Magical Moment Photos

ALLEN COLLINS AND STEVE GAINES PERFORMING FREE BIRD IN SPOKANE ON 10-7-76. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM WINTERLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM OAKLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD SPOKANE SOUND-CHECK PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

LYNYRD SKYNYRD-
“WISH YOU WERE THERE”
(Part 4)
BY BEN UPHAM
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

Five months later I moved 1,000 miles North from the Bay Area up to Spokane, Washington. A very different concert scene in Spokane as opposed to the Bay Area. Not so many Rock Concerts to choose from. But…after I’d lived in Spokane for about a month they announced that Skynyrd would be headlining at the Coliseum with Journey opening (on their “Next” tour, which is a great album). I bought a ticket right away and anticipated the upcoming show! Little did I know at that time how amazing and life changing that day would be…The band had just released their first Live album, “One more from the Road” on September 13th and it was Killer! They had added a third guitarist, Steve Gaines, Cassie’s Brother, and he sounded great!

It had been announced that the day of the show the band was going to be doing an in-store appearance at “The Magic Mushroom” record store in downtown Spokane at high noon. I grabbed some of my best Skynyrd pictures and headed down to the record store hoping to get a chance to meet my Rock Heroes (mainly Allen and Ronnie). As I arrived at about 11:41 I was waiting outside the store with some other fans when an odd thing happened. I looked up to the sky and noticed something floating down towards me very slowly. As it got closer I realized that it was a dollar bill. It was headed for the sidewalk but I stepped over and caught it before it hit the ground. I don’t really know the significance of that event, but it was rather odd.

Minutes later a car pulled up and out stepped Artimus Pyle, Leon Wilkeson, JoJo Billingsley, and Steve & Cassie Gaines. They were all very friendly and we talked as they signed autographs with the 30-50 fans that had gathered to see them. I remember asking Artimus if the band had ever played “Am I Losin” live and he said, “Yes, but only 2 or 3 times”…JoJo was the most impressed with my pictures and even gave me her home address so I could send her some. I would have given her some, but I told her that I was hoping to give them to Allen.

I asked Leon where Ronnie, Allen, Billy and Gary were and he said they were back at the Hotel sleeping. It was a little disappointing not getting to meet Allen or Ronnie but I was glad to have met the others. When I got back home I was trying to think if there was any other way I might get to meet Allen and Ronnie. Bingo! I came up with a great idea. Go down to the Coliseum and see if you can talk with any of the road crew setting up the equipment!

I arrived at the Coliseum at around 3:30 and had my camera and a folder with my pictures as well. I parked the car in the empty parking lot and walked over to the back-stage door. There were several security guards. Two at the entrance and then a few more that I could see inside the hallway. I was trying to think of what to say when I decided to say nothing at all. Instead I just walked right in, passing the two security guys, and they didn’t say a word to me. Then I walked down the hallway and the other security guys looked right at me, and I nodded at them…They nodded back. I kept walking, thinking that this just might work.

The next thing I know I’m out on the floor of the venue and there is Neal Schon, Journeys guitarist. I walk over to him and said, “Hello Neal, I Love the new album”. He smiled and thanked me and then said, “I Love opening for Skynyrd, those guys are Great”…Right after he said that I hear a guitar chord being struck and sure enough there is the band up onstage putting on their instruments! Everybody in the band except Ronnie who was still sleeping.

Allen counts off, “One, Two three…” and they leap into a full on version of “MCA” without lead vocals! Neal and I are all grins! After that Steve asks to run through “Travelin’ Man”, this allows the Honkettes to get some singing in. Then they did a fine version of “Cry for the Bad Man”, once again with the only vocals being the Honkettes. I was a little nervous about taking any pictures during the soundcheck, but I did take about 20. Then came the amazing highlight as Allen says, “Lets do the new one”. At that point Neal and I are treated to a blow away instrumental song that is totally unfamiliar and stoundingly hot.

After they ended the song I approached Allen to introduce myself and give him the pictures. I walked up to the stage, made eye contact and he leaned down to shake my hand. I said, “That was incredible Allen, what was the name of that song you just played?”. He smiled and said, “Well, it’s about some accidents that we’ve had lately, and we’re calling it ‘The Smell of Death’, it’ll be on our next record”. I told him that I had some pictures that I’d taken of him from Winterland and the “Day on the Green” and that I’d like to give them to him. He said, “Why don’t you just bring ‘em to the Hotel after the show and we can hang out for a while, it’s room #407 at the Sheraton”. I told him that sounds great and that I’d see him after the show. We said goodbye.

I contemplated leaving the building, but decided to go and sit in the stands and calm down a bit. As I sat down and started to relax the sound man popped in a cassette with some very interesting music that I’d never heard before. Really different stuff with lots of strange effects and unusual changes. As I was listening I saw Artimus head out on to the floor with a skateboard. For the next 20 minutes or so he did a bunch of cool skateboard tricks to this unique music. I kind of felt like I was in a Dream watching and listening.

At that point I went down to the sound man to find out who the music was by, he said, “That’s the new Supertramp, it’s called ‘Crime of the Century”. Another great turn-on…I decided to stay in the building and at about 6:30 an usher approached me and asked what I was doing there. I said, “I’m a friend of Lynyrd Skynyrd” and he said, “Oh, okay”.
At 7:00 the band Rex came on and didn’t really impress me at all.

After their short set Journey came on and unfortunately were plagued with a horrible buzz in the P.A. throughout most of their set. Very frustrating for them as their songs have quiet parts that were ruined by the buzz. All in all they still pulled off a good set though, highlighted by their opening song, “Of a Lifetime” and their stretched out jam song, “Look into the Future”.

At about 9:00 Skynyrd took the stage with a Leon roar jumping into a spirited version of “MCA”, which segued right into “I ain’t the One”. Ronnie said his Good Evenings and we were off once again to the show I wish had never ended…The Spokane set-list was the same as the “Live Album”, except they added “Simple Man”, “Gimme Back my Bullets” and “Cry for the Bad Man”. Steve Gaines was phenomenal to say the least. He really worked well and seemed to push Allen and Gary to new levels on old songs. I got some awesome photos from the balcony and really enjoyed the show. No sound problems during Skynyrds set. After the last notes of “Free Bird” had played I hurriedly left the building with my friend Ed, to head over to the Sheraton. Our timing was Grand! I parked my car and we walked to the entrance of the Hotel just as a Limo pulled up…

Out step Ronnie, Allen and Steve. I looked at Allen and he comes over and puts an arm around me and says, ‘What did ya think of the show Ben?”… I told him that is was as good as it gets! We headed up to the room and Ronnie said, “Are ya’ll coming down to the bar?”. Allen said, “Maybe later, we’re just gonna hang out here for a while”. I will be honest here, I was in shock! I was 18 years old and getting the royal treatment from my “Rock Star Heroes”… I wasn’t really understanding how all of this could be happening…Especially since “Free Bird” meant so much to me, and here I am as a guest of the Man who wrote it!

When we got in the room I think Allen sensed this, probably from my inability to actually say anything half way intelligent. So, he looks at me right in the eyes and says, “You know one major thing that we have in common Ben?”. I said, “What’s that Allen”. He gets a big grin on his face and says, “We both Love to get up in the morning and take a good Shit, so please don’t put me on a pedestal. I’m just the same as you guys, no better and no worse, I’ve gotta wipe everyday too”…This line sent me and Ed to the floor laughing and all of a sudden the whole scenario changed…I wasn’t hanging out with a Rock Star anymore, I was hanging out with a friend…

I handed Allen the stack of pictures, about 25 8×10′s, and he was loving them, commenting on them such as the fact that the corduroy jacket photo from Winterland was very rare because he only wore it onstage at one other show! We talked about all different kinds of subjects ranging from music to sports, to nature, to work and even talked about drugs. At that point Allen asked, “Have you got any weed?”. I told him, “No man, we smoked it all during the show”…So then he asks Steve to hand him his guitar case and he says, “Well, I’ll see what I can scrape out of here”.

Then to our astonishment we watched as Allen scraped just enough grass out of his guitar case to roll a “pinner”. Which he rolled with one hand mind you! I asked, “So is this killer weed Allen?”. He says, “No, it’s just the cheap Mexican that we are given”. Either way, it tasted very nice! Especially chased with a shot of Jack Daniels! Steve was very quiet. And Allen was very talkative. He asked several times what we thought of Steve’s playing and we both told him that he was “Made to be in Skynyrd”…

After about an hour Ronnie made his way in, barefoot and with an open bottle of champagne in his hand. He sat down and checked out the pictures between swigs off his bottle. Then he told us about “Jaws”…A very small dog, I can’t recall if he said a Poodle or a Chihuahua, with a big set of teeth and the attitude of a Devil! Ronnie looked me in the eyes serious as can be and said, “That little dog would bite through a 3 inch solid Oak door just to get you”…He asked Allen and Steve if they wanted to go to the bar (again) and they both said, “No, we’re just gonna hang out here with our friends”.

About 45 minutes later the door opens and it’s the road manager saying, “We gotta Roll ‘em Boys”… As Allen is gathering his stuff I told him that the pictures were all for him. He smiled and thanked me, and as he was putting them into his guitar case he says, “Don’t you want me to sign one for you Ben?”…I hadn’t wanted to ask…So I said, “Sure”…He signed one of him playing Free Bird, “God Bless You, Allen Collins”…That framed photo has been on my walls ever since!

As the band boarded the bus we exchanged hugs and I thanked them for a wonderful evening. Allen said it was a pleasure meeting us. After they were all on the bus I climbed in one last time and said, “You guys Rock, Thank You so much for all of the great Music”, and Ronnie winked at me…Ed and I were blown away by the entire event and decided to go to Denny’s for something to eat. It’s about 1:00 A.M. We look at the menu and both decide to get the same thing, the “Super Bird” Deluxe Turkey Sandwich…And so endeth the tale…

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS:

LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM WINTERLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM OAKLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD SPOKANE SOUND-CHECK PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

RONNIE VAN ZANT AND ALLEN COLLINS AT WINTERLAND ON MARCH 6, 1976. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM WINTERLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM OAKLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM

LYNYRD SKYNYRD-
“WISH YOU WERE THERE”
(Part 3)
BY BEN UPHAM
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

My “Second Helping” of Live Lynyrd Skynyrd came just 5 months later at the “Day on the Green” put on by Bill Graham in Oakland, Ca. on September 20, 1975. The lineup was Earthquake, Climax Blues Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Johnny Winter Band, Edgar Winter Band and then Johnny Winter & Edgar Winter together. The Charlie Daniels Band was supposed to play on this bill as well but canceled.

It was a beautiful Fall day, a bit windy, but overall rather nice conditions. Earthquake Rocked, and Climax played some really good Blues, but it was nothing close to what we would get from Skynyrd or Johnny Winter. Although Skynyrd played nearly the same set as they had at Winterland in April it sounded very different. Billy Powell was with the band this time so I got to hear the songs live with the keyboards, which was nice, but also Ed King had left the band, leaving all of the guitar solos to Allen and Gary. Although they were very capable I must admit that I missed Ed’s musical contributions to the band, especially on “Sweet Home Alabama”.

There was a huge crowd at the Oakland Coliseum, you can see a picture of that very crowd on the back cover of Johnny Winters 1976 album, “Captured Live”, and if you look real close you will see a banner in the bleachers (just above Floyd Radfords head) that says “Free Bird” on it.

I have heard that there were 80,000 in attendance that day. The band was received well and the crowd responded with mass approval after each song. I think that the only song they added to the set was “Simple Man”, which was fine with me.
“Free Bird” was awesome again, especially seeing it outdoors, and I couldn’t imagine how Johnny Winter was going take the stage after that…But…He did and hy was amazing! They actually held their own quite well, with Johnny and second guitarist Floyd Radford playing a blistering set of Rocking Blues. You can hear part of their set from that actual show on the previously mentioned Live album, “Captured Live”. The Edgar Winter set and the Johnny & Edgar Winter set seemed rather lackluster in comparison.

At that concert I did have my telephoto lens with me and I got some very cool shots of both Skynyrd and the Johnny Winter Band. They can be seen on my website at: www.magicalmomentphotos.com

My third Skynyrd experience took place back at Winterland again on March 6, 1976. The band had just released their fourth album, “Gimme Back My Bullets” and I was anxious to see how they sounded doing the new songs live. I was also really excited because the opening act for this show was the Outlaws! For this show I opted to sit in the balcony , front row of course, hoping that I could get some better pictures than I could from the rowdiness of the crowd down on the floor. The show was excellent. The Outlaws were a perfect band to have open for Skynyrd. Similar only in the overall musical effect, not an imitation in sound by any means. Outlaws had their own show-stopper in their song, “Green Grass and High Tides” which tore the roof off of the place, allowing us to see Skynyrd under the stars!

The show started off pretty much in typical fashion with MCA and I Ain’t the One…Then Ronnie saying his “Good, Good Evening” to us. But then it started to change as we were treated to some brand new songs off “Bullets”. They charged in with “Cry for the Bad Man” which was really nasty good and featured the new back-up singing Honkettes, Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines and Jo Billingsley. Winterland showed their appreciation and the band followed that with an all-out Rock & Roll assault that was “Saturday Night Special”…After which Ronnie said, “Now we’re gonna try some more of the new stuff out on ya”…That’s when we were treated to “Searchin”, “Same Old Blues”, and the title track, “Gimme Back My Bullets”…All three sounded great and the show was really picking up steam.

From here they kicked things into high gear with awesome renditions of “Tuesday’s Gone”, “Needle and the Spoon”, “Gimme Three Steps”, “Call Me The Breeze” and “Alabama”…The Winterland arena was as hot as a Fox in a Redwood Forest Fire…So Ronnie says, “Lets bring out our buddies Hughie and Billy from the Outlaws for this next song”. They proceeded to jam out extensively on “T for Texas” with Hughie, Billy, Allen and Gary all getting to show their stuff! Then the band left the stage and you know what happened next…Audience stomps and yells for about 5 minutes and then the band is back out for “Free Bird”…
My third “Free Bird” live and it was another fine version. Once again taking the whole show to an incredible high climax that left everyone there feeling damn good. The photographs that I shot at this show are some of my best pictures of Skynyrd, and one of them even got published in the booklet that came with their 1991 3-CD Box Set. I also shot a roll of color film during “Free Bird”. Once again Skynyrd knocked the ball way out of the park!
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE PART 4 OF MY “WISH YOU WERE THERE” STORY

LYNYRD SKYNYRD DISCOGRAPHY:
1973 Pounounced Lynyrd Skynyrd
1974 Second Helping
1975 Nuthin’ Fancy
1976 Gimme Back My Bullets
1976 One More From the Road (Live)
1977 Street Survivors
1978 First and Last
1982 Best of the Rest
1987 Legend
1991 Box Set
1998 Skynyrds First (Complete Muscle Shoals)
2000 Collectybles
2009 Live at Winterland 3-7-76
2009 Live at Cardiff 11-4-75

CLICK LINKS BELOW TO SEE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS:

LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM WINTERLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM OAKLAND BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM

ALLEN COLLINS AND GARY ROSSINGTON OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD IN SPOKANE, WA. ON 10-7-76. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM WINTERLAND 3-6-76 BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM OAKLAND 9-20-75 BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM

LYNYRD SKYNYRD-
“WISH YOU WERE THERE”
(Part 2)
BY BEN UPHAM
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
The first time that I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd perform live in concert was at Winterland in San Francisco on April 27, 1975. The atmosphere at Winterland was ideal for a good Rock Concert. They used blacklights to light the arena so anything that was white glowed! It was only the second concert I’d ever been to (first was Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels, and Little Feat 12-21-74 @ Winterland) and I decided to bring my camera, a 35mm Fujica ST-701, to the show. The opening act was the Charlie Daniels Band on their “Nightrider” tour. It was Tom Crains first tour as second guitarist in the C.D.B. They were excellent and got everybody really pumped up and excited for Lynyrd Skynyrd!

Lynyrd Skynyrd had just released their third record about a month prior to the show, the incredible “Nuthin’ Fancy”. They hit the stage to roaring applause after an introduction by Rock promoter/nextdoor neighbor Bill Graham, and jumped right in with a killer version of “Workin’ for MCA” from the “Second Helping” album. The music was really loud and I was up close, about 30 feet from the stage. The sound engulfed me and I was thoroughly blown away by the energy that was being put forth. Barefoot Ronnie was scowling, and spitting and prancing all around the stage as the three guitarists lit the place on fire!

Ed King took the opportunity for the evenings first solo with some wonderful false harmonics that just drove people in the crowd nuts! I was in awe! These guys were just blow away and the show had barely begun…Noticeably missing from the lineup was Keyboard player Billy Powell, who apparently had called in sick for the evening!

After “MCA” came to a thunderous conclusion Ronnie Van Zant had a big grin on his face and said, “A good-good evening to ya”…At that point the band kicked in with a powerful version of “Whiskey Rock-A- Roller” from the new album. As the set continued on I recall how crisp and clean the guitar solos sounded, and being very entertained by Ronnies stage presence, where he was literally conducting the band. Calling for solos with a whistle, or an “Up” call. He would carry the mic stand around with him shaking it violently at times or using it like an energy conductor during powerful guitar breaks.

The crowd just seemed to get higher and higher as the band ripped through a great set consisting of, I Ain’t the One, The Needle and the Spoon, I’m A Country Boy, Gimme Three Steps, Don’t Ask Me No Questions, Saturday Night Special, Railroad Song, Call Me the Breeze, and their big hit Sweet Home Alabama. Then to HUGE ROARING OVATIONS they said goodnight and left the stage. The crowd was just knocked out, and this was Winterland where the Rock goes on and on…The Audience started stomping their feet and a call for “Skynyrd, Skynyrd, Skynyrd” was deafening above the already constant roar!

I was blown away! This was amazing and I was enjoying every moment of it. As the band came back on stage the crowd approval got even more intense and the band could feel the Love. You could tell by the smiles on all of their faces. As the crowd calmed down Ronnie asked a favor and said, “Let me say one thing, please people, let me just say one thing. If there is a better audience than Bill Grahams Winterland, well, I ain’t seen it yet”…And this was received by another round of thunderous applause. Then the band kicked in to the brand new Allen Collins song, “On the Hunt”, which was already my favorite from the new record! They nailed it perfectly and then left the stage again…But we all new they were just taking a breather before coming out to finish us off!

Five minutes later the band returned and this time when the crowd quieted down Ronnie said, “This goes out to Duane Allman and Berry Oakley…Free Birds”…And then the first delicate notes of “Free Bird” started to play…It was pure, and sheer delight for all who were there. And they played as good of a version of it as I’ve ever seen them do (and I’ve seen the original band play it 4 times)…Gary Rossingtons opening slide part was mesmerizing, and Ed King played a beautiful guitar solo in the spot where Billy Powells piano solo would’ve been.

Ronnie Van Zant sang his next set of vocals with his eyes closed and you could easily see that he was putting every ounce of emotion he could muster into the feel of the words. It was amazing. As the music started to build and Ronnie grimaced he sang, “I’m as Free as a Bird now, and this Bird You’ll Never Change, whoa-oah-oah, Lord knows I can’t Change…Oh won’t You Fly High…Oh Free Birds Yeah”…And with that phrase delivered it was all ALLEN COLLINS show at that point! He stepped out and I was blown away watching him play that incredible, soaring, flying solo that is Free Bird!

He built the solo up carrying it faster and higher as he went, never missing a single note…Ed King started pushing Allen Collins with his own soloing and Allen responded by just taking everything up another notch. And when they all reached the crest of the first wave Allen was airborne! Leaping high and coming down into yet another run up the path into yet higher and higher territory. The crowd was in a frenzy as Allen Collins took flight one more time! Unbelievable! One more leap and the song peaked…and they wound it up and it was over…10 minutes of applause later the crowd finally relaxed and I recall how wide everyones eyes were. Smiles for miles…I had experienced Lynyrd Skynyrd and life would never be the same again…

My pictures from that show are not very good. As a matter of fact most of them aren’t good at all. Partially because I didn’t have my telephoto lens with me, and partially because of how wild it was in the crowd. I had only brought two rolls of film, shot some of the CDB and the rest of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Although only a few shots were acceptable, one of them wound up making it on to the cover of Gene Odoms book that was published in 2011.
click on this link to see part 3 of my “wish you were there” story

LYNYRD SKYNYRD DISCOGRAPHY:
1973 Pounounced Lynyrd Skynyrd
1974 Second Helping
1975 Nuthin’ Fancy
1976 Gimme Back My Bullets
1976 One More From the Road (Live)
1977 Street Survivors
1978 First and Last
1982 Best of the Rest
1987 Legend
1991 Box Set
1998 Skynyrds First (Complete Muscle Shoals)
2000 Collectybles
2009 Live at Winterland 3-7-76
2009 Live at Cardiff 11-4-75

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS:

LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM OAKLAND 9-20-75 BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS FROM WINTERLAND 3-6-76 BY BEN UPHAM

ALLEN COLLINS OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD PERFORMING AT WINTERLAND ON 3-6-76. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD AT WINTERLAND 3-6-76
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD IN OAKLAND 9-20-75
and
LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM

LYNYRD SKYNYRD-
“WISH YOU WERE THERE”
(PART 1)
BY BEN UPHAM
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

It’s very easy for me to remember the very first time I ever heard Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was in January of 1974, and I was in the middle of my Junior year at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California. I had been practicing hard for 3 months to make the school baseball team, and it was the day that I saw the list of who had made the team. My name was not on the list, which was a crime…I was a better player than at least 4 or 5 of the players that survived the cut. I knew in my mind that politics had come into play and I had been dealt a bad hand…

The news was devastating because baseball was my life at that time. This was a serious lesson about injustice. I remember coming home from school that day feeling like the world wasn’t such a great place. I ignored my Mothers attempts to cheer me up with milk & cookies and I closed myself in my bedroom where I could sulk in privacy. After about 10-15 minutes of lying on my bed cursing the coaches who had caused my misery I decided to see if the radio on my nightstand could help ease my troubled mind.

I turned it on to my favorite F.M. station and they were playing a song that I’d never heard before, that sounded really good. The lyrics seemed as if the singer was singing about what I was thinking. The lines “If I leave here tomorrow would you still remember me” felt like something I would have wanted to say to the coaches that cut me. Then I heard the line, “There’s too many places I’ve got to see”, which made me think about all of the time I’d spent practicing for the team, missing out on so many of the other things I could have been doing, had I known I would be cut. All of a sudden I began to realize that there was a positive aspect to this otherwise negative situation…I was Free…and just as I’m having that thought the singer says, “I’m as Free as a Bird now”, which really was perfect and very “In the Moment” for me.

I reached over and turned the volume up on the radio, as this song was reaching deep inside of me at this point. The songs tempo was changing and I could feel the energy building musically. At that point the singer says, “Oh won’t you fly high, oh Free Birds yeah”, and this otherworldly lead guitar literally jumps out of the radio at me! I was starting to feel better and my Spirit began to smile as the music started to take off. This song was GREAT! The guitars kept reaching out at me and I listened in amazement as the song seemed to keep building and building in intensity. I remember thinking, “My God, who is this Band?”… My question was answered after the song had reached its final notes when the D.J. came on and said, “That was ‘Free Bird’ by Leonard Skinner”.

I shut off the radio and ran out to my car to head down to “Village Music”, the Mill Valley record store. As I walked in I was greeted by the owner, my friend John Goddard. I said hello back but headed right over to the “S” section of albums so I could find this record by Leonard Skinner! I found nothing! So I asked John about it. He said, “Oh, you must mean Lynyrd Skynyrd”, and he calmly walked me over to the “L” section and produced the album “Lynyrd Skynyrd- Pronounced” for me. I loved what I saw, made sure that it had “Free Bird” on it and then paid John for the record.

When I got back home I was so anxious to hear “Free Bird” again that I played it first…I totally relived the experience I’d just had, only this time being able to gaze at the album jacket as it was playing. I now had photos of the band which helped me to visualize the band that was creating this Magical Music. I was able to put all of the frustrations of my bad day behind me and become completely absorbed into the energy of this fine new music. It felt really good!

At that point I decided that before I would listen to the rest of the album I would step outside and smoke a joint first. As I was getting high the words and music I’d just heard kept going through my head, and I was pretty well convinced that “Free Bird” had just replaced “25 or 6 to 4″ (by Chicago) as my favorite song. I went back inside, told Mom I’d gladly take the Milk & Cookies now, and then headed back to my room.

I wondered what the rest of the record would sound like as I cued up the first track, “I Ain’t the One”. My jaw dropped, my spirit soared and Lynyrd Skynyrd were now totally in my life! The album was (and still is) spectacular from start to finish…A true Masterpiece in Rock Music History…I played the entire album 3 times and was totally Rocked by the Music I was hearing. The back cover of the record stated “Lynyrd Skynyrd Smokes” and that is the Truth!

The arrangement of the music seemed to blend perfectly with the sentiments and philosophies of vocalist Ronnie Van Zants lyrics. If you check out the lyrics on that first Skynyrd album you’ll see how diverse of a writer Ronnie was. He would blend his personal experiences with his acquired wisdom to create stories in musical form. I had just turned 16 a couple of months earlier and honestly feel that the lyrics on that record wound up shaping many of my opinions and feelings about life, values, and goals. My favorite lyric from the album came from the song “Simple Man” where Ronnie sings, “Be a Simple kind of Man, be Something You Love and Understand”. I’ve taken that to heart and tried my best to keep things in my life as simple and understandable as possible, good advice, and shared in a beautiful piece of music.

“Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd” introduced me to a band that I would follow intensly for many years, and although they produced many fine albums, that will always be my favorite of theirs.
CLICK HERE TO SEE PART TWO OF MY “WISH YOU WERE THERE” STORY

LYNYRD SKYNYRD DISCOGRAPHY:
1973 Pounounced Lynyrd Skynyrd
1974 Second Helping
1975 Nuthin’ Fancy
1976 Gimme Back My Bullets
1976 One More From the Road (Live)
1977 Street Survivors
1978 First and Last
1982 Best of the Rest
1987 Legend
1991 Box Set
1998 Skynyrds First (Complete Muscle Shoals)
2000 Collectybles
2009 Live at Winterland 3-7-76
2009 Live at Cardiff 11-4-75

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS:
LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM