Award shows are a way to recognize the talented artists working today, as well as honor those who came before. At this year’s CMT Awards ceremony, musicians came together to pay tribute to Gary Rossington, a member of the classic rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd who died earlier this year.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, creating hits like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Free Bird’
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an iconic Southern rock band, with hits like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” under their belts. They formed in the early 1960s, achieving massive success in the ’70s.
The band’s upward trajectory was halted by a tragic plane crash in 1977 that killed band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed 10 years later, and continued to tour and make music for their millions of fans. They were inducted into the...
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, creating hits like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘Free Bird’
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an iconic Southern rock band, with hits like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” under their belts. They formed in the early 1960s, achieving massive success in the ’70s.
The band’s upward trajectory was halted by a tragic plane crash in 1977 that killed band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed 10 years later, and continued to tour and make music for their millions of fans. They were inducted into the...
- 4/6/2023
- by India McCarty
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Lynyrd Skynyrd have officially announced that they will continue as a band following the recent passing of founding guitarist Gary Rossington. As such, the legendary Southern rockers will honor all their upcoming tour dates, including their co-headlining summer outing with Zz Top.
Rossington, who was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on March 5th at the age of 71. While his cause of death has not yet been revealed, he had suffered several health setbacks in recent years, undergoing emergency heart surgery in 2021.
In a new press release, Skynyrd revealed they debated whether to continue but ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the band, the fans, and Rossington’s legacy.
Rossington’s widow Dale, who is a backup singer in Skynyrd, stated:
“I recently lost my husband and partner of over 41 years. He was an amazing father, grandfather, brother and friend, but most importantly was...
Rossington, who was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died on March 5th at the age of 71. While his cause of death has not yet been revealed, he had suffered several health setbacks in recent years, undergoing emergency heart surgery in 2021.
In a new press release, Skynyrd revealed they debated whether to continue but ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the band, the fans, and Rossington’s legacy.
Rossington’s widow Dale, who is a backup singer in Skynyrd, stated:
“I recently lost my husband and partner of over 41 years. He was an amazing father, grandfather, brother and friend, but most importantly was...
- 4/3/2023
- by Spencer Kaufman
- Consequence - Music
If you thought the death of Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s sole surviving original member, last Sunday would bring the Southern rock band’s 52-year career to a close, you only had to be at the Plant City Strawberry Festival in Florida Sunday night. Lynyrd Skynyrd took the stage a week after their founding guitarist’s death at 71 to play all the hits, from “What’s Your Name” and “Gimme Three Steps” to the one-two show-closing punch of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”
But the group also paid tribute...
But the group also paid tribute...
- 3/13/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Gary Rossington, the founding guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 71.
He was the last surviving original member of the rock band.
The band made the announcement on Facebook: “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
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Rossington has had many health scares, including a car accident in 1976 that inspired the song “That Smell” and a plane crash in 1977 that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.
In recent years, Rossington has had a series of heart problems, undergoing quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, suffering a heart attack in 2015 and having several heart surgeries as a result. He left the...
He was the last surviving original member of the rock band.
The band made the announcement on Facebook: “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died In 2022
Rossington has had many health scares, including a car accident in 1976 that inspired the song “That Smell” and a plane crash in 1977 that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.
In recent years, Rossington has had a series of heart problems, undergoing quintuple bypass surgery in 2003, suffering a heart attack in 2015 and having several heart surgeries as a result. He left the...
- 3/8/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
When Artimus Pyle, the drummer of Lynyrd Skynyrd for the bulk of the Seventies, heard the news yesterday about the death of his former bandmate, guitarist Gary Rossington, he immediately pulled up the last text messages between the two.
“I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stone over the phone from his home in rural North Carolina.
Rossington...
“I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, tells Rolling Stone over the phone from his home in rural North Carolina.
Rossington...
- 3/6/2023
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
Gary Rossington, a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died. He was 71.
The news of Rossington’s death was confirmed by the band in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday evening.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the statement shared. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
“Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time,” the statement concluded.
No details regarding the cause of Rossington’s death have yet been released.
Rossington co-founded the band, which would eventually become known as Lynyrd Skynyrd, in the early 1960s, alongside Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns,...
The news of Rossington’s death was confirmed by the band in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday evening.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the statement shared. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
“Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time,” the statement concluded.
No details regarding the cause of Rossington’s death have yet been released.
Rossington co-founded the band, which would eventually become known as Lynyrd Skynyrd, in the early 1960s, alongside Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Gary Rossington, guitarist and longest-tenured original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 71.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band announced on Sunday (March 5th). “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
Rossington formed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with childhood friends Ronnie Van Zant (singer-songwriter), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent a number of years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before being discovered by Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut in 1973 with a lineup featuring Rossington, Van Zant, Collins, and Burns, along with guitarist Ed King and keyboardist Billy Powell. Burns left in 1974 and was replaced by Artimus Pyle,...
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band announced on Sunday (March 5th). “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.”
Rossington formed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with childhood friends Ronnie Van Zant (singer-songwriter), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent a number of years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before being discovered by Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut in 1973 with a lineup featuring Rossington, Van Zant, Collins, and Burns, along with guitarist Ed King and keyboardist Billy Powell. Burns left in 1974 and was replaced by Artimus Pyle,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Consequence Staff
- Consequence - Music
Gary Rossington, a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd whose ethereal slide guitar helped make the Southern rock band’s song “Free Bird” an indelible anthem, died Sunday at the age of 71.
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire...
“It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today,” the band wrote on Facebook. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire...
- 3/6/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
"This is something that should've have happened. But it did." 1091 has released an official trailer for a film titled Street Survivors, though the full title also sets up the plot: Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. This is not a documentary, it's a fictional feature made about the plane crash. Strange but it's real. This premiered at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival last year. Street Survivors centers on drummer Artimus Pyle's experience as a band member with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the tragically fateful day their rented plane crashed in the late evening in the swamps of Gillsburg, Ms in October of 1977 and took the lives of singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister back up singer Cassie Gaines, their road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the two pilots. Starring Ian Shultis, Taylor Clift, Jon Briddell, Sean McNabb, Kelly Lynn Reiter, and Krystyna Ahlers.
- 7/2/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Lynyrd Skynyrd have postponed this weekend’s stops on their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour so that founding member Gary Rossington can recover from a recent heart procedure. The 67-year-old guitarist had been experiencing fatigue, according to a press release, and underwent surgery to fix a leaky heart valve on July 31st.
The two concerts affected are the August 16th show in Las Vegas and August 17th’s gig in Wheatland, California. Both performances have already been rescheduled for October.
Rossington had quintuple bypass surgery in 2003 and had...
The two concerts affected are the August 16th show in Las Vegas and August 17th’s gig in Wheatland, California. Both performances have already been rescheduled for October.
Rossington had quintuple bypass surgery in 2003 and had...
- 8/13/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Lynyrd Skynyrd are stretching their farewell tour to “Freebird”-sized proportions by adding dozens of new summer dates. The group announced its Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour last year, and will resume it this year with a set at the Stagecoach festival. Cody Jinks, Hank Williams, Jr. and Bad Company will each appear with them on select dates. Tickets will go on sale on February 8th at 10 a.m. local time.
“It takes a long time to finish a farewell tour when you’re like us, ’cause we’ve played everywhere,...
“It takes a long time to finish a farewell tour when you’re like us, ’cause we’ve played everywhere,...
- 2/4/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Lynyrd Skynyrd's late rockers are set to be brought back from the dead on the group's new album after guitarist Gary Rossington discovered a lost track in his archives.
Rossington unearthed an old track recorded by the original members of the Southern rock act in the 1970s.
He says, "Going back in the archives, actually, I found this old song that we did with the original band, with Ronnie Van Zant singing, Leon (Wilkeson) on bass, and Bob Burns is on drums.
"It's a cool track, it's called Cottonmouth Country. We never put it out... We just kind of let it sit there, and never finished it.
"It's pretty well done, but the recording isn't as good as it should be, but we might put it out as a bonus track on the new album.
"It's a whole new Skynyrd song nobody's heard. It's pretty wild, pretty cool lyrics. It's about the swamps."
Original members Van Zant and Steve and Cassie Gaines died in a plane crash in 1977, which left bandmate Allen Collins paralysed. Wilkerson died in 2001.
Rossington unearthed an old track recorded by the original members of the Southern rock act in the 1970s.
He says, "Going back in the archives, actually, I found this old song that we did with the original band, with Ronnie Van Zant singing, Leon (Wilkeson) on bass, and Bob Burns is on drums.
"It's a cool track, it's called Cottonmouth Country. We never put it out... We just kind of let it sit there, and never finished it.
"It's pretty well done, but the recording isn't as good as it should be, but we might put it out as a bonus track on the new album.
"It's a whole new Skynyrd song nobody's heard. It's pretty wild, pretty cool lyrics. It's about the swamps."
Original members Van Zant and Steve and Cassie Gaines died in a plane crash in 1977, which left bandmate Allen Collins paralysed. Wilkerson died in 2001.
- 3/28/2008
- WENN
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