We still utilize the Confederate (Rebel) flag on stage every night in our shows, we are and always will be a Southern American Rock band, first and foremost, he wrote on the bands official website. The state of New York will no longer sell or display anything considered a "symbol of hate," including the Confederate flag, according to a bill just signed into law. At The Gates Vest- Update. The Confederate flag means something more to us, Heritage not Hate-Gary Rossington. Lynyrd Skynyrd The classic rock band from Jacksonville, Fla., was never shy about displaying the Confederate flag. Largely seen as a symbol of hatred and painful reminder of America's past, the Confederate Flag has been used by Lynyrd Skynyrd since the 70's to showcase their pride in their Southern roots and all that encompasses it: long, lazy summers, good manners, fervent faith, and a history of great music. Don't miss a beat. Even Lynyrd Skynyrd sensesthe need to put the Confederate flag away. You dont need a symbol to be proud of who you are, contends Warren Haynes, former guitarist for Allman Brothers Band. 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. Rossington is hardly alone in this view. 4 interest-free payments on orders over $45 with Learn More. That really . 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. Sept. 21, 2012 12 AM PT Lynyrd Skynyrd wasn't bothered by Watergate, but now they're sheepish over their use of the Confederate flag. Lynyrd Skynyrd Gretna Heritage Festival 2014, Lynyrd Skynyrd performs at the Gretna Heritage Festival on Saturday, October 4, 2014. The driver is a self-described "redneck," but maintains that he is not a racist. In an era of globalized and inclusive pop music, the fact that Lynyrd Skynyrd can adapt to changing attitudes about race and art is heartening. I just googled it and the first result is "This is why Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd hated each other". The Confederate flag was once a familiar symbol in country music, representing the rural South and the renegade spirit of artists such as David Allan Coe and Hank Williams Jr. They used the flag image. I feel very strongly about it. Vandoliers Play Tennessee Concert in Dresses to Protest State's New Drag Bill In 2004, during the thick of George W. Bushs presidential re-election campaign, The New York Times claimed the Republican Partys Southern Strategy amounted to Cranking up Skynyrd a concession that signified how thoroughly Lynyrd Skynyrd was associated with the South, but also signaled how far the band and the South had come since the 1970s. While the Confederacy used three different flags, the flag most commonly called the Confederate flag was its battle flag. I have ancestors who fought in that ill-begotten war, but its way, way past time to move on., Killer Mike on Confederate Flag: You Do Not Fly Flags of Losers Over the Winners Country, Cooley put matters into first-hand context: I live in the reddest district in one of the reddest states in the country (Alabama) And I dont feel like Im surrounded by brainwashed aholes at all. Lynyrd Skynyrd (formed in 1966) is an American southern hard-rock, country and blues band hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, in the U.S. The Southern Poverty Law Center keeps track of the hundreds of hate groups who use the flag as a symbol. Below is the CNN Interview: [] after thatheadline-making announcement, thoughand perhaps in response to a pro-flag backlash from its hardcore southern basethe band [], Your email address will not be published. "Good luck with your next release 'Sweet home Massachusetts.' It's time for it to be tucked away into the history books - and stay there. "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.". Confederate Flags are a great way to show your neighbours what you and your family love and support. It will NOT reduce the 5-12 business days required to ship the order. Some still do today. It's no secret that many musicians have employed the controversial flag over the years. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. So go on! In 2012, the band announced that would no longer fly a large Confederate flag on stage at it concerts. We also utilize the state flag of Alabama and the American flag as well, cause at the end of the day, we are all Americans. The Sons of Confederate Veterans member explained himself in a since-taken-down post on his website: To me, the battle flag represents remembrance of my Southern lineage I advocate for the preservation of Americas battlefields and honest conversation about our countrys history. In 2012, it tried to distance itself from the flag because of its divisive history as a symbol of racism. All Rights reserved. By understanding the origin of Lynyrd Skynyrd, an individual could feel how this Southern Rock band injected sorrow, joy, and sometimes confusion in their electric jams. Such after-the-fact justifications paint Lynyrd Skynyrd in the best possible light, suggesting that any ugliness was not the fault of the band: either they had good intentions or were just playing the industrys game. He'll remember. They are displaying a flag that represented a nation that their ancestors fought and died for. 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. 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. Selecting Two Day or Overnight will only reduce transit time. Dates to 2022 Tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd and 38 Special Singers Team Up on Sweet Florida, Lynyrd Skynyrd Childhood Home Available to Book on Airbnb. We know what the Dixie flag represents and its heritage; the Civil War was fought over States rights. Please enter your email address. Why fly a flag that stands for the very things we as Southerners have worked so hard to move beyond? A year later, the musician was more succinct in his opinion. Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd performs at Nashville Rising, a benefit concert for flood relief at Bridgestone Arena on June 22, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Other famous rock acts continued to use the Confederate flag in concert through the 80s and 90s such include Guns N Roses, Pantera, and Kid Rock. Maybe the record label instigated its use in 1974 but Skynyrd made the Stars and Bars an integral part of their visual iconography, letting it appear on T-shirts, caps, belt buckles and ceramic mugs until 2012, when the band decided that it was time to retire it from their stage. Shop officially licensed Lynyrd Skynyrd Shirts at Rockabilia. Not for sale or trade. 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 divide is crystallized within the contrast between Van Zants Saturday Night Special, a 1975 hit where he claims hand guns are made for killin, they aint no good for nothin else, and God and Guns, the title track to a 2009 album where Skynyrd pledges allegiance to these two things above all else. They should have taken a name like 'Obama's Politically Correct Sell Your Soul Make Believe Impostors' or something.". It reads: I wanted to clarify the discussion of the Confederate Flag in our recent CNN interview. Every time I leave the house I pass a car driven by African Americans that's blasting "Free Bird". Registering for this site allows you to access your order status and history. As a result, the band used its Facebook page to let the world know that it would continue to display the flag at all of its shows. Recently, Lynyrd Skynyrd told CNN that it has stopped associating itself with the Confederate flag because "it became such an issue about race." The flag had been hijacked by the KKK and other . So I wrote the song New Slaves. So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. 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. Culture Racists Ruined the Confederate Flag for Lynyrd Skynyrd To the last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, abandoning the Confederate flag signified the band cutting its ties to. We have a huge collection of Lynyrd Skynyrd T-Shirts, Tees, Hoodies, and Clothing for Men and, Women. If people are gonna look at that flag and think of it as representing slavery, then I say burn every one of them, the rocker declared in a 2015 interview with Radio.com. Then it got hijacked by racists somewhere along the way and turned into something really nasty. 4.0 (34) $1499. "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." 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. Also, Lynyrd Skynyrd was booked to play the Republican National Convention in Tampa, but Hurricane Isaac forced them to cancel. The band is most often associated with the Confederate flag, and this is often incorporated into the band's logo. But theres a meanness in the way that the South expresses itself politically, that is not reflective of what kind of people they are, and most of it is rooted in Civil War resentment.. Skynyrd. The fact that it still flew at the state Capitol building in Columbia prompted a nationwide outcry and protest on the statehouse grounds, and on Monday (June 22) South Carolina governor Nikki Haley called for its removal. In a previous interview with CNN, Lynyrd Skynyrd had said they were wary of the flag's association with hate groups. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the same day that the time had come to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from Lee Circle in New Orleans. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Moisture-wicking active t-shirts are here, too. The Stars and Bars was even prominently featured on the cover to their 1988 live album Southern by the Grace of God. 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. I dont like that, The Weeknd is getting mocked for his response to Rolling Stones The Idol expos, Daisy Jones & the Six review: Riley Keough fronts a rock soap opera, Aaron Carters mom posts awful photos from death scene, pushes for homicide inquiry, Wayne Shorter, influential jazz saxophonist and composer, dies at 89. The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd probably weren't expecting a firestorm when they agreed to be interviewed by CNN's Fredricka, but that's exactly what transpired when members of the group stated that they would no longer fly the Confederate flag at their shows. ", During their farewell tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd has chosen to perform in front of the American flag, also bringing out the Alabama state flag during their classic hit Sweet Home Alabama., Tom Petty, who, like the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, was raised in Florida,briefly usedthe Confederate flag during his 1985 tour, a decision he later called downright stupid. In 1985, I released an album called Southern Accents. From the Lyrics of Sweet Home Alabama, "In Birmingham they love the governor (boo, boo, boo) Now we all did what we could do". All Rights Reserved. I support their decision. Both Ed King and Charlie Daniels are quoted by journalist Mark Kemp in his excellent Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race and New Beginnings in a New South claiming that Ronnie was a big fan of George Wallace and had great respect for the governor, a fact that skews the conventional notion of Sweet Home Alabama of being a protest song against the governor. The interview, which aired Sept 9th on CNN caused an uproar in the Show off your love for Lynyrd Skynyrd with these t-shirts! Lynyrd Skynyrd Won't Abandon The Confederate Flag. 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 band's lone. Rossington spoke in the original interview about the negative associations made with the flag over the years, including its adoption by such hate organizations as the Ku Klux Klan. In August, an Oregon school bus driver who was fired for flying the flag on his pickup truck (while on school property) won a ruling allowing him to sue the school district for violating his First Amendment rights. The groups 2001 song The Southern Thing featured the line Aint about no foolish pride, aint about no flag reflecting the bands disdain for the image. 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. Many music lovers have applauded Lynyrd Skynyrd's move to disassociate itself from the confederate flag, but some of the southern rock band's fans have been upset by the shift. React how you want, West told L.A. radio station 97.1 AMP. I agree, the confederate flag is a symbol of the rich history of the south, which includes seceding from the US and then fighting a war over the right to own human beings. 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. Reset Password The move was met with backlash from some fans who claimed the band was turning its back on its Southern roots. "Well they just turned their backs on their core group of fans, that will really help sell out show," reads a comment from one-formerLynyrd Skynyrdfan in a report from The Wall Street Journal. The group. Lynyrd Skynyrd logo descriptions. Alongside MAGA hats and Trump 2020 banners, Reich flags and Brandenburg eagles, the American South's battle flag has been raised high during Germany's anti-lockdown demonstrations the most recent of which took place in Dresden in early March. In a 2015 statement to Fox News, Rock said Please tell the people protesting that they can kiss my ass.. Its no secret that many musicians have employed this controversial symbol over the years; some still do today. We want to hear it. The Only Confederate Flag That Mattered, Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate Shirts, Confederate Flag Shirts, Civil Rights Movement Shirt . 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. The current members sat down with Fredricka of CNN for a "Face to Face" interview (watch below) and spoke about the band's evolution and the decision to stop using the Confederate flag that is so highlyoffensive to many people.