document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Here are some instances where the Confederate flag intersected with popular music over the years: For many, the Confederate flag is just as synonymous with Lynyrd Syknyrd as the lead riff of Sweet Home Alabama. But in a 2012 interview with CNN, guitarist Gary Rossington, the bands lone surviving original member, appeared to backpedal on Skynyrds long-standing love of the flag: Through the years, people like the KKK and skinheads kinda kidnapped the Dixie or Southern flag from its tradition and the heritage of the soldiers. 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You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. "The first time I ever saw a Confederate flag bikini was in that movie," explains David Martin, a former history professor at the University of Tennessee. After a backlash from fans, the band brought back the flag. 4.0 (34) $1499. "It's well past time for all the Southern states to move on." Confederate iconography runs through the Southern rock and outlaw-country movement of the 1970s, and no single act, perhaps, was more associated with it than Skynyrd. In a poll featured on our original story, 51% of readers stated that they did not agree with this decision. The Southern rock band has long been known for its 70s-era hits like Sweet Home Alabama and defiant embrace of Old Dixie imagery. Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and founding member Gary Rossington has clarified comments he made on a recent CNN interview, and now states that the band will display the Confederate flag at. Hood likened it to the swastika and said it was used after the Civil War as a way of intimidating black people: People say The South will rise again The South will never rise again as long as we keep our heads up our asses. Also, Lynyrd Skynyrd was booked to play the Republican National Convention in Tampa, but Hurricane Isaac forced them to cancel. Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about. Maybe they shouldn't have been so startled; after all, even Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted to stop flying the Confederate flag. Having gone through this, I would prefer it if no one would ever bring a Confederate flag to our shows again because this isnt who we are., In years past, right-wing rocker Ted Nugent was known for wearing apparel adorned with the flag. The guitarist added that such associations had caused the band to disassociate themselves from the flag, which had been a large part of their visual image over the years. After making statements that indicated the band was no longer using the Confederate flag on stage, and suffering a huge backlash from much of their Southern fanbase as a result, Skynyrd has. To some of the band's fans, it meant cutting ties to Lynyrd Skynyrd. 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Other artists have used the flag ironically, in an attempt to subvert its meaning. So I wrote the song New Slaves. So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. The Confederate flag became a flashpoint for rage after the murders of nine black parishionersat Charleston, S.C.'s, historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17. "Well they just turned their backs on their core group of fans, that will really help . To those who view the flag as a symbol of racism, that was not my message and I did not intend offense., After the Charleston shooting, Radio.com spoke to the Drive-By Truckers Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley lifelong Southerners about their views on the flag. Unlike the Allman Brothers Band, who were friends of Carter, or Charlie Daniels, whose The Souths Gonna Do It (Again) was adopted as Carters campaign song in 1976, Skynyrd wasnt especially tight with the President; the closest their paths crossed is when they had to bail on a fundraising concert also featuring Daniels, the Marshall Tucker Band, the Outlaws and .38 Special in 76. FREE delivery Mar 2 - 6. Confederate Flags are a great way to show your neighbours what you and your family love and support. Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" was them giving the middle finger to a number of other entertainers who had at the time released material declaring *all* Southerners to be racist because of the actions of an infamous handful. Their music This may be a thin thread to connect Skynyrd with Carter, but the overarching fact remains that during the groups prime, Southern Rock was not a regressive music it was a rowdy, progressive vision of the future, representing how the South was eager to put the turmoil of the 1960s in the past. Back then, Lynyrd Skynyrd were leaders among the rebels forging a New South in the aftermath of the 1960s, creating music that soundtracked the ascent of Jimmy Carter to the White House. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. Perhaps the latter-day version of Skynyrd never cut an album that could hold its own with the work of the original band they lacked a songwriter as sharp and humane as Ronnie, and Johnny Van Zanthad a hard time resisting some cornball tendencies, like bellowing in a bluesy bluster and punctuating his renditions of Ronnie classics with incessant stage banter. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Confederate flag represented slavery in a way. Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern by The Grace of God Music Poster 24x36 inch Paper 5.0 (1) $1399 $2.99 delivery Mar 9 - 14 Or fastest delivery Mar 8 - 13 Likewise,Drive-By Truckershave long integrated their lyrics with what they describe as contradictions of Southern identity, including views on the Confederate flag. 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. A tragic tipping point had spurred an avalanche of great proportions, and even many who had long cringed at the display of the symbol were surprised at its size, that government and big business were so ready to repudiate the image. Add to Wishlist. The legendary metal band Pantera has been inactive since 2003; beloved guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage in 2004 and the band has never reunited. And . We didn't want that to go to our fans or show the image like we agreed with any of the race stuff or any of the bad things. He'll remember. won a ruling allowing him to sue the school district, the hundreds of hate groups who use the flag as a symbol, drew criticism for flying the flag on a Fourth of July float. Lynyrd Skynyrd (formed in 1966) is an American southern hard-rock, country and blues band hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, in the U.S. Some still do today. The driver is a self-described "redneck," but maintains that he is not a racist. But the symbol is bigger than that; it cannot only say what Brad Paisley - or Colt Ford, Kid Rock, Trace Adkins, Hank Williams, Jr.and other country artists who sing about the flag or wear its image on clothes and jewelry - means or wants it to. It began as a concept record about the South, but the concept part slipped away probably 70 percent or so into the album, Petty explained to Rolling Stone. The tragedy seemed to provide a neat conclusion to Skynyrds story, forever tying the band and, specifically, Ronnie Van Zant to the New South of the 1970s, an era when the states below the Mason Dixon line attempted to refashion themselves as progressive in the wake of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. A man displays a Confederate flag tattoo as he participates in a rally to show support for the American and Confederate flags on July 11 in Loxahatchee, Fla. Organizers of the rally said. At The Gates Vest- Update. Still, shortly thereafter Nugent admitted in a separate interview that he continues to fly the Confederate flag at his home. The Southern rockers previously announced they would end the band's 40-year tradition of using the Confederate flag as a backdrop for their live shows.. Not for sale or trade. Please wait at least 10 minutes before attempting another reset. Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band best known for popularizing the Southern rock genre during the 1970s. ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd Announce Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour, Gary Rossington Calls Current Lynyrd Skynyrd a Tribute Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd Hanging It up in the Next Year or so, Lynyrd Skynyrd Show Enduring Rock N Roll Spirit in Los Angeles, Damon Johnson Talks Gary Rossingtons Return to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lynyrd Skynyrd Add More U.S. The Confederate flag means something more to us, Heritage not Hate-Gary Rossington. "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" was a song against racism. Listening to their music, from the high points to the lows, reveals how Americas culture shifted over the course of four and a half decades, and that is no small feat for a rock & roll band. Or fastest delivery Mar 1 - 3. Among them, Grammy nominated country-rockers Confederate Railroad, who continue to use the flagin their logo and on merchandise, despite losing gigs as a result. Around 2001, the singer started using the Stars and Bars at his live shows, calling it a symbol of Southern rock and rebellion. Several years later, the rocker changed course, though protestors continued to criticize his history with the flag. Southerners maintain it's just "heritage, not hate," while critics . This persistent narrative may soothe listeners of the liberal persuasion, who have difficulty reconciling how music this powerful may be telegraphing politics with which they disagree, but it also has the ultimate effect of widening the gap between Ronnie Van Zant and the latter-day Skynyrd, suggesting the two dont share similar roots. The iconic Southern rock band incorporated its image into merchandise and marketing material for decades following their rise to fame in the early '70s, while also routinely using the Confederate flag as a backdrop during their live performances. Some fans were quite vocal in their opposition to this change on various message boards, with some stating that the flag is a symbol of Southern pride. Here's the full Lynyrd Skynyrd statement, signed by Rossington: I wanted to clarify the discussion of the Confederate Flag in our recent CNN interview. "Through the years, people like the KKK and skinheads kinda kidnapped the Dixie or Southern flag from its tradition and the heritage of the soldiers, that's what it was about," Gary Rossington, the band's guitarist, said. Registering for this site allows you to access your order status and history. Browse our awesome collection of Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirts today! In the musical South of the '60s and '70s, blues and soul influences bloomed in the mainstream Nashville sound, the white session musicians known as the Swampers made hits for artists like Etta James and Clarence Carter (and Skynyrd, too) and the Allman Brothers, a racially integrated band, were jamming like jazz musicians. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy. Check out some of our featured bands and artists. Even Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted to stop flying the Confederate flag, Alison Fensterstock, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, the time had come to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee, "Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South,", he told CNN that Lynyrd Skynyrd would stop using the flag. They might not have beaten the Union on the battlefield, but by golly, they'll do it on the stage of rock and roll and across the college gridiron, and when that doesn't work, they'll kill 'em with kindness. It's even questionable what Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted it to mean; according to the 2006 Southern-rock history "Dixie Lullaby,"whose subtitle is "A Story of Race, Music and New Beginnings in a New South," the band's Confederate flag-waving rebel-outlaw brand was a creation of producer Al Kooper, who is from Brooklyn. Cool J's colossal faceplant of a song, "Accidental Racist,"with its epically upsetting lyrical false equivalencies (LL to Brad: "If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains") namechecks the band, when Paisley sings an apology to the rapper for wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt: "When I put on that T-shirt," he warbles, "the only thing I meant to say is I'm a Skynyrd fan.".