Southern rock swept the USA in the 1970s, eventually finding its way to Australian audiences. Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of its leading exponents. They first formed in 1964 in Jacksonville, Florida, and became one of the top acts on the stadium rock circuit. In Australia, they had just one hit, but it was a monster, Sweet Home Alabama, co-written by guitarist Gary Rossington.
Gary survived the 1977 plane crash that killed four band members, and went on to be the last surviving member of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd line-up. Gary has died, age 71.
We also farewell one of the great multi-instrumentalists, David Lindley. If it had strings, David could make it sing. He worked closely with Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Warren Zevon, and many more.
You have heard David sing – he did the falsetto in The Load Out/Stay, Jackson Browne’s epic tale of life on the road with a 1970s rock band.
