Lynyrd Skynyrd redefined Southern rock in the 70s. Combining searing, no-nonsense songwriting with earthy grooves and impressive guitar pyrotechnics, the band scaled impressive heights in a mighty hurry. A tragic plane crash took that all away in a moment. Shortly after, the band’s good-time side resurfaced for a posthumous Top 40 single, “What’s Your Name”, their last ever song to hit that high.
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Southern Rock Standard-Bearers
Lynyrd Skynyrd earned plaudits with their 1973 debut album (Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nerd ‘Skin-‘nerd). But the album didn’t produce any hit singles, despite containing many songs that turned into beloved band staples.
A year later, their sophomore LP Second Helping included the Neil Young answer song “Sweet Home Alabama”, which struck a chord with audiences all over the country and went Top 10. Suddenly, this band from humble origins in Florida was big business and had rock fans waiting on their every move.
Their third album, Nuttin’ Fancy, charted higher than any Skynyrd album to date. But in 1976, the LP Gimme Back My Bullets faltered a bit. It didn’t scale as high on the charts, nor did it produce any Top 40 singles. The band retrenched for the next time around with a new member and a new producer.
New Faces
The 1977 album Street Survivors was the band’s first with new guitarist Steve Gaines in tow. Ed King had been a crucial contributor to Skynyrd’s first three albums but started to feel the toll of the road and decided to depart. Gaines took over after getting a recommendation from his sister Cassie, who was one of the band’s backup singers.
In the spring of ’77, the band headed to Miami to record the album with Tom Dowd. The legendary producer replaced Al Kooper, who had helmed the band’s first three LPs. Although it wasn’t exactly open warfare between the band and Dowd, they left the sessions with an album’s worth of material that they felt lacked their usual potency.
They went back to the drawing board, re-recording the entire album in Georgia in sessions overseen by Kevin Elson and Rodney Mills. Neither Elson nor Mills received credit, even though it was the Georgia versions of the songs that were included on the album. That included the take on “What’s Your Name”, chosen as the album’s first single.
The “Name” Game
Written by lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington, “What’s Your Name” captures the chaos and romance on the go that accompanies the life of a musician on tour. The horn-filled track found the band at their most engaging, with Van Zant belting out the unapologetic lyrics with undeniable charisma.
Unfortunately, the single release for “What’s Your Name” came a few weeks after one of rock and roll’s most devastating tragedies. Van Zant and the Gaines siblings were all killed in a plane crash that also severely injured many other members of the band.
While “What’s Your Name” likely would have gained success anyway based on its radio-friendly nature, the interest in all things Lynyrd Skynyrd after the plane crash helped it out as well. It landed at No. 13 on the pop charts. The group disbanded not long after and wouldn’t record another album until 1991.
Photo by Richard Creamer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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