Rest In Peace Ed King

Those who know me knows that I have been a fan of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd forever.  Well, maybe not that long, but since I was a wee lad.  My first memories of Skynyrd ties in with the movie Grease.  Sounds strange right?  Grease was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater, my family was more of a drive in family, but my Aunt Faye was in and took me, my sister, and my cousin to see Grease at the Cinemas in Harrisburg.  Before the movie, there was a tribute/documentary about Lynyrd Skynryd. I don't remember everything about it, but I remember seeing the Confederate flag backdrop, Leonard Skinner talking, and people talking about the plane crash.  Then around about the same, an eight track of One More From the Road showed up at my house.  To this day I don't know where it came from, most likely one of my brothers, but I'm not sure.  Hearing Ronnie Van Zant saying, "What song is it you want to hear?", hearing Gimme Three Steps, Sweet Home Alabama, Call Me the Breeze, T for Texas, it changed my life.  I wasn't quite at super fan status until a day my parents took me and Rob (my best friend) to Galatia's Old Settler's Days parade, then to WalMart.  At WalMart Rob picked up the cassette of Second Helping,   Such a great album with The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Workin' for MCA, Don't Ask Me Know Questions, I Need You, The Needle and the Spoon, Swamp Music, Call Me the Breeze, and of course Sweet Home Alabama.  Ed King said he dreamed the lead he plays on Sweet Home.  He plays it in the key of G, even though the songs is in the key of D.  It worked. Spectacularly.

Yesterday, the world lost Ed King to cancer.  He was 68 years old.  He will be mainly known for his work in Lynyrd Skynyrd, but he was also a founding member of  Strawberry Alarm Clock, which were known for the hit, "Incense and Peppermints."  He initially joined Skynyrd on bass as Leon Wilkeson's replacement, but when Leon returned to the band he joined as the third guitarist.  He wasn't a "southerner" like the rest of the band, he was a Californian native.  Touring with Skynyrd took it's toll on him and he left the band in 1975.  His replacement, Steve Gaines, perished in the plane crash.

When the band decided to do the Tribute Tour in 1987, Ed decided to rejoin the band, he would basically take his rightful place in the band, but also took over Allen  Collins' lead part on Freebird.  It revved up my interest in Skynryd knowing that they were back out, and in 1991 they made a new  record and went on tour, which had a stop in Evansville, Indiana at the Mesker Amphitheater on August 20th, my 18th birthday.  I went with my brother Kev, and my cousin Jesse.  What a great night, never did I think I would see any version of Skynyrd, and I did on my birthday.  In the next few years I got to see Skynrd a few more times.  It seemed like with each tour, members would change.  Ed with congestive heart failure, left the band for good in 1996.  I last saw them in 2004 with probably the best lineup since 1991 with Ricky Medlocke and Hughie Thommason(RIP) on guitars with Gary Rossington.  I haven't seen them since.  Somewhere along the line, like many others, Lynyrd Skynryd the band, became Lynyrd Skynyrd the brand.  They are on what they are calling their "farewell" tour, which with rock bands, that has sort of became a running joke, because the players might change, but as long as money can be made, it will be made.

Gary Rossington is the last original member of the band that recorded
Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd .   Yes, I was too young to have ever see the original band, but the memories and good times that this band have provided for me are countless and irreplaceable.  As another hero passes through to the other side, we have to realize the art they left behind will last forever.  Goodbye Ed.