"We just had it in the beginning because we're Southern and that was our image back in the. "Through the years, people like theKKKand skinheads kinda kidnapped the Dixie or Southern flag from its tradition and the heritage of the soldiers, that's what it was about," Rossington told CNN earlier this month. I agree, the confederate flag is a symbol of the rich history of the south, which includes seceding from the US and then fighting a war over the right to own human beings. "Sweet Home Alabama": Conservative or Liberal? The current members sat down with Fredricka of CNN for a "Face to Face" interview (watch below) and spoke about the band's evolution and the decision to stop using the Confederate flag that is so highlyoffensive to many people. "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" was a song against racism. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. "Through the years, people like the KKK and skinheads kinda kidnapped the Dixie or Southern flag from its tradition and the heritage of the soldiers, he explained during a 2012 CNN appearance. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the same day that the time had come to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from Lee Circle in New Orleans. While the Confederacy used three different flags, the flag most commonly called the Confederate flag was its battle flag. Lynyrd Skynyrd themselves have received quite a bit of backlash regarding their use of its imagery, so it was certainly to be expected. Unlike the Allman Brothers Band, who were friends of Carter, or Charlie Daniels, whose The Souths Gonna Do It (Again) was adopted as Carters campaign song in 1976, Skynyrd wasnt especially tight with the President; the closest their paths crossed is when they had to bail on a fundraising concert also featuring Daniels, the Marshall Tucker Band, the Outlaws and .38 Special in 76. Maybe the record label instigated its use in 1974 but Skynyrd made the Stars and Bars an integral part of their visual iconography, letting it appear on T-shirts, caps, belt buckles and ceramic mugs until 2012, when the band decided that it was time to retire it from their stage. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. In a 2015 op-ed for the New York Times Magazine, Drive-By Truckers bassist Patterson Hood declared it was high time that a symbol so divisive be removed. Why would a people steeped in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible want to rally around a flag that so many associate with hatred and violence? Several bands have used the flag in their merchandise, including heavy metal act Pantera whose guitarist Dimebag Darrell was also known to play a guitar with the Confederate flag painted on its body. America has been deeply conflicted about the Confederate battle flag for generations. During the closing "Freebird," Johnny van Zant (Ronnie's brother, and the current lead singer) draped an American flag across the microphone stand. Some fans were quite vocal in their opposition to this change on various message boards, with some stating that the flag is a symbol of Southern pride. 4.0 (34) $1499. Lynyrd Skynyrd Vintage Logo T-shirt $19.99 Lynyrd Skynyrd Support Southern Rock Slim Fit T-shirt $21.99 Lynyrd Skynyrd Devil In The Bottle Plastic Key Chain $7.99 Lynyrd Skynyrd Biker Logo Plastic Key Chain $14.99 Lynyrd Skynyrd Logo Plastic Key Chain $10.99 Lynyrd Skynyrd Logo Plastic Key Chain $14.99 Lynyrd Skynyrd Logo Pewter Pin Badge $7.99 Then it got hijacked by racists somewhere along the way and turned into something really nasty. Before Martin changed careers to work in public relations, his research focused on the post-Reconstruction South particularly the era when " the Disneyfied Old South image became firmly entrenched in popular culture." It came up that two of the band members are "Democrats" and were kind of upset about the possible gig and it caused a little stir in the band, but they aren't breaking up or anything. Swastikas may be banned in Berlin, but Confederate flags still fly. Lynyrd Skynyrd Finally Decides to Stop Using Confederate Flag Onstage, September 25 is National Voter Registration Day, Spread the truth about Russias war: Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses Glastonbury, American Stars n Bars: Lynyrd Skynyrd and the lure of the Confederate flag | earofnewt.com, Trump Wants George Jetson Cartoon World Freedom Cities, East Palestine Residents Want Evacuation, Norfolk Southern Sends Thought And Prayers, Time To Go To War Against Fox News And Shut Them Down, Loose Cannon Overturns Her Order After 11th Circuit Smacks Her Down, Conspiracy theorists think Election Day blood moon is a great sign for GOP, Florida Blogging Bill Shows How Crazy They Are. In a poll featured on our original story, 51% of readers stated that they did not agree with this decision. In September 2012, the band briefly did not display the Confederate flag . Except, thats not exactly true. From Lynyrd Skynyrd buttons to patches, to Lynyrd Skynyrd magnets, stickers and posters, your friendly neighborhood record store has all the Lynyrd Skynyrd merchandise you could ever hope to find. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google. Jello Biafra on Nazi Punks and hate speech, Universal Music wants Romney Girl pulled from YouTube, Wisconsin shooting brings secretive white-power music scene into focus, PHOTOS: Iconic rock guitars and their owners PHOTOS: The Rolling Stones at 50 John Cage, radical composer for the 20th century. Answer (1 of 10): Ninety nine percent of people in the South who display the Confederate flag are not racist. The Only Confederate Flag That Mattered, Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate Shirts, Confederate Flag Shirts, Civil Rights Movement Shirt . I have ancestors who fought in that ill-begotten war, but its way, way past time to move on., Killer Mike on Confederate Flag: You Do Not Fly Flags of Losers Over the Winners Country, Cooley put matters into first-hand context: I live in the reddest district in one of the reddest states in the country (Alabama) And I dont feel like Im surrounded by brainwashed aholes at all. "Well they just turned their backs on their core group of fans, that will really help . On their farewell tour, Skynyrd eschews any overt display of the Confederate flag, choosing instead to perform in front of the U.S. flag and, during "Sweet Home Alabama," that state's. September 21, 2012, 11:25 AM. Other famous rock acts continued to use the Confederate flag in concert through the 80s and 90s such include Guns N Roses, Pantera, and Kid Rock. Browse our awesome collection of Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirts today! Lynyrd Skynyrd- 2009 Tour Shirt. It's even questionable what Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted it to mean; according to the 2006 Southern-rock history "Dixie Lullaby,"whose subtitle is "A Story of Race, Music and New Beginnings in a New South," the band's Confederate flag-waving rebel-outlaw brand was a creation of producer Al Kooper, who is from Brooklyn. Rossington has since posted a message at the band's website to clarify his and the band's position. Such after-the-fact justifications paint Lynyrd Skynyrd in the best possible light, suggesting that any ugliness was not the fault of the band: either they had good intentions or were just playing the industrys game. The flag had a much different connotation in the 70s and the band discussed it often. Also, Lynyrd Skynyrd was booked to play the Republican National Convention in Tampa, but Hurricane Isaac forced them to cancel. This group was not a Confederate flag-waving, redneck band. From that point forward, Southern rockers made it a point to carry a tradition forward instead of blazing new ground and nobody was prouder than Lynyrd Skynyrd. All Rights Reserved. His late bandmate, Gregg Allman, had a similar opinion. $27.99. Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 We will only ask you for information necessary to make the purchase process faster and easier. The reason reportersare scouring online forums, fanpage comments, and Twitter is because the last surviving original member of the hard-to-spell band which brought you Southern anthems "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama",Gary Rossington, has made a pledge to stop associating the band (himself) with the Confederate flag. ARTIMUS PYLE: LYNYRD SKYNYRD LEGEND CHATS ABOUT 'STREET SURVIVORS' MOVIE AND CONFEDERATE FLAG CONTROVERSY ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS WITH RAY SHASHO A R T I M U S. P Y L E. LEGENDARY DRUMMER & . | Nine parishioners were killed by 21-year-old Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who had posed for photos with a gun in one hand and a Confederate flag in the other. As civil rights protests and the removal of controversial statues dominate headlines, the often-argued topic of the Confederate flag has once again reared its head. SACRAMENTO (CBS13) Joe Tornello has displayed the confederate flag on his right arm for 40 years. Recently, Lynyrd Skynyrd told CNN that it has stopped associating itself with the Confederate flag because "it became such an issue about race." The flag had been hijacked by the KKK and other . David Lindley, Multi-Instrumentalist Who Shaped the Sound of Soft Rock, Dead at 78 We didnt want that to go to our fans or show the image like we agreed with any of the race stuff or any of the bad things. The decision has angered some of their fans, and have accused them of "selling out" or being "too politically correct". Having gone through this, I would prefer it if no one would ever bring a Confederate flag to our shows again because this isnt who we are., In years past, right-wing rocker Ted Nugent was known for wearing apparel adorned with the flag. Yes, the Confederate flag originally stood for "states' rights." Specifically, the right to own black people, and the right to carry that right into new states regardless of what the government of the new state wanted. They are displaying a flag that represented a nation that their ancestors fought and died for. It reads: I wanted to clarify the discussion of the Confederate Flag in our recent CNN interview. To some of the band's fans, it meant cutting ties to Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band Lynyrd Skynyrd, behind the hit Sweet Home Alabama , has used the Confederate flag as part of its stage display for years. Lynyrd Skynyrd began phasing use of the Confederate flag a few years ago. By understanding the origin of Lynyrd Skynyrd, an individual could feel how this Southern Rock band injected sorrow, joy, and sometimes confusion in their electric jams. Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd performs at Nashville Rising, a benefit concert for flood relief at Bridgestone Arena on June 22, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Southern Poverty Law Center keeps track of the hundreds of hate groups who use the flag as a symbol. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Inside the Bands Complicated History With the South, Don Toliver Hits With the Focus of a Guided Missile to Close Out SXSW 2022, Ukrainian Band Closes SXSW With Bold Protest, Bob Dylans Masters of War, Dolly Parton Welcomes SXSW to the Dollyverse But Steers Clear of Rock Hall Controversy, View all posts by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Glastonbury Co-Organizer Promises Female Headliners in 2024 After All-Male Top Billing This Year, There Were Sidemen. In 2004, during the thick of George W. Bushs presidential re-election campaign, The New York Times claimed the Republican Partys Southern Strategy amounted to Cranking up Skynyrd a concession that signified how thoroughly Lynyrd Skynyrd was associated with the South, but also signaled how far the band and the South had come since the 1970s. The song opens by describing a scenario in which Paisley feels like a Starbucks barista pegs him as a racist for wearing a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt featuring the Confederate flag. Currently on its farewell tour, the venerable Southern-rock group is much different than the one Ronnie Van Zant led in the Seventies. Rossington is hardly alone in this view. To. We also utilize the state flag of Alabama and the American flag as well, cause at the end of the day, we are all Americans. I wish I had given it more thought., Things came to head when Petty stopped mid-show after a fan threw a Confederate flag bandana on stage. Cool J's colossal faceplant of a song, "Accidental Racist,"with its epically upsetting lyrical false equivalencies (LL to Brad: "If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains") namechecks the band, when Paisley sings an apology to the rapper for wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt: "When I put on that T-shirt," he warbles, "the only thing I meant to say is I'm a Skynyrd fan.". Many were quick to point out why they took issue with Irwin . I love the part of the country Im from, and I will never apologize for that, explained their lead singer, Danny Shirley, his sentiment echoing what many other artists have stated in the past; namely, that they see the flag is separate from racism and instead a sign of Southern pride and rebellious attitude.
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