For over six decades, the iconic tunes of American rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd have remained a staple in music collections worldwide.
Kicking off back in 1964, the initial lineup boasted Ronnie Van Zant on vocals, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins on guitar, bassist Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns on drums. For their first four years, they played various small-scale gigs under different aliases, enduring numerous member reshuffles, until finally settling on the moniker “Lynyrd Skynyrd” in 1968.
By the time their debut album hit the airwaves in 1973, bass player Leon Wilkeson, keys maestro Billy Powell and Ed King were part of the ensemble. Bob Burns bowed out in 1974 making way for Artimus Pyle, while Steve Gaines stepped into Ed King’s shoes in 1976.
Their heyday in the ’70s saw chart-busters like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” propel them to stardom, buoyed by five studio albums and one live recording. However, their success was brutally cut short on October 20, 1977, when a tragic plane crash claimed the lives of Van Zant, Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines, leaving other bandmates with grave injuries.
A decade later, in 1987, survivors rallied to raise the band’s flag once more for a reunion tour, led by Ronnie’s sibling Johnny Van Zant. This revitalised Lynyrd Skynyrd continued to storm stages and studios with original founding member Rossington, alongside Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke, who worked with the group in the early ’70s before his triumphant return in 1996.
Decades after their rise to fame, Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to astound rock fans as an eye-opening detail about the legendary band’s name origins has emerged. The story of how they got their moniker has only just come to light for some followers.
From a revealing Reddit thread, which sparked vast interest, one user brought the fact to light by posting: “TIL that the name of the band ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd’ was based on a teacher named Leonard Skinner, who did not accept long hair at the high school where some members of Lynyrd Skynyrd studied and, as a way of paying homage, they opted for a tongue-in-cheek with your name.”
This ignited a mix of reactions from social media users, with one asserting: “According to the documentary Joe Dirt 2, it was Joe that gave them the idea to name the band after him.”
Others expressed their surprise over the longevity of Mr. Skinner’s life: “I had no idea he lived until 2010. I had kind of assumed he was already an old guy when the band was in high school. Kind of sad to think how many band members he outlived, some by a wide margin.”
Conversation continued to unfold, with someone amusingly confessing their childhood pronunciation blunder: “As a kid I always thought it was pronounced Lie Nerd Sky Nerd.”
However, history tells us that the iconic southern rock band indeed took its name from a PE teacher notorious for his distaste for students with long hair – an attribute that frequently led to confrontations with the future members of Lynyrd Skynyrd during their school days.
The tale confirms that the teacher, who loathed long locks to such an extent that he would send offending students directly to the principal, undeniably inspired the group’s now-famous name, wrapping up another piece of rock lineage.
It has emerged that iconic rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd might have been influenced by drummer Bob Burns’ suggestion, initially adopting the name “Leonard Skinnerd”. This choice seemed to be a comical homage to Allan Sherman’s 1963 novelty song “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh”, drawing a character reference to “Leonard Skinner”.
On top of that, it cheekily referenced their gym teacher from their school days. Eventually, they adopted the famous moniker “Lynyrd Skynyrd”, believed to pay tribute to the distinctive accent of the American deep south.
Reflecting on the past, Gary Rossington commented in 2010, following Leonard Skinner’s death: “Coach Skinner had such a profound impact on our youth that ultimately led us to naming the band, which you know as Lynyrd Skynyrd, after him. Looking back, I cannot imagine it any other way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.”