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May 2002 (2nd Edition) XT377 Publishing (Publisher) PO Box 341305 Los Angeles CA 90034 www.skynyrdoralhistory.com Skynyrdbook@aol.com ISBN 0-9720446-3-9 LCCN 99-94392 Copyright 1999 Lee Ballinger In true rock & roll bad-boy fashion, they were a bunch of tough kids who scraped their band together, and even decided to name it after a hated high school gym teacher. But once their searing triple-guitar attack roared out of the South at the apex of Dixie rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd was no longer following rock history; they were making it, with such classics as "Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," and a string of live performances that brought audiences to their feet everywhere they played. This is the story of how a group of Southern men (and women) turned themselves into one of the world's greatest rock & roll bands, told in the words of the people who were there, both before and after the horrific 1977 airplane crash that claimed three band members' lives. Lee Ballinger weaves historical and current interviews with every member of Lynyrd Skynyrd together with the perspectives of their friends, collaborators and chroniclers, including musicians Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Hall and Al Kooper, journalists John Swenson and Cameron Crowe, producer Tom Dowd, and many more - even that immortalized teacher, Leonard Skinner. The result is an intensely personal backstage history of euphoric triumph and calamitous tragedy, your best look ever at a group of rugged street survivors and their earthshaking effect on rock & roll. "In the words of those who were there, Lee Ballinger has crafted the first book to truly illuminate and capture the restless spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd. For many years this essential band has lived on the strength of their music. Now that music has a companion, a beautiful piece of writing that carries all the power and passion of a band that may well live forever." ~Cameron Crowe, director of Jerry Maguire who traveled often with Skynyrd in the 70s and was a close friend of Ronnie Van Zant. "Full of legends, truths, lies, and exaggerations, this saga unfolds like an old gothic novel. Here straight from the mouths of the living and deceased, the connected and unconnected, is the story of ragtag bunch of misfits who named their band after their despised gym teacher and went on to make millions." ~Al Kooper, producer of the first three Skynyrd albums. "A wonderful book, told by those of us who were there: band members, employees, relatives, and contemporaries. Provides unique insights into the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd and their classic music, a MUST-READ." ~ Johny Haury of the John Lee Walker Band, which opened several shows for Lynyrd Skynyrd in the mid-1970s. "I read the book (we all did) while researching our record (Southern Rock Opera)...it's very good." ~Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers.