Greatest Skynyrd Guitarist?

Gassage · October 2023

Due to driving to France over RWC I have been on a massive LS kick recently and explored virtually everything they've done.

So- the rather cruel question is who was their greatest player?

It is so hard

Ed King and his subtleties?
Steve Gaines and his absolute shredding?
Allen Collins and his huge stage presence?
Gary Rossington the rock?

I find it really hard as all four amazing, but on reflection it's Gaines for me.

Sassafras · October 2023

Crikey, all the founding members are dead.

stufisher · October 2023

Yep ... agreed Steve Gaines for me too ... even though his life was over before it really started.

Gassage · October 2023

Sassafras said:

Crikey, all the founding members are dead.

Well Rickey Medlocke was there way back so he counts in a way I guess.

Artimis is alive.

guitars4you · October 2023

Never really thought about it

Listened a lot to LS in my teens and twenties but these days it will be the odd track here and there on my playlist on shuffle mode

Can’t recall when I last played a whole album

Kristo · October 2023

Tough call, but Allen Collins for me. Not only for the playing, but also the songwriting.

Tannin · October 2023

It's the combination. I cannot off the top of my head think of another band where not two but three guitars work so very, very well together.

(You might say the Eagles, but in some curious way the Eagles weren't so much of a guitar band, despite having without question one (Walsh) and most people would say at least two, possibly three guitarists clearly greater than any of the four Skynyrd players. I reckon Steve Gaines might have elevated himself into that class, given time, but time he did not have.)

And that extraordinary meld of the three guitars, while a credit to the four of them, and a credit also to the three very fine musicians on keys, drums and especially bass, is really down to the vision and leadership of Ronnie Van Zant. Ronnie made them practice harder and longer than any three other bands you ever heard of, and it was Ronnie who insisted that there be no widdly-wanky improvised soloing dragging on for ages. Ronnie was convinced that the punters at a concert wanted to hear what was on the record, every time. It was Ronnie who made them all work out exactly what they wanted to play and hone each part - be it a solo or a rhythm fill - until it was the very best that they could do and then play it that way every time.

So put me down as a vote for Ronnie - decent singer and great bandleader.

Oh, OK, that's probably out of order. Make it Steve Gaines.

p90fool · October 2023

Definitely Allen Collins for me too, the rest could have been replaced by other great guitarists, but he's the reason they didn't sound like other southern boogie bands.

Gassage · October 2023

Tannin said:

It's the combination. I cannot off the top of my head think of another band where not two but three guitars work so very, very well together.

(You might say the Eagles, but in some curious way the Eagles weren't so much of a guitar band, despite having without question one (Walsh) and most people would say at least two, possibly three guitarists clearly greater than any of the four Skynyrd players. I reckon Steve Gaines might have elevated himself into that class, given time, but time he did not have.)

And that extraordinary meld of the three guitars, while a credit to the four of them, and a credit also to the three very fine musicians on keys, drums and especially bass, is really down to the vision and leadership of Ronnie Van Zant. Ronnie made them practice harder and longer than any three other bands you ever heard of, and it was Ronnie who insisted that there be no widdly-wanky improvised soloing dragging on for ages. Ronnie was convinced that the punters at a concert wanted to hear what was on the record, every time. It was Ronnie who made them all work out exactly what they wanted to play and hone each part - be it a solo or a rhythm fill - until it was the very best that they could do and then play it that way every time.

So put me down as a vote for Ronnie - decent singer and great bandleader.

Oh, OK, that's probably out of order. Make it Steve Gaines.

Agree with every word of this. Their work ethic driven by RVZ was incredible.

Gaines and King were the icing on the cake during their eras, but the structure was deeper, as you say.

Re Eagles- ironic that their greatest single guitarist (IMO) has never actually been an Eagle- the exquisite Steuart Smith.

guitars4you · October 2023

Gassage said:

Tannin said:

It's the combination. I cannot off the top of my head think of another band where not two but three guitars work so very, very well together.

(You might say the Eagles, but in some curious way the Eagles weren't so much of a guitar band, despite having without question one (Walsh) and most people would say at least two, possibly three guitarists clearly greater than any of the four Skynyrd players. I reckon Steve Gaines might have elevated himself into that class, given time, but time he did not have.)

And that extraordinary meld of the three guitars, while a credit to the four of them, and a credit also to the three very fine musicians on keys, drums and especially bass, is really down to the vision and leadership of Ronnie Van Zant. Ronnie made them practice harder and longer than any three other bands you ever heard of, and it was Ronnie who insisted that there be no widdly-wanky improvised soloing dragging on for ages. Ronnie was convinced that the punters at a concert wanted to hear what was on the record, every time. It was Ronnie who made them all work out exactly what they wanted to play and hone each part - be it a solo or a rhythm fill - until it was the very best that they could do and then play it that way every time.

So put me down as a vote for Ronnie - decent singer and great bandleader.

Oh, OK, that's probably out of order. Make it Steve Gaines.

Agree with every word of this. Their work ethic driven by RVZ was incredible.

Gaines and King were the icing on the cake during their eras, but the structure was deeper, as you say.

Re Eagles- ironic that their greatest single guitarist (IMO) has never actually been an Eagle- the exquisite Steuart Smith.

Don Felder was excellent - But then Bernie Leadon was superb in his day with all the blue grass/country style stuff - But then add Joe

AK99 · October 2023

Funny - downloaded the whole Street Survivors album from Spotify to listen to on holiday a few weeks back, and came to the conclusion it's by far and away the best Skynyrd album (imo) - and that primarily due to the addition of Steve Gaine's playing.

Wouldn't be anywhere nearly as good without the input of the others though - so a pretty tough question all told

Modulus_Amps · October 2023

I found a LS special edition CD set in a house I was housesitting as a teenager, first time I really listened to them.

Two key things I remember from the set was I really liked the demo version of free bird, more than the final recording.

second was when Steve Gaines doing some chicken picking shredding, blew my mind at that time.

RocknRollDave · October 2023

No idea but I will say that Sweet Home Alabama never sounded right without King

ICBM · October 2023

Ed King.

Most of the great little bits that make your ears prick up and make Skynyrd different from just another southern rock band (yes, I know they more or less invented the genre…) are Ed.

Gassage said:

Re Eagles- ironic that their greatest single guitarist (IMO) has never actually been an Eagle- the exquisite Steuart Smith.

Nah… it’s Don Felder. The Eagles never sounded properly like the Eagles after they fired him. (Even though he wasn’t on the first couple of albums either, and those still do - but Bernie Leadon was.)

Steuart Smith can really play, but I just find him completely boring to listen to.

Dodge · October 2023

ICBM said:

The Eagles can really play, but I just find them completely boring to listen to.

FTFY.

BillDL · October 2023

There have been quite a few times that I thought I knew who was playing a particular part on an audio track, but having then seen a video of them playing it live I have been surprised. I think Steve Gaines was possibly the most versatile in terms of being able to play in more varied styles, but the problem is that you never really get to know just how versatile any guitar player is when all you have really heard of their playing is in a familiar "format" in a band. They could probably all play convincing jazz, country and funk if they had wanted to, but we never really got an insight into how accomplished each of them were in different styles of music. I think I like the playing of Allen Collins the best, and I think I can pick it out most of the time when I hear it.

Philly_Q · October 2023

I don't really have strong feelings on this, and to be honest I've no idea who's playing what on the records, although I always assume Rossington didn't play much lead guitar.

But I was always a fan of Blackfoot, more than Lynyrd Skynyrd, so Rickey Medlocke gets my vote. I don't care for anything he's done with Skynyrd, though.

Interesting bit of trivia that I learned from an Ed King interview - he and Steve Gaines were born on the same day, 14 September 1949.

Dominic · October 2023

Bit of a SIdetrack but Whilst on Southern Rock ;
Anybody remember Run by Jo Jo Gunne .....................I love that track

Philly_Q · October 2023

Dominic said:

Bit of a SIdetrack but Whilst on Southern Rock ;
Anybody remember Run by Jo Jo Gunne .....................I love that track

I have a 2-CD set of their four albums about 18 inches away from me as I type this.

Dominic · October 2023

^ Respect

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Greatest Skynyrd Guitarist?

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