Ross Andrei&Pat Racy

A. K.A. Skynyrd  Band was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964  Teenage friends Ronnie Van Zant,Allen Collins, and GaryRossington formed the band  In 1970, Van Zant sought a new name. "One Percent" and "The Noble Five" were each considered before the group settled on "Leonard Skinnerd", a mocking tribute to a physical-education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School

New band members  Skinner died on September 20, 2010, at age 77 after a battle with Alzheimer's diease.  During this time, they went through a number of member changes, with Van Zant, Collins and Rossington remaining the only constants. Burns and Junstrom left the band, and were briefly replaced by Rickey Medlocke on drums and Greg Walker on bass.

Peaking time  In 1972 the band was discovered by musician, songwriter, and producer Al Kooper of blood, Sweat, and Tears, who had attended one of their shows at a club in Atlanta. They changed the spelling of their name to "Lynyrd Skynyrd", and Kooper signed them to MCA Records.  Lynyrd Skynyrd's fan base continued to grow rapidly throughout 1973, largely due to their opening slot on The Who's Quadrophenia tour in the United States.

Career  In January 1975, Burns left the band and was replaced by Kentucky native Artimus Pyle on drums. Lynyrd Skynyrd's third album, Nuthin Fancy, was released the same year.  Soon after joining Skynyrd, Cassie Gaines began touting the guitar and songwriting prowess of her younger brother, Steve

Plane crash  On October 20, 1977, their charter plane ran out of fuel near baton rouge, LA  Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray were all killed on impact; the other band members suffered serious injuries.

Return  In 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited for a full- scale tour with five major members of the pre-crash band: crash survivors Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson and Artimus Pyle, along with guitarist Ed King, who had left the band two years before the crash. Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother, Johnny, took over as the new lead singer and primary songwriter.

Honorable tributes  In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the group #95 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time  On March 13, 2006, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 21st annual induction ceremony.