Lighters up! Skynyrd is Jacksonville's favorite homegrown act

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever turned on a radio, but Jacksonville is Lynyrd Skynyrd territory.

In case there was any doubt that the raucous rockers are Jacksonville’s favorite, the point was hammered home when Lynyrd Skynyrd crushed Ray Charles in the final round of our bracket tournament to find Jacksonville’s favorite homegrown musical act. Along the way in the 16-act tournament, Skynyrd outpolled Charles, the Allman Brothers Band, .38 Special and bluesman Blind Blake. The final round wasn’t even close, with Charles collecting about a quarter of the online votes cast.

So what should Jacksonville do to formally recognize the fact that it’s a Skynyrd town? Put three guitars on the city’s flag? Name a bridge or a park for the band? Make “Gimme Three Steps” the city anthem? Change the name to Skynyrdville? Maybe replace the annual 4^th of July fireworks show with everybody just holding lighters in the air while “Free Bird” plays?

The band came into the tournament as the third seed, and you can’t really argue that they should have been ranked above the Allmans and Charles based on musical legacy. But the vote makes one point loud and clear: Jacksonville is Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lynyrd Skynyrd is Jacksonville.

Don’t believe it? Just watch the crowd at a Jaguars game when they play “Sweet Home Alabama” over the stadium speakers. Or drive over to Shantytown and visit the historical marker outside the home where Skynyrd singers Ronnie and Johnny (and their .38 Special brother, Donnie) grew up. Or head to Edgewater Landing, the housing development off CR 209 near Green Cove Springs, and see the historical marker that marks the site of the Hell House, where the band rehearsed and wrote songs for its early albums. As long as you’re in the neighborhood, check out Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park in Lake Asbury.

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Those are all just reminders that Lynyrd Skynyrd was a Jacksonville band, formed in Jacksonville by guys from Jacksonville. Band members grew up together, went to high school together and, by all reports, raised a lot of hell together on their way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They made their mark with three guitars, downhome lyrics and a boogie sound that leaned on country music more than the jazz and blues that were at the heart of the Allmans’ best songs.

Guitarist Gary Rossington passed away last month, the last survivor of the seven musicians who played on the band’s first albums (Rossington, Van Zant, pianist Billy Powell, drummer Bob Burns, bass player Leon Wilkeson and guitarists Allen Collins and Ed King).

The roster, of course, changed over the years. A 1977 plane crash, at the height of the band’s popularity, led to a decade-long break that only ended when the survivors got back together with little brother Johnny for a tribute tour. All told, there have been something like 34 musicians in the band over the years.

The band is still on the road today, despite trying to retire for years. The Last of the Street Survivors Tour, intended to be the band’s farewell to fans, started in 2018 and included a big 2019 show at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville that was released as a DVD and live album.

But fans are still buying tickets, so Skynyrd is still on the road and has more than 30 dates on its schedule, including a tour with ZZ Top that runs into September.

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Will they ever do another Jacksonville show? Probably not. Johnny Van Zant said last year that the band pulled out all the stops for that farewell stadium show and it wouldn’t feel right to play another one. "I truly believe we went out on top in Jacksonville and I don’t want to see us play here again." 

But never say never. They could play at the Jaguars' Super Bowl victory parade next year.

Does Lynyrd Skynyrd truly deserve the title of Jacksonville's favorite? We’ll let them answer that:

"Don't ask no stupid questions And I won't send you away. If you want to talk fishin' I guess that would be okay.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Lynyrd Skynyrd chosen as Jacksonville's favorite hometown musical act