Watch Lynyrd Skynyrd play ‘Call Me the Breeze’ in 1976
Lynyrd Skynyrd was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were huge in England when they arrived in the mid-1970s. Although their style was unmistakably American, the group landed three albums in the top 50 of the British charts by the time they arrived at Knebworth House in August of 1976.
Knebworth was a legendary venue even back then, having established the Knebworth Festival in 1974. Two years before Skynyrd arrived, American rockers The Allman Brothers Band and The Doobie Brothers played to a massive crowd of 60,000 people at the first official festival. Everyone from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin to The Rolling Stones performed legendary shows at the venue, but British audiences were clearly dying to see American rock bands as well.
Lynyrd Skynyrd played to a gigantic crowd at their show, with estimations topping out at 120,000 fans taking in the band’s honky tonk southern-fried rock and roll. Having crafted their bar band sound and elevated it to stadiums, Skynyrd had a full lineup ready to bring maximum punch to audiences.
After a period of turnover, the 1976 lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd returned the band to their signature three-guitar attack. Original members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins were now joined by guitarist/singer Steve Gaines, with all three taking on lead parts throughout their shows. Singer Ronnie Van Zant led the band at the microphone, while bassist Leon Wilkeson added some essential harmony vocals. New drummer Artimus Pyle muscular strength to the band’s rhythms, while the trio of backing singers known as the Honkettes filled out the band’s live sound.
However, Skynyrd’s secret weapon was always pianist Billy Powell in the studio and on the stage. Originally a roadie, Powell surprised the band members one day backstage by busting out his classically trained keyboard chops. Powell added killer additions to classic songs like ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, but his skills were never better than they were on ‘Call Me The Breeze’. Even though he had classical chops, Powell was a barrelhouse rock and roller in his soul, busting out wild runs when the light shined on him for his solo.
One of the more remarkable aspects of Lynyrd Skynyrd was that, when you saw them perform live, the solos would be nearly note-for-note perfect to their records. The members of Skynyrd were diligent in composing and not just improvising their respective solos. That’s why the solos are instantly recognisable when you listen to the studio version of ‘Call Me The Breeze’ from 1974’s Second Helping and the live version at Knebworth.
Knebworth would be Skynyrd’s peak in terms of sheer popularity. Just a year after their triumphant performance, a tragic plane crash took the lives of Van Zant, Gaines, and backing singer Cassie Gaines. The rest of the band was severely injured, and even when they recovered, losing their bandmates proved too much to handle. Skynyrd has eased into a legacy of southern rock, but their biggest moment probably happened in England back in 1976.
Check out the band’s performance of ‘Call Me The Breeze’ down below.
