Behind the Music

Season 1, Episode 7

Episode Title: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Air Date: 1997-10-19

Overview:

This episode marked the 20th anniversary of the infamous plane crash (10/20/77) with a special episode on the bad boys from Jacksonville, Florida who put Southern Rock and Roll on the map with classic songs like Freebird and Sweet Home Alabama. During the seventies, they released a string of million-selling records and performed to sold out audiences in the U.S. and Europe. Fronted by their charismatic leader, Ronnie Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd had it all until the pressures of stardom led them down a road of violence and alcohol abuse that resulted in countless fights, arrests, and car wrecks. Interviews with the surviving members of the band and the families.