Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynyrd Volunteer Jam 1987

[kelvisparsley64]

If you can find a copy of it, the Jan '88 issue of Guitar Player magazine had a cover story of the Tribute Tour band and went into great detail about guitars and amps. Might be posted on the internet somewhere.

[ThePhallystorm]

Yes, I realize that this was CDBs Volunteer Jam , and that Most of Skynryds Guitarist relied on Marshalls, and Peavey Mace amps, but the tone is really in your face, more so then the Marshalls! Case in point. go see how Gary plays the intro slide lead on Sweet Home with style like NO ones Business(Not even ED): Only to be Climaxed by Allen on a Strat no less. Go see the Old Grey Whistle Test video on this page.Ithink Eds finest work is on Pronounce, 2nd Helping, and Nuthin Fancy. ED RULES

[ThePhallystorm]

1:00 Mesa Boogie MK I on Johnnies left side, OH YEAH, The TONE, the TONE!! As good as Ed is , and that he wrote the solos, He Should have had Gary play the 2nd solo .

[Tickbryan]

@ThePhallystorm those aren't Skynyrds Boogies. They are Charlie Daniels. With so many bands playing the Vol jam they would leave amps on the stage through out the show.  Also Gary can't play Ed's solo's like Ed so why try?

[ThePhallystorm]

1:00 Mesa Boogie MK I on Johnnies left side, OH YEAH, The TONE, the TONE!!

[fullerd95]

I love Gary rossington he was best guitar

[TonyBeazley]

Ed rules!!!! 

[inyofacepriklips]

ed king is kickin ass.

ed king,steve gains,allen collins were all better than rossington, not to hate on rossington...it's just that I hear so many people jock rossington like he was the best.

[cityslick007]

no one can play sweet home alabama like ed king...he is the original player on that tune and you can tell. this is almost studio quality by ed.

[resqfireman]

Love the Skynyrd band but are they cursed or what? There have been so many people that have played with this band that died very young. RVZ, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, Leon Wilkeson, Allen Collins, Ean Evans, Hughie Thomasson, Billy Powell....good Lord!

Ed King's guitar looks like a Charvel, but don't take that to the bank.

[IMDavid1990]

this is my favorite live version. if only ronnie was still in the band.

[abro777]

I missed the Jam but saw them at Starwood Oct 23,1987 ,sitting in the grass on a lovely fall evening ,it was the best concert I have seen to date! (ticket was 14.50--hows that for a bargin). Theres just somthing about seeing a concert in Nashville....

[rtider1192]

wish ed king would rejoin the band. he is one of the most overlooked musicians along with gary rossington and allen collins.

[bowslap]

@rtider1192 Well.......sticky subject. According to Ed King, he was "forced" out of the band when he had to take time off due to a heart condition that's plagued him for many years......I'm not gonna call that man a liar, as he seems to shoot a straight stick about facts. LS's sound just isn't "there" without Ed's signature licks and leads...much as it's lacking without Allen Collins or Ronnie at the helm.

[chrism01us]

ED KING!!!

[gr8gtrguy]

Ed King - What a great job! Unreal player - taste to the max! (Is that a Valley Arts or just a custom built guitar? Its not a Tom Anderson and it CANT be a Fender!

[bowslap]

@gr8gtrguy Pensa Suhr...one of the very first P.S.'s made(he had this and a natural-finish example made for the tour, and sold the natural finsih to Ronnie's widow Judy..he still has the guitar he's using in this performance). Weird seeing Ed with what amounts to a dolled-up SuperStrat w/EMG's(albeit a damn nice supestrat), but he pulls it off nicely.

[txlastrebel]

alot better than the crap band out there now.

[mebloke69]

Dale Krantz,Carol Bristow,if i remember correct...but not original honkettes

[fireflyfriday]

Who are the girls--Jo Jo and Leslie?

[speedbuggy]

This was as close as you could get to the original group & was the best lineup since.

[budboy1988]

just out of curiosity who is playing piano and bass now?

[landonhuyyugttdft]

keyboard is peter keys and bass is robert kearns

[lui7654321]

R.I.P billy you Rock!

[mstruckerboy]

Ed King is the only one that can play that song!!!

[torrity]

I would agree with just one exception. "Hughie T."

[mstruckerboy]

Yep. I almost forgot him. Hughie rocks the Stratocaster also ;)

[munggirl]

brilliant live gig

never ever get sick of hearing this song

[jason6197]

Rest in Peace )= love this song !!

[SweetHomeAlabama1974]

RIP

Ronnie

Steve

Cassie

Leon

Billy

Allen

You guys rock our lives still today. Lynyrd Skynyrd is still amazing.

[lgop2nopz]

Awesome picking ed! =)

[mebloke69]

billy,leon,allen,stevie,ronnie rest in peace but your music lives on forever.

[stevejenkins1966]

Rest in Peace Billy! I was at this show in 87 as well as so many others through the years.

[Mr3nD]

Billy! R.I.P

[flyboymd82]

RIP Billy Powell!!

[pea8vey]

bye billy powell see ya in rock-n-roll-heaven

[roysteinar]

Love Ed's Pensa!

[IKBENEENDIKZAK]

AWESOME SOLOING

[whoooru]

i saw this tribute tour as well in 87, though in detroit in october..still cant believe that it is over 20 years ago! awesome concert!

[toonzboss]

Garys main is a Les Paul, he plays an SG on Freebird only.

[doctorbeethelawyer]

Theres few that can play the solos like ed can he get them note for note just like the first cut, Ed is bad to the bone!

[TonyBeazley]

@doctorbeethelawyer You sho got that right and he did it in one take also on some...

[AlabamaRick]

I was at this show, it was Labor Day weekend, '87. I recall that Skynyrd was probably half again louder than the other bands that day, but very clean. SRV earlier in the day was disappointing. He played Ok (I guess) but the sound was so muddy you really couldn't hear -jack-. Great White was also on the bill. Just before Ed King started the intro to this song Rossington said something about "Jerry's kids", so this may have been broadcast on the Jerry Lewis telethon.

[Tickbryan]

It's cool to hear from folks who were there. I live near Nashville but did'nt get to attend because my band was playing that night also. I recorded this from the rebroadcast on the local Public TV Station in Nashville. You seem to know what you're talking about when it comes to live sound. Thanks.

[Ozeenl]

The PICKING by Ed King o this is unbelievable... kickass and so clean!

[Tickbryan]

Allen played a Gibson Explorer most of the time.

[pingo775]

yeah thts what i thought.

[pingo775]

even still gary played the freebird on the sg. WITH A slide. I wish he used that guitarr more,cause its sweet and toneful.

[pingo775]

the "bird" on freebird was played by rossington on his sg...cmon everyone knows that.

[pingo775]

o whoops i thought u siad freebird not firebird. Sorry.

[roysteinar]

wich guitar does ed king play on here?

[Tickbryan]

Ed is the guy with the yellow and black striped shirt. He is the first one you see when the video starts. I don't know what kind of guitar he is playing. It looks to be some sort of custom made guitar.

[bowslap]

@Tickbryan Ed had 2 Pensa Suhrs on the tribute tour(It's what he's playing here).....he sold one of them to Ronnie's widow Judy, and kept the other and has it to this day.

[rockinredneck57]

@Tickbryan I found where he endorsed a custom guitar, but that's not it. Whew. Finally found an interview with him. The guitar is a custom made Strat, made by John Suhr for him. Hell, no wonder I had a hard time finding it!

[prompen3]

looks to me like its an Pensa Suhr or something like that!....

[bowslap]

@roysteinar That is a custom-built Pensa Suhr.....supposedly one of the first Pensa Suhrs ever made .Ed had this and a natural(blonde)-finish twin to this made in time for the '87 Tribute Tour. He sold the *blonde* P.S. to Ronnie's widow Judy later on, and he still has the very guitar that he's playing in this vid clip(so sez EK himself).

[High5150Roller]

one more question. did Gary Rossington ever do any solos? i saw that Allen Collins did the solo in Freebird once, but do the 3 lead guitarrists ever switch roles? sorry about my questions but it'd be cool of u to answer them because i wanna know everything bout lynyrd skynyrd i freakin love the band

[Tickbryan]

Yes he does, on many songs. Check out "That Smell" video I uploaded. He plays lead on that one.

[guitarbob63]

@Tickbryan Also how about a little tune called The Breeze

[guitarbob63]

@Tickbryan Also Call Me The Breeze

[roysteinar]

well gary does one of the every mothers son solos, and i saw at youtube that he once did the alabama solo!

[High5150Roller]

was leon wilkerson originally in the band? is he the guy on guitar with the beard and yellow-ish shirt??? please tell me somebody

[Tickbryan]

yes leon was originally in the band. He is on the far right of the video playing the bass wearing the vest.

[High5150Roller]

then who is the guy in the yellow playing lead/rythm guitar? and also one other question: is atrimis pyle playing drums in this?

[Tickbryan]

I'm not sure when he joined but this group toured for at least one season or so. Ed and Randall later quit.

[High5150Roller]

hey dude i got another question. if u could please look at this picture in this link and tell me the names of each of the members that would be awesome. i know who ronnie is, i know who billy powell is, and i know who gary rossington is but i am clueless on the rest of the members. thanks

[BigBoiJC]

Rickey joined the band right after this, didn't he?

[birddoggarton]

I wuz There!!!!

[BfromPA]

Ed King was a very good and very underated player.

[PureSouthernSounds]

thanks

[Tickbryan]

For those interested in learning the guitar solo the RIGHT WAY, watch Ed King show you how it's done.