Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock

By Gene Odom and Frank Dorman

Book Overview

The first complete, unvarnished history of Southern rock's legendary and most popular band, from its members' hardscrabble boyhoods in Jacksonville, Florida and their rise to worldwide fame to the tragic plane crash that killed the founder and the band's rise again from the ashes. In the summer of 1964 Jacksonville, Florida teenager Ronnie Van Zant and some of his friends hatched the idea of forming a band to play covers of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Yardbirds and the country and blues-rock music they had grown to love. Naming their band after Leonard Skinner, the gym teacher at Robert E. Lee Senior High School who constantly badgered the long-haired aspiring musicians to get haircuts, they were soon playing gigs at parties, and bars throughout the South. During the next decade Lynyrd Skynyrd grew into the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of the rock bands to emerge from the South since the Allman Brothers. Their hits "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama" became classics. Then, at the height of its popularlity in 1977, the band was struck with tragedy --a plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant and two other band members. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock is an intimate chronicle of the band from its earliest days through the plane crash and its aftermath, to its rebirth and current status as an enduring cult favorite. From his behind-the-scenes perspective as Ronnie Van Zant's lifelong friend and frequent member of the band's entourage who was also aboard the plane on that fateful flight, Gene Odom reveals the unique synthesis of blues/country rock and songwriting talent, relentless drive, rebellious Southern swagger and down-to-earth sensibility that brought the band together and made it a defining and hugely popular Southern rock band -- as well as the destructive forces that tore it apart. Illustrated throughout with rare photos, Odom traces the band's rise to fame and shares personal stories that bring to life the band's journey. For the fans who have purchased a cumulative 35 million copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd's albums and continue to pack concerts today, Lynyrd Skynyrd is a celebration of an immortal American band.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767910273
• ISBN13: 9780767910279
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

LYNYRD SKYNYRD "Remembering the Freebirds of Southern Rock" = A Great Story About the Original Lynyr

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY OF "PRE-PLANE CRASH" LYNYRD SKYNYRD AS "REMEMBERED" BY A LIFETIME FRIEND OF RONNIE VAN ZANT AND THE ORIGINAL AND OTHER EARLY MEMBERS OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD. THIS LIFETIME FRIEND IS GENE ODOM, HE WAS WITH SKYNYRD FROM CHILDHOOD AND ON THOUGHOUT THEIR CAREER, EVEN THROUGH THE PLANE CRASH, (YES HE WAS IN THE PLANE WHEN IT CRASHED). HE TRAVELED WITH EARLY SKYNYRD AND WAS A SECURITY AGENT FOR THE BAND. THIS IS A STORY OF "PRE-PLANE CRASH" LYNYRD SKYNYRD AS TOLD BY A DEAR FRIEND AND AN INSIDER TO THE BAND (GENE ODOM with the help of Frank Dorman). THE BOOK CONSISTS OF OVER 200 PAGES, AND CONTAINS LOTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS. THERE ARE PHOTOS AND COPIES OF DOCUMENTS THAT ONLY AN "INSIDER" WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO. Gene gives a good respectible story of the band in vivid detail. He deeply knew these band members and associates including Dean Kilpatrick (the band road manager who died in the plane crash.) His story is very thorough and comprehensive. He gives a very good account of the plane crash (because he was on the plane, and lost an eye due to the crash). He tells what lead up to the crash and how he tried to prevent it. THIS BOOK HAS A COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY OF SKYNYRD RELEASES FROM THEIR FIRST RELEASE IN 1973 THROUGH 2000. THIS BOOK HAS A TOUR SCHEDULE OF EVERY SHOW LYNYRD SKYNYRD PERFORMED FROM SEPTEMBER 16, 1973 IN JONESBORO, GEORGIA THROUGH OCTOBER 19, 1977 IN GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA (THE LAST SHOW BEFORE THE PLANE WENT DOWN). THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A LIFELONG FRIEND and AN ASSOCIATE OF THE BAND WHO WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THIS VERSION OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD. IT'S A GREAT BOOK, ABOUT A GREAT BAND, AND IS PRESENTED VERY WELL!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT !!!

Very honest

I've already read this book twice and can assure you it's well worth it. Despite being based on Ronnie's personal bodyguard it does not flatter him when it's undeserved, like when it tells the many senseless aggressions Van Zant was guilty of. It also traces very well the beginnings of the band and gives a detailed insight on the cirucumstances surrounding th fatal plane crash that ended the band (don't get me started on the post-77 travesty, please). It also tells a lot about the inspirations behind Skynyrd's lyrics and fills you in too on the not lighthearted events that have ocurred since the Convair went down. Two sections full of great photos of the band are also included. I would recommend this to any Ls fan and rock and roll fan as well.

Great Background Information

Great to see the kinds of things they did as kids and the kind of things they were exposed to and thought about. Well written book. Gets you behind the scenes from a very personal and apparently honest perspective. Thanks.

Story of the American Dream

This book is excellent. It tells the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd as only a friend could. The fact that Gene Odom loved the guys in the band is apparent from the first pages. He provides an honest and insighful portrait of young musicians who loved their art and worked their rear ends off to make it in the music business. Odom doesn't whitewash the facts - he presents all characters as they were, warts and all. If you are a fan of Skynyrd, you'll consider this book a walk down memory lane with a few old friends - you'll hear some familiar stories about the band and maybe a few you've not heard before. Even if you are not a fan, you'll find this book to be a heartfelt story of a bunch of poor boys from Jacksonville who believed in the American Dream - that if you believe in yourself and are willing to work hard enough you will acheive your goals. A good read!

Great book about the greatest rock band

If you love lynyrd skynyrd you need to read this book. The book gives you an insight to the life of Ronnie Van Zant, who the author grew up with as a young boy. The author also was the security chief for the band, so he gives good insight on life on the road with the band. The author also talks about the other members of the band and talks about the talent that all of the members brought to the band. This book is great and should be read by anyone who wants to know more about this ledgendary rock band. I could not put this book down. The pictures were also great