Gary Rossington is one of the founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. On the occasion of his birthday, we know a little more about him.
On 4 December 1951 the guitarist of one of the most important bands in the history of rock was born. It is about Gary Rossington, one of the founding members of the legendaries Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Gary Rossington, the beginning of his musical career
Gary Rossington is originally from Jacksonville, a city in Florida, in the United States. When he is little he has no particular musical aspirations. In fact, his greatest desire is to become a professional baseball player, possibly gods New York Yankees.
But everything suddenly changes at a certain point. The architects of the young man’s artistic turning point are none other than the Rolling Stones. The future guitarist attends one of their performances on the television program, theEd Sullivan Show. He is struck by it. Thus began his passion for rock n ‘roll.
Initially, Gary Rossington decides to try his hand at the battery. Furthermore, at the age of 12, he founded his first band. It can be said that it was always baseball that brought him closer to the other members of this new group. In fact, both he and Ronnie Van Zant (vocals) and Bob Burns (drums) play that sport. Plus, they know each other because they sometimes play against each other, being part of different Jacksonville teams.
One afternoon in the summer of 1964 the three find themselves making a premiere jam session together. This happens due to a small accident on the pitch, involving Burns and Van Zant. That afternoon will go down in history as the first step towards the creation of the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd.
In the same period, moreover, Gary Rossington decides to focus on a new musical instrument, the one for which he will become famous. It’s about the guitar. This, of course, happens because in the same band there was already another drummer, Burns, in fact.
Soon, the three boys are joined by another guitarist, Allen Collins, and the bass player Larry Junstrom. The first name they give their new project is My Backyard. Not long after, however, they opt for Noble Five. They then set up their first rehearsal room at Burns ‘home in his parents’ garage. In addition, several times they improvise jam sessions luck wherever they are allowed to practice.
The musical influences
During this period, the five very young artists experiment with sounds, learning and drawing inspiration from other artists who see and hear playing. Initially, they refer to many genres, from standard country, to contemporary British rock, to southern rock.
The importance of English rock in their formation will later be underlined by Gary Rossington himself. In fact, he will declare: “We come from English music. We listened to the Yardbirds e Clapton, you know, and Jeff Beck, i Beatles e gli Stones, the Animals, all these groups“.
Career with Lynyrd Skynyrd
Soon the first live shows of the group arrive, with their debut in December 1964. The five boys have no qualms. In order to play, they agree to perform in contexts not very suitable for rock, such as a dance organized by the local parish. Time will prove them right. In fact, thanks to the live constants they improve theirs a lot performance, harmony and musical technique. In addition, their name is starting to be more and more known.
In 1970, the band chose its final name, Lynyrd Skynyrd, in fact. Moreover, in the same year, the five musicians are already counted among the best groups in the area.
In the first part of the 70s, the group managed to win numerous opportunities to play around the southern United States. The great turning point came, however, in 1972. The musician and record producer Al Kooper takes the band under its wing. After hearing them live, Kooper decides to let them join his record label, la Sounds of the South label. Thus, the debut album of Lynyrd Skynyrd was born, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), later published in 1973.
Hence the success of the group becomes more and more overwhelming. Second Helping (1974), their LP number 2, places them definitively among the great names of American rock.
The end of the “original” Lynyrd Skynyrd came prematurely, in 1977, due to external tragic causes. Indeed, some members of the group die in a tragic accident. Gary Rossington and the other surviving members of the group decide, a decade later, in 1987, to bring the project back to life for an unprecedented tour. This will be followed by a wonderful double live album, Southern by the Grace of God (1988, MCA). Then the band will continue almost to the present day playing together and churning out new studio albums.
Two tragic accidents
The history of Lynyrd Skynyrd is indelibly marked by two terrible accidents. Accidents involving both Gary Rossington firsthand.
The first takes place in 1976, during the “Labor Day“. Two different car crashes have the guitarist and another member of the band, Collins as their victims. Both road accidents occur in Jacksonville. Fortunately, the two musicians did not report particularly serious damage.
The second incident is the best known one, which occurred on October 20, 1977, after a live by the group at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville (South Carolina, USA). The plane the Lynyrd Skynyrd is traveling on crashes near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Several passengers die. However, four band members are saved: Collins, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington himself. This will be, in fact, the event that will mark the end of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd.
