Tag: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Newt’s top 10 rock albums of 1974

By Steve Newton I reckon it’s time for me to head back five decades and reminisce about what was truly rockin’ in the Year of Our Lord, 1974. I’ve listed my top ten studio albums alphabetically by title, and included three choice tracks from each disc to help you remember how wicked they really were. … Continue reading Newt’s top 10 rock albums of 1974

Molly Hatchet’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

By Steve Newton Skynyrd had "Free Bird". The Outlaws had "Green Grass and High Tides". Blackfoot had "Highway Song". And Hatchet had "Fall of the Peacemakers". 20. "Long Time'" (Flirtin' with Disaster, 1979) 19. "What's It Gonna Take?'" (No Guts...No Glory, 1983) 18. "Jukin' City" (Flirtin' with Disaster, 1979) 17. "Dreams I'll Never See" (Molly … Continue reading Molly Hatchet’s 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

Hanging out with Paul Rodgers and Storman Norm Casler at the Skynyrd show was all right then

By Steve Newton I interviewed rock legend Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, the Firm) for the first time back in August of 1997, when he was heading to Vancouver for a show with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and headliners Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'm pretty sure that's where I got him to sign my vinyl copy of the first … Continue reading Hanging out with Paul Rodgers and Storman Norm Casler at the Skynyrd show was all right then

That time some chick called me “a Skynyrd-loving moron” so I hummed a few bars of “Free Bird”

By Steve Newton Back in June of 2000 the Vancouver newspaper I'm still working at (god willing), the Georgia Straight, introduced a new column called Payback Time, where ticked-off readers could write in and vociferously complain about the music critics' opinions, before the scribe under attack was allowed to defend himself with a potentially witty … Continue reading That time some chick called me “a Skynyrd-loving moron” so I hummed a few bars of “Free Bird”

That time I asked J.J. Cale which covers of his songs he liked best and Clapton’s didn’t even come up

By Steve Newton When you think about the J.J. Cale songs that other artists have covered and made famous, Eric Clapton's versions of "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" usually make the cut. (Lynyrd Skynyrd's take on "Call Me the Breeze" and Santana's rendition of "The Sensitive Kind" also come to mind.) But when I did my … Continue reading That time I asked J.J. Cale which covers of his songs he liked best and Clapton’s didn’t even come up

That time Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell told me that Lynyrd Skynyrd’s success gave him hope

  mudcrutch photo by red slater By Steve Newton When I interviewed Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell back in the summer of 1999 we got to talking about his early days playing with Petty in the Gainesville, Florida band Mudcrutch. At one point Campbell told me about how that band would sometimes … Continue reading That time Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell told me that Lynyrd Skynyrd’s success gave him hope

That time J.J. Cale told me that, like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd also helped his bank account

By Steve Newton Lynyrd Skynyrd's Second Helping was released the day after my 17th birthday, so the timing was right for it to become one of the major soundtracks to my rock-loving '70s existence. I didn't mind its smash-hit lead-off single, "Sweet Home Alabama", but I liked its rollicking closing track, "Call Me the Breeze", … Continue reading That time J.J. Cale told me that, like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd also helped his bank account

Album Review: The Radiators, Zigzagging Through Ghostland (1989)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 18, 1989 By Steve Newton It's a real shame that the Radiators had to cancel a scheduled show at 86 Street a while back, because the New Orleans-based band is a real cooker, as Zigzagging Through Ghostland attests. The Radiators' funky southern soul is reminiscent of Little Feat, … Continue reading Album Review: The Radiators, Zigzagging Through Ghostland (1989)

That time Gary Rossington told me that Lynyrd Skynyrd would still be together, if not for the crash

By Steve Newton Back in 1986 I interviewed southern-rock legend Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd fame. At the time he had his own band called Rossington, which featured his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington on vocals. That group wasn't nearly as great as Skynyrd--or the Rossington Collins Band, for that matter--but it was still a real hoot … Continue reading That time Gary Rossington told me that Lynyrd Skynyrd would still be together, if not for the crash

That time I asked Gary Rossington about first meeting Dale Krantz and he let her answer that one

By Steve Newton I've been a huge Lynyrd Skynyrd fan ever since I first heard Pronounced, so it was a real kick to get to interview Gary Rossington back in 1986. (As dedicated Skynyrd fans know, that was also the year a drunk Allen Collins crashed his new Ford Thunderbird, paralyzing himself from the waist … Continue reading That time I asked Gary Rossington about first meeting Dale Krantz and he let her answer that one