Lynyrd Skynyrd Biography

In the Beginning
Ronnie van Zant was the oldest of 3 and hailed from the tough west side of Jacksonville, Florida, in an area where fighting was a normal pastime. He first started singing in a Gospel Church Women's Choir, but there was another type of music that Ronnie Van Zant wanted. One he pieced together from various musical influences in his life: Shorty Medlocke (Father of Rick Medlocke of the band Blackfoot) was a former sharecropper who played a scrappy style of "Swamp Music" that Ronnie Van Zant became familiar with. 

At the age of 16, Ronnie Van Zant was approached by the Band called Us. They needed a lead singer for their Rhythm and Blues Band. "US" was a local favorite that had competed in "Battle of the Bands" Contests. Another such band was called the Mods, which catered to the then rampant British Invasion and featured a young man named Allen Collins. Ronnie Van Zant was also influenced by a new long-hair band called The Rolling Stones. The high-energy music of The Rolling Stones and the Southern influences of Shorty Medlocke had created a dream in the young Ronnie Van Zant. 

Ronnie first approached Bob Burns, who had a drum set, and 13 year-old guitar player Gary Rossington. Rossington then recruited Larry Junstrom, the guy with the bass. The final member of what was to be known as "The Noble Five" was Allen Collins, who had the only amplifier! They began playing "Psychedelic Rock", patterned after the Yardbirds and Hendrix, among other notable names. 

While in High School, their Gym teacher and local Real Estate Agent Leonard Skinner would often hand out suspensions because they had long hair. At the age of 16 or 17, they dropped out of school and began their musical careers. Then, while playing at local high schools, the Band (as a joke) announced itself as "The Leonard Skinner Band". Members of the crowd that knew about the gym teacher laughed and cheered at the joke, but it was the nucleus they needed. With a few alterations, they would eventually become the " Lynyrd Skynyrd Band " 

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