I just had such a nice compliment from a very good friend of Gary's - "when I read your article, I heard his voice." Happy I could capture him for others.
Great article as always, Alan. Interesting that in your conversation, Gary took credit for the opening riff of SWA. It's pretty well documented that Gary had the underlying part, but Ed King came up with the opening riff which he always played in concert as well. He saw a lot of things in his life and held together the reformed band till the end, (sometimes under heavy criticism). I'll tell you what, I saw the reformed band several times and one of those times it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The vibe was ELECTRIC! Kudos to Gary - he lived his life on his terms always! How many of us can say that?
Yeah, I know... and I interviewed Ed later about it... I could have edited this, but I went with what Gary said and I printed at the time. As I said elsewhere, this is a great example of why you should read books written by people like me and not memoirs!
No disrespect, but might Ed King's contributions on Sweet Home Alabama be minimized by Gary? I've read in several places and heard Ed talk about the acrimony that existed between him and Gary...
There's actually a video out there where Ed plays the part that Gary came up with. Speaking of celebrity memoirs being unreliable, I guess this wouldn't be the right place to ask about you (and/or your partner in crime Andy Aledort) to consider writing a biography on the great Dickey Betts would it? Perhaps not a big enough target audience to warrant a biography, but I sure would like to hear his take on the formation of the ABB, how he composed all of those classic songs and all the ups and downs of his career before he's gone.
I mean, that's not happening for a lot of reasons. If dickey wanted to do it, he would have long ago. He is retired and happily living the life of a country gentleman. Honestly, I think his views on a lot of this stuff are pretty well known and documented. And a LOT more in my new book.
Dear Alan Paul, I love your writing, and your connections with our cherished musicians. I always loved the story about "Hell's Cabin", where Ronnie brought the band to "hone" their craft. It's that hard work,( just like the Brothers did,) that, I think, made them so great. Another is how they met playing baseball. Every story about Skynyrd is fascinating. Thank You Alan, your writing means a lot to me. Cheers, and God Bless Gary Rossington for all he gave us.
Nobody mentions Rossington Collins which I enjoyed alot more than Skynyrd. Moved into main stream rock with beautiful Dale Kranz (to be Rossington)belting out vocals.
Terrific writing, Alan! As a musician I love reading how ideas are turned into stories turned into songs. I played keys for a southern rock band for about 5 years. Yep, [groan] every 2nd set ended with Freebird, all 14:09 of its 3 guitar madness. Cliche as it is, I have to admit it was a blast banging out that tune and holding on for dear life while your ears bled from the Marshall stacks. Good times! 🙌
Another great tribute. As a guitarist, I always love to hear how songs come together. It’s amazing how often the core of a great song comes together very quickly. I’ve heard that it lots of rock biographies I read. Can’t wait for you new book!
Great article and interview as a followup to the sad passing of Gary Rossington. I was introduced to him in Muscle Shoals by the late Jimmy Johnson, who at one point, produced the Rossington-Collins Band album in the studio that Jimmy, David Hood, Roger Hawkins and Barry Beckett owned together...and met Gary once again at the Waldorf-Astoria a day prior to that year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Gary was very humble, super nice, and patiently answered so many of my questions about the creation of their music , recording, and all things guitar & amp oriented. It was certainly a priviledge to have met and spoken together with him. Thank you Alan for releasing this content about Gary Rossington, and am very much looking forward to reading your upconing new book out this coming July ! A book by you on LS ala the templates you have done prior would be a Fascinating story and read too !!!
Thank you. I loved Gary, and Ed as well, but I don't think I want to drill all the way into the LS story. There's a fair amount about them in the upcoming book.
As much as I would love to read their story, I can certainly understand & respect your position on it. Your books are a must read for people who love this great music, as I do, whether they are musicians , as I am or not. I can't wait to read your upcoming book on the ABB's transition from the original 6 to ABB 2.0, which was usch a challenging time for the band. Oddly and sadly my 1st time seeing them in concert was in the NYC area very soon after Duane Allman's accident. It was odd and in some respects dissapointing to not see Duane and Dickey playing together, however you could see the determination on their faces, and they played with great energy and emotion. A few months later in April '72 at what was hten The Academy of music I sat very close to the 5 member lineup again, and they just blew me and everyone away. I have such tremendous respect for them.
Thank you. It's hard for me to even describe how deep I go into my subject matter and I don't want to go there with LS. I especially have really no interest in all the post-crash bands. I loved Gary and am happy they continued, but that's about it.
Love your pieces, Alan. When I started following you, I thought you must be of my generation, but no, I’ve discovered you’re just an old soul with a genuine love for great music.
Thanks Sharon. I'm 56, but was into older music when I was a kid and never really changed on that front. A lot of it is thanks to David Kann, the hippie 15 years older than me who was my babysitter when I was a kid - against the warnings of the neighbors who warned them he was a juvenile delinquent.
Regarding the story of composing "Sweet Home Alabama", I was a bit surprised. I had read before that Gary had the basic chords first, then Ed came up with that intro riff. Not sure now?
(edit: I have just noticed that others have commented in the same direction..)
I just had such a nice compliment from a very good friend of Gary's - "when I read your article, I heard his voice." Happy I could capture him for others.
Great article as always, Alan. Interesting that in your conversation, Gary took credit for the opening riff of SWA. It's pretty well documented that Gary had the underlying part, but Ed King came up with the opening riff which he always played in concert as well. He saw a lot of things in his life and held together the reformed band till the end, (sometimes under heavy criticism). I'll tell you what, I saw the reformed band several times and one of those times it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. The vibe was ELECTRIC! Kudos to Gary - he lived his life on his terms always! How many of us can say that?
Yeah, I know... and I interviewed Ed later about it... I could have edited this, but I went with what Gary said and I printed at the time. As I said elsewhere, this is a great example of why you should read books written by people like me and not memoirs!
No disrespect, but might Ed King's contributions on Sweet Home Alabama be minimized by Gary? I've read in several places and heard Ed talk about the acrimony that existed between him and Gary...
Of course. Almost certainly. That’s why celebrity memoirs are completely unreliable. I interviewed Ed about it too. Will share a more complete version
There's actually a video out there where Ed plays the part that Gary came up with. Speaking of celebrity memoirs being unreliable, I guess this wouldn't be the right place to ask about you (and/or your partner in crime Andy Aledort) to consider writing a biography on the great Dickey Betts would it? Perhaps not a big enough target audience to warrant a biography, but I sure would like to hear his take on the formation of the ABB, how he composed all of those classic songs and all the ups and downs of his career before he's gone.
I mean, that's not happening for a lot of reasons. If dickey wanted to do it, he would have long ago. He is retired and happily living the life of a country gentleman. Honestly, I think his views on a lot of this stuff are pretty well known and documented. And a LOT more in my new book.
Dear Alan Paul, I love your writing, and your connections with our cherished musicians. I always loved the story about "Hell's Cabin", where Ronnie brought the band to "hone" their craft. It's that hard work,( just like the Brothers did,) that, I think, made them so great. Another is how they met playing baseball. Every story about Skynyrd is fascinating. Thank You Alan, your writing means a lot to me. Cheers, and God Bless Gary Rossington for all he gave us.
Thanks Johnny. Appreciate it.
Nobody mentions Rossington Collins which I enjoyed alot more than Skynyrd. Moved into main stream rock with beautiful Dale Kranz (to be Rossington)belting out vocals.
Yeah. Gary didn't talk about it all that much. It was not a happy time for them, though of course Gary and Dale made each other happy.
Am looking forward to your book about Betts and the Allman Bros coming out this summer? Betts such a talent in many areas.
Thank you. Links in the article and preorders are most appreciated!
Wow. Great stuff. I just got back from Muscle Shoals, I love these old stories. So many of these legends are leaving us. Thanks for sharing, Alan.
Terrific writing, Alan! As a musician I love reading how ideas are turned into stories turned into songs. I played keys for a southern rock band for about 5 years. Yep, [groan] every 2nd set ended with Freebird, all 14:09 of its 3 guitar madness. Cliche as it is, I have to admit it was a blast banging out that tune and holding on for dear life while your ears bled from the Marshall stacks. Good times! 🙌
Thanks Lou.
Another great tribute. As a guitarist, I always love to hear how songs come together. It’s amazing how often the core of a great song comes together very quickly. I’ve heard that it lots of rock biographies I read. Can’t wait for you new book!
Great article and interview as a followup to the sad passing of Gary Rossington. I was introduced to him in Muscle Shoals by the late Jimmy Johnson, who at one point, produced the Rossington-Collins Band album in the studio that Jimmy, David Hood, Roger Hawkins and Barry Beckett owned together...and met Gary once again at the Waldorf-Astoria a day prior to that year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Gary was very humble, super nice, and patiently answered so many of my questions about the creation of their music , recording, and all things guitar & amp oriented. It was certainly a priviledge to have met and spoken together with him. Thank you Alan for releasing this content about Gary Rossington, and am very much looking forward to reading your upconing new book out this coming July ! A book by you on LS ala the templates you have done prior would be a Fascinating story and read too !!!
Thank you. I loved Gary, and Ed as well, but I don't think I want to drill all the way into the LS story. There's a fair amount about them in the upcoming book.
As much as I would love to read their story, I can certainly understand & respect your position on it. Your books are a must read for people who love this great music, as I do, whether they are musicians , as I am or not. I can't wait to read your upcoming book on the ABB's transition from the original 6 to ABB 2.0, which was usch a challenging time for the band. Oddly and sadly my 1st time seeing them in concert was in the NYC area very soon after Duane Allman's accident. It was odd and in some respects dissapointing to not see Duane and Dickey playing together, however you could see the determination on their faces, and they played with great energy and emotion. A few months later in April '72 at what was hten The Academy of music I sat very close to the 5 member lineup again, and they just blew me and everyone away. I have such tremendous respect for them.
Thank you. It's hard for me to even describe how deep I go into my subject matter and I don't want to go there with LS. I especially have really no interest in all the post-crash bands. I loved Gary and am happy they continued, but that's about it.
Thank you for the memories! Your interviews make me smile and lighten my heart!
Rock on man✌️💖🎼
Bazlyn
R I P you’ll be missed dearly❤️
Love your pieces, Alan. When I started following you, I thought you must be of my generation, but no, I’ve discovered you’re just an old soul with a genuine love for great music.
Thanks Sharon. I'm 56, but was into older music when I was a kid and never really changed on that front. A lot of it is thanks to David Kann, the hippie 15 years older than me who was my babysitter when I was a kid - against the warnings of the neighbors who warned them he was a juvenile delinquent.
Sure enjoyed reading the insights Gary spoke about regarding some of the L S songs
Good stuff Alan! So many good musicians gone.
Alan, thank you so much for this informative article. Too many musicians from my generation of music are moving on to a better place.
Regarding the story of composing "Sweet Home Alabama", I was a bit surprised. I had read before that Gary had the basic chords first, then Ed came up with that intro riff. Not sure now?
(edit: I have just noticed that others have commented in the same direction..)
No. I believe that’s true. This is what gary told me that day.