Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second Helping

Driven by founding members Gary Rossington (guitar), Johnny Van Zant (vocals) and Rickey Medlocke (guitar) and together with longtime drummer Michael Cartellone, Lynyrd Skynyrd's legacy goes back to 35 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, but stops in between ten years after the 1977 plane crash that killed a total of three band members, including Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. Since then, the band has also tragically lost Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson and Huey Thomasson, but they still rock on. After the recent deaths of founding member Billy Powell (keyboards) and longtime bassist Ean Evans, "I think a lot of us would have expected us to say enough is enough," admits Medlocke. But not this rock & roll powerhouse inducted into the Hall of Fame. With a list of over 60 albums and over 30 million records sold, Lynyrd Skynyrd remain a cultural icon that appeals to all generations. This 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd album follows the success of "Free Bird" and "Gimme Three Steps" from their 1973 debut and features their biggest single hit, "Sweet Home Alabama", a response to Neil Young's "Southern Man" and "Alabama". The song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. "Second Helping" also includes "Don't Ask Me No Questions," "Workin' for MCA" and "Call Me The Breeze," the latter of which features a famous piano solo. Backed by a strong rhythm section and the mighty three-guitar attack of Allen Collins, Ed King and Gary Rossington, singer Ronnie Van Zant puts in a legendary performance of the haunting blues ballad "I Need You" and great takes on the cautionary "The Needle And The Spoon" and "The Ballad Of Curtis Loew".