If you are a fan of Southern Rock music, or if you live in Jacksonville, Florida, you are intimately familiar with a band called Lynyrd Skynrd. I am not a big fan of Southern Rock (I'm more of a progressive rock fan) but I am a resident of Jacksonville and I know about Skynyrd. If you live in Jacksonville, you cannot help but know about Lynryd Skynyrd.
I had the privilege of spending some time in their first practice studio (at the corner of Jackson and Riverside) before it was demolished to make room for some Starschmucks imitator. And they call it progress!
Ronnie Van Zant was a founder of Skynyrd. He was the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band. Ronnie, like the other members of the band, were all natives of Jacksonville.
The Jug has always been one of the dive-iest bars in Jacksonville. It is definitely not a place you would take a girl for a date. Back in the early days, before Skynyrd was a commercial success (probably sometime between 1969 and 1972,) Ronnie was in The Jug. He was facile with the ladies, a real "smooth operator." While dancing with one pretty lady, Ronnie found himself face-to-face with a man who announced that the woman was HIS woman and Ronnie needed to explain himself in short order. At The Jug, such confrontations were usually resolved by an application of fisticuffs by the involved participants.
Ronnie later wrote a song entitled "Gimme Three Steps."
I was cutting the rug
Down at place called The Jug
With a girl named Linda Lou
When in walked a man
With a gun in his hand
And he was looking for you know who
He said, "Hey there, fellow
With the hair colored yellow
Whatcha tryin' to prove?
'Cause that's my woman there
And I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you
I said, excuse me
I was scared and fearing for my life
I was shaking like a leaf on a tree
'Cause he was lean, mean
Big and bad, Lord
Pointin' that gun at me
"Oh, wait a minute, mister
I didn't even kiss her
Don't want no trouble with you
And I know you don't owe me
But I wish you'd let me
Ask one favor from you"
"Oh, won't you
Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister
Gimme three steps toward the door?
Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister
And you'll never see me no more"
For, sure
Well the crowd cleared away
And I began to pray
And the water fell on the floor
And I'm telling you, son
Well, it ain't no fun
Staring straight down a forty-four
Well, he turned and screamed at Linda Lou
And that's the break I was looking for
Well, you could hear me screaming a mile away
I was headed out toward the door
"Oh, won't you
Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister
Gimme three steps toward the door?
Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister
And you'll never see me no more"
Show me the back door
* * *
On October 17, 1977, Skynrd released an album entitled Street Survivors.
It ultimately became Skynyrd's best selling album and is widely regarded as a classic by fans of Southern rock.
Just three days after the album was released, - on October 20, 1977 - Skynrd boarded a small plane to travel from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The plane ran out of fuel outside Gillsburg, Mississippi. There was some advance notice of the problem, the passengers had been informed about potential problems, and were told to brace for a crash. Ronnie died on impact after the plane struck a tree. Also killed were Steve Gaines (guitars, vocals, and songwriter,) Cassie Gaines (backup vocals, sister of Steve,) assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and both pilot and co-pilot. The rest of the band was seriously injured.
In 1987, the band eventually reformed with the surviving band members and family and friends filling in the vacancies caused by the 1977 disaster. The band continued to be popular among its fans but it always lived in the shadow of the original lineup. Today, only one band member is alive and active with the band: Gary Rossington. Recently, the band announced that it was starting one final tour and then disbanding, leaving the Skynyrd legacy to live on through its music.
Yesterday, I was doing some errands and drove by The Jug. All of this history came back to me and, even though I am not a Southern Rock fan, I felt a bit of nostalgic sadness for the passing of this legend.
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