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Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 (1991)

Where the lyrics of Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 take you, and where it was really made.

Artimus Pyle is credited as a drummer on this album, but he never played on it; new drummer Kurt Custer recorded all the drums.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1991)

Recording site Ardent Studios — The group worked with producer Tom Dowd at Ardent Studios in Memphis in late 1990. The point is set at city level, not at the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991: sixth studio album by American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Released 11 June 1991 on Atlantic Records, produced by Tom Dowd
• First new studio album since Street Survivors in 1977
• First album made after the 1977 plane crash that killed three band members
• Eleven tracks; first album featuring replacements Johnny Van Zant and Randall Hall

Background

• Lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and lead guitarist Steve Gaines died in a 1977 plane crash in Mississippi
• Johnny Van Zant is Ronnie's younger brother
• Ed King returns as original guitarist; he had left the band while touring for Nuthin' Fancy in 1975
• Allen Collins survived the crash but died in 1990 from chronic pneumonia
• Drummer Artimus Pyle also survived the crash and is credited on the album but does not appear
• Pyle was not involved in the process; rising tension led to his departure from the group on 2 August 1991

Recording

• Late 1990 the group worked in Memphis at Ardent Studios with producer Tom Dowd
• New drummer Kurt Custer recorded all drums
• Kevin Elson handled overdub engineering and mixing; John Hampton was engineer; Bob Ludwig mastered the album
• Randall Hall plays guitar on "Money Man"
• Eric Martin provides backing vocals on "Pure & Simple"

Cover

• Photography by Carol Friedman
• Art direction, artwork and design by Randy Tuten

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964 as My Backyard, with Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums).
• Adopted the name Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1968, partly as a mocking tribute to P.E. teacher Leonard Skinner.
• Debut album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) released in 1973, produced by Al Kooper.

Members

• Core lineup in 1973: Van Zant, Collins, Rossington, Leon Wilkeson (bass), Billy Powell (keyboards), and Ed King (guitar).
• Burns was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974; King was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976.

Career

• Popularized Southern rock with "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird".
• Career halted on October 20, 1977, when their chartered plane crashed, killing Van Zant, Gaines, and Cassie Gaines.
• Reunited in 1987 with Johnny Van Zant as lead vocalist and continued touring for decades.
• Gary Rossington, the last founding member, died in March 2023.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006; Rolling Stone ranked them No. 95 among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released on 11 June 1991 on Atlantic Records, produced by Tom Dowd
• First new studio album since Street Survivors in 1977, and the first after the plane crash that killed three band members
• "Smokestack Lightning" was released as a single with a music video and met with moderate success
• "Keeping the Faith" and "Smokestack Lightning" both placed in the Top 10 of the most played songs on rock radio
• Artimus Pyle is credited as a drummer but does not appear; Kurt Custer recorded all drums

Records

• The album reached number 64 on the Billboard 200 in the United States
• Two singles reached the Top 10 of the most played rock radio songs
• Eleven tracks in total; the longest is "Mama (Afraid to Say Goodbye)" at 6:44
• "Keeping the Faith" runs 5:18 and "Smokestack Lightning" runs 4:28

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Artimus Pyle left the band at the end of recording, upset that other members were using cocaine and drinking Champagne
• Ed King recommended Kurt Custer as Pyle's replacement after being impressed by his playing on Steve Earle's album Copperhead Road
• Pyle is credited on the album but does not appear; Custer recorded every drum part
• Pyle left the group on 2 August 1991, after tension over his non-involvement in the making of the album
• "Mama (Afraid to Say Goodbye)" is the longest track on the album at 6:44

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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