gimme Three Steps” The real work begins.

That’s what some bands do. Sometimes they can unite completely separate social groups into a song that’s too hot not to listen. Lynyrd Skynyrd were just that kind of band. They were one of the greatest acts in the history of classic rock, thanks to their unique Southern blue-collar sound, which combined rock and roll with the Delta blues and gospel.

Last week saw the passing of Gary Rossington, the only surviving member from the original Jacksonville line-up that formed in late 1960s. Many generations have heard Gary Rossington’s guitar playing, who died at the age of 71. Who doesn’t recognize the melancholy slide guitar of Gary Rossington? “Freebird” This was the one that defined the band. Now he is part of what Pink Floyd would consider the greatest gig in all the world. Skynyrd was certainly a significant presence in the world.

Lynyrd Skynyrd officially formed in 1969. This hard-drinking, hard playing band allowed Ronnie Van Zant to share his good boy view of the tough world through the medium of Van Zant as co-founder and leader. Skynyrd’s driving guitar playing made them stand out in an otherwise crowded market. They are unmatched in their raw energy, musicianship, and guitar skills, thanks to Rossington’s electric sound.

Rossington’s story tells the classic tale of rags-to riches. Rossington was a lower-middle-class Southern kid who dropped out from high school in order to focus full-time on his music career. One could see a picture of a happy man, regardless of his difficult path. A person who loved family and friends and music more than anything else. It took someone like Van Zant three years older to become the father figure Rossington had never known (his dad was killed when Rossington was a baby). Van Zant encouraged the band to achieve their full potential with his no-nonsense practice approach until they could play with one voice like a heartbeat.    

Lynyrd Skynyrd — named in part as a back-handed homage to their high school P.E. teacher Leonard Skinner — worked hard and paid their dues while accolades came slowly at first. Indeed, a series of record labels declined to sign the band … even though the demos included the iconic “Freebird.” Al Kooper was eventually drawn to their appeal and the lyrics that were written by working men. He signed them to the Sounds Of The South label in 1972. MCA records distributed the album. Lynyrd Skynyrd was a star in five years with a number of hits and acclaimed albums.

Then tragedy struck. The chartered plane that was carrying them to an LSU gig crashed into the Mississippi swamps. Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines were among the victims. Cassie Van Zant was his sister. Dean Kilpatrick, assistant road manager, also died. Rossington, who had steel rods in his leg and right arm, was among the most severely hurt passengers. It took him months to fully recover.

Following the crash, Rossington went on a soul-searching hiatus. Rossington continued to work on his recovery. He also worked with other projects like the Rossington Collins Band. This band released two albums after Collins’ tragic death. After he was devastated, Allen Collins turned to alcohol and drugs and became paralysed in an accident that occurred in 1986. He passed away in 1990. Lynyrd skynyrd was reunited in 1987 when Ronnie, his kid brother Johnny, took the microphone. Although it was difficult to step in for his brother, Van Zant, a younger singer and songwriter, made the task of being frontman his own. The band survived.

Skynyrd wasn’t without its controversy. There were few bands that partied so hard, and the headline-grabbing drunken brawls between them, often courtesy Ronnie, was quite common. Ed King is the California outsider responsible for the world-famous opening guitar riff. “Sweet Home Alabama,” The drunken brawling, verbal and physical abuses that Van Zant inflicted on the band members was too much. The band was disbanded by Van Zant in 1975. Steve Gaines succeeded him one year later. King would be back for the reunion.

Skynyrd was a strong voice in a besieged Old South, even though they avoided politics. Indeed, “Sweet Home Alabama” This was an indefensible rebuttal of Neil Young’s song “Southern Man” The attack on the South by the Canadian for its racism, and his view of religious hypocrisy. (Mister Young sang about her, but I didn’t hear it. / Neil Young was heard to put the er down. / But, Neil Young should remember. / Southern men don’t have him. The band had a Confederate flag as a backdrop on their stage for many years to emphasize this unique identity. The band learned that the flag was not a symbol of Southern heritage and roots, but a signal of hatred for many Americans. Rossington would insist that they meant no offense, that for them music — much of which in their case was influenced by black artists they respected — was about uniting people, not driving a wedge in between them. In 2012, they discarded their rebel emblem in favor of an American Flag. He suggested: “We didn’t want that to go to our fans or show the image like we agreed with any of the race stuff or any of the bad things.” This ability to change could be a sign of the longevity of the band.

The reason that I continue to listen to Skynyrd, 50 years later, is because they were a damn good band. From the music to their message to the musicians, it was honest. You could hear their honesty as much in the music. “Don’t Ask Me No Questions And I Won’t Tell You No Lies.” However … It’s okay to talk about fishing.. They remained true to their roots, which was appealing to many people who might have been stranded at the honky-tonk following a long day of work. “Simple Man” Plays in the background

Rossington was one such man who would have felt just as at home drinking alongside his audience than playing in front. Rossington’s long and difficult career was marred by his addiction to alcohol and drug use, particularly in those years after the plane accident, when he was dependent on painkillers. His 1976 solo accident in a car was a result of his drinking and drug use. Collins and Van Zant wrote “That Smell” Referring to the alcohol-like odor in the car wrecked, the singer spoke out about the event. But, just as if to live up the title their appropriately named album “Street Survivor,” Skynyrd was there through it all, but not in the same way that Rossington. The two were touring until Rossington died last Sunday.

Skynyrd today might seem more of an imitation band to Rossington than it is the true deal, considering that Rossington was the last of the old guard. One could sense that their co-founder was still alive, and that a tenuous link to their 1973-1977 zenith of magic remained. In 2022, he answered a simple question about why he continued to play with the group. “It feels good still. And the crowds keep showing up an likin’ it. And I like to keep the brand goin’, with Ronnie and Allen and Steve an all those guys who aren’t here anymore, to keep their dream alive.” 

His passing marked the end to a musical constant. Gary Rossington was a good-looking, friendly man who had been married for over 30 years to the same woman and is now a father to two beautiful daughters. This man was more familiar with the passing of family members than others. His gift of making Les Paul sing enabled him to escape a life that could have ended in Florida. He went on to travel around the globe and to spread music to all generations.

As long as there’s ramshackle bars on empty country roads hosting bikers, college students, and all of them peacefully clicking their whiskey bottles, Rossington’s contributions to the electric guitar era’s greatest and most enduring acts and the greater Southern rock genre will endure. 

Brad Schaeffer works as a musician and commodities trader. He is also an author whose articles appear in The Wall Street Journal. His most acclaimed novel, World War II: The Novel is by him Of Another Time And Place. Brad’s new bestseller The ExtraordinaryThe following is an interview with a teenager on the autism spectrum about his struggle to cope with the PTSD of his military father.

The opinions expressed in this article are the views of the author, and not necessarily those of The Daily Wire.

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