Lynyrd Skynyrd Tickets

Lynyrd Skynyrd is the quintessential Southern Rock band, combining a heavy blues-rock sound with the rebellious swagger that comes with the boys from the South.

The band formed in 1970, and was named after Leonard Skinner, a gym teacher and basketball coach for some of the members at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla. The group gained prominence by touring the South, perfecting their hard-blues-rock image across the area. In 1973, they released their debut album, which included the massive hit "Free Bird." Interestingly, it is thought that this song started the concert staple of fans yelling out requests at performances.

That summer, the band opened for The Who, which solidified their spot as a Southern rock heavyweight. The following year, they released "Second Helping," which included two other big hits "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Southern Man." The band continued to release albums with several hit tracks until 1977, when several of the members perished in a plane crash three days after the release of the bands sixth album, "Street Survivors." Singer/songwriter (and ringleader) Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Water McCreary and co-pilot William Gray all died when the bands chartered plane crashed in McComb, Miss.

The band went on hiatus from 1977 through 1987 - surviving members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins formed The Rossington-Collins Band from 1980 through 1982, Artimus Pyle formed The Artimus Pyle Band in 1982.

In 1987, Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, Ed King and Ronnie Van Zants younger brother, Johnny, reunited for a full-scale tour. Collins was paralyzed from a car accident, so he was on the tour as musical director and chose Randall Hall, a bandmate from the Allen Collins Band as his stand-in.

While the band was meant to be a one-time deal, the popularity of both the tour and the double live album, "Southern By The Grace of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour - 1987," many members decided to stay together and record new material.

There have been a number of lineup changes since the reunion in 1987, but the band has soldiered on. In 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Black Sabbath, Blondie, Miles Davis and the Sex Pistols.

The group continues to tour regularly - most recently, they hit the road with Hank Williams Jr. The most recent studio release for the group was "Vicious Cycle" in 2003, and the compilation "Gold" in 2006.