Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964 (under the name adopted in 1968), whose classic lineup — Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, and Artimus Pyle — pioneered the Southern rock genre, blending country, blues, and rock. Their best-known songs, “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” became genre-defining anthems. A plane crash on October 20, 1977, killed frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, effectively ending the original band; it reformed in 1987 with Johnny Van Zant as lead singer and continues touring.

Ranked among Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Lynyrd Skynyrd is considered the archetypal Southern rock band.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynyrd_Skynyrd