![]() ![]() ![]() Skinner and Gene Odom, the former director of security for the band, and survivor of the 1977 crash, would be meeting fans. After the furor calmed a bit and the announcer could be heard again, they shared that there would be a Skynyrd cover band and that Mr. The announcer takes the stage and introduces….Leonard Skinner. This was an excited crowd, ready to see the band that stands for all things Southern. As expected, the crowd was doing an excellent job in reducing the on-hand supply of beer. Being the inquisitive person I am and knowing the story of how the band got its name, I wanted to go and meet Mr. I could envision how this reveal was going to go when an announcer shared that news with a capacity crowd. Being somewhat cynical and knowing that a band with Skynyrd’s following would be in a larger facility if they were appearing in Louisville, I listened more carefully to the radio spots and could make out the subtle difference in hearing Leonard Skinner, which the ad included, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which everyone thought they’d heard. WLRS-FM began advertising Lynyrd Skynyrd for an April 1st concert. In 1999, Coyote’s, a bar in Louisville, KY decided to play an April Fool’s prank on their audience. Years later he introduced the band at a concert at Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum. He later recalled his phone ringing at all hours with people calling the number on the sign pictured on the sleeve. For their third album, Nuthin’ Fancy, Skinner, by then retired with a real estate firm, agreed to allow a picture of his sign in the album’s liner notes. Over time, the relationship between Skinner and the band improved. Did you know Georgia hosted a music festival a month before Woodstock, with many of the same artists, plus Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad? Click here for the story. ![]() He soon signed them to a contract, recorded their first album at Doraville, GA’s legendary Studio One, and convinced Pete Townsend to have them support the Who on their North American tour. The band was on the road almost year-round, when, during a gig at Funochio’s in Atlanta, they were seen by Al Kooper. Eventually, the members decided to change the vowels to avoid legal issues, and by 1970 the band was playing as Lynyrd Skynyrd, with the classic spelling. Burns suggested Leonard Skinner as a poke at their former teacher. Unfriendly audiences would yell that they only had 1% talent, which led to Van Zant deciding a name change was needed. That soon changed to The Noble Five, then the 1%ers. They soon recruited guitarist Allen Collins and, bassist Larry Junstrom, later to be an Outlaws founding member, They began playing using the name My Backyard. The author, with Leonard Skinner, Louisville, KY 1999 In Burns’ parent’s carport, the three had jammed together, playing The Rolling Stones’ “Time is on My Side.” Liking the way they sounded, they decided to form a band. Rossington eventually decided to quit school as a result of feeling hassled. revealed their actual hair length, so Skinner, enforcing the rules, had sent the boys to the principal’s office. Times later said of Skinner that he was “arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture.” Skinner holding the album “Nuthin’ Fancy.” Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and original Skynyrd drummer Bob Burns sported long hair in those days and used Vaseline to try and disguise the length. teacher Leonard Skinner’s enforcement of the school’s dress code concerning hair length led to one of the most iconic names in music, Lynyrd Skynyrd. In the 1960s, especially in the South, boys’ hair length was a significant issue. ![]()
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