Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Six Gun Sally

The earliest incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd, formed by friends Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins and Gary Rossington, performed under the moniker My Backyard, before switching to One Percent in 1968. Two years later the band thanks to headlining a series of local concerts and opening for several national acts, Lynyrd Skynyrd became a popular Jacksonville act, they honed their hard-rock, southern blues style and began to make their studio recordings.

As a result of a successful performance at an Atlanta club Funocchio, which caught to attention of producer Al Kooper, the band singed to MCA in 1972. The band’s debut album arrived in 1973 with members Van Zant on lead vocals, Rossington on lead guitar and rhythm guitar, Collins also on guitar, Ed King on lead guitar, Billy Powell on keyboard, Bob Burns on drums and Leon Wilkeson on bass. The single “Free Bird” from the album earned Lynyrd Skynyrd their first taste of national exposure, notorious for their three guitar attack.

It wasn’t long before the band developed a popular following, with the success of “Free Bird” and opening for the Who on their “Quadrophenia” tour. Lynyrd Skynyrd's sophomore album “Second Helping” was released 1974 featuring the hit single “Sweet Home Alabama”. The album has since been certified multi-platinum and was followed up by 1975’s Nuthin’ Fancy”. “Nuthin’ Fancy saw Burns and King leave the band and replaced by Artimus Pyle. The album was there first to break the Top 10 and performed much better than its successor “Gimme Back My Bullets” released in 1976.

The band maintained its devoted following through well-documented touring and the release of the double live album “One More from the Road”. Three days after the release of the band’s sixth studio album “Street Survivors” on October 17, 1977, the band’s privately chartered plane crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and his back-up singer sister Cassie all died in the crash with everybody else picking up manageable injuries. Due to the event and the media coverage, “Street Survivors” became one of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s biggest and most popular albums, however the band soon broke up after the crash.

In 1987 members Rossington, Powell, King and Wilkeson reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd with the addition of vocalist Johnny Van Zant and guitarist Randall Hall. The band toured relentlessly which can be heard on the double live album “Southern by the Grace of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour - 1987”.

The band subsequently released a string of studio albums including “Endangered Species” in 1994, “Twenty” in 1997, “Edge of Forever” in 1999, “Christmas Time Again” in 2000, “Vicious Cycle” in 2003 and “God & Guns” in 2009. In 2012 Lynyrd Skynyrd released the album “Last of a Dyin’ Breed”, it was produced by Bob Marlette and recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

Fifty percent British and fifty percent American, the original lineup was comprised of Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, drummer Dennis Elliot, singer Lou Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi. They called themselves Trigger but changed to Foreigner because the musical alias Trigger was already taken by another group. The band was picked up by John Kalodner at Atlantic Records and after a year of recording and remixing the debut album, “Foreigner” was released in March 1977. The album is punctuated by classic Foreigner singles like “Feels Like the Very First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” and “Long, Long Way from Home.”

Propelled by the success of their first album, Foreigner’s sophomore album “Double Vision” followed in 1978 to rave reviews. Singles like “Waiting For a Girl Like You,” “Hot Blooded,” and “Juke Box Hero” received significant airplay. Foreigner’s timeless hits are the perfect additions to soundtracks in the film industry. Songs have been featured in Hollywood box office hits like “Anchorman 2,” “Magic Mike,” and “Pitch Perfect.” The single “Dirty White Boy” (from their third album “Head Games” in 1979) was introduced to modern audiences in the video game “Grand Theft Auto V.” The film industry and video game industry have helped Foreigner’s music stay relevant and have boosted sales via internet downloads.

On 13 June 2013 Mick Jones and Lou Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Mick Jones admits his vision for the band was to “combine Blues and R&B and make it sound soulful and authentic.” He cites influences from English music as well as American country music as inspiration for Foreigner’s unique sound. Foreigner has toured with rock bands like Journey and Styx.