Legends And Icons Lost

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This post will be focusing on the recent losses of Gary Rossington, Wayne Shorter, David Lindley, and Michael Rhodes. It’s been a rough few weeks lately. We’ve lost icons and legends in the music world at an alarming rate.

We all know that people get older and die. But when it’s our heroes and our influences, it often seems even harder. It makes us nostalgic, and sometimes even more aware of our own mortality.

I’ll start this post with the one that is most relevant to this website and the world of Southern and Classic Rock.

Gary Rossington – 1951 to 2023

Gary Rossington was the final remaining original member of the iconic Southern Rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Rossington met and teamed up with other Skynyrd originals. Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Bob Burns in the mid-sixties.

As a member of the first three guitar arsenal, Rossington was very influential on a lot of guitarists, and other musicians, in rock and roll. The creator of many timeless guitar riffs and  melodies, he also co-wrote some of the most classic songs in the history of rock.

Click to watch this video on Youtube.

Most of Skynyrd’s videos on Youtube are locked down and can’t be shared. So take some time and go to YT and reminisce on some old Skynyrd videos.

I wanted to share something like Simple Man, one of his signature guitar licks in the intro. Or That Smell, which Ronnie wrote about the growing drug and alcohol use in the band. The song is mostly about Rossington being wasted and crashing his car into an oak tree. This is where his nickname, “Prince Charming” came from.

And of course there’s the unforgettable slide guitar parts he always did on Freebird that defined one of the most enduring songs in rock and roll history.

As of this writing there has not been a cause of death given, but he had a history of heart and health problems. There’s also been no word yet if the band will continue. They have a tour scheduled with ZZ Top coming up.

Read More…

Wayne Shorter – 1933 to 2023

For anyone that is a fan of jazz music, like myself, there aren’t many names bigger than Wayne Shorter. He was an innovator for decades, and through several different eras of jazz.

Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950’s with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Then it was on to a period of playing with the great Miles Davis.

One of Shorter’s most prominent periods was as a co-founding member of Weather Report. This band blazed new trails in the the era of jazz fusion.

One of their most memorable tunes was Birdland, written by keyboardist, Joe Zawinul.

Shorter received 12 Grammy Awards, as well as many other prestigious recognitions throughout his career. Along with the many bands and projects that he had been a part of, he was recorded 20 albums as a band leader.

David Lindley – 1944 to 2023

Probably the most eclectic and esoteric artist on this unfortunate list is David Lindley. He was certainly not a household name, but I’m pretty sure you have heard his playing more than once.

The most likely place you will have hears his playing is on Jackson Browne’s huge hit from 1977’s, Running On Empty. The signature lap slide guitar part on that song is played by Lindley.

There are not many things in music that can be defined as “definitive” more than this. Watch a video of it here.

Lindley was a true multi-instrumentalist. He preffered to played oddball and wierd guitars, but he also played many different lap slide style guitars, as well as violin, bass, banjo, mandolin, and various traditional instruments from a wide cross section cultures.

Another example of his quirkiness was that he always wore very bold print and “loud” shirts, along with non-matching print pants that always clashed. It was a personal fashion style that earned him the nickname “Prince of Polyester.”

For many years Lindley had his own band, El Rayo-X. I owned most of these albums years ago, yes, actual vinyl albums, and I wore them out.

It was an interesting mix of raggae, rock, and many other world music influences. Lindley’s wide variety of musical interests really made this bands music unique.

I featured a more recent live version of Quarter Of A Man here, becasue it is one of my favorite El Ray-X songs. And it’s great to see such a good live performance of it.

There’s a lot of other David Lindley videos on Youtube, including a good one from Germany in 1981 that features She Took Off My Romeos and Mercury Blues. This one also has an interesting interview of the band as well.

There is also this excellent, full-show video recorded for Rockpalast in 1982. Well worth you time to just put this on and enjoy the whole thing.

Michael Rhodes – 1953 to 2023

Likely the least well-known name on the list of recently departed in bass player Michael Rhodes. Rhodes was a Nashville studio musician and played on albums for a literal who’s who of major artists.

Including Dolly Parton, Hank, Jr, Reba McEntire, Steve Winwood, Kenny Chesney, and just about anyone else you can think of. Rhodes had been a major picker in the Nashville scene for many years.

Probably his most high-profile gig was as the touring bass player for Joe Bonomassa. You can look up his live videos for a lot of great examples of Michael’s playing.

As a feature, I usually try to go for the more obscure but really cool stuff that you’re really glad you ran across or got exposed to. So here’s this…

Around ten to twelve years ago, one of the many bands that Michael Rhodes was a part of was World Famous Headliners. The reason I included this is because it was a bunch of Nashville cats, headed up by the incomparable Big Al Anderson, former guitarist, singer, and songwriter for NRBQ.

While you’re at it, take the time to check out this WFH video of Party Till The Money’s Gone. You won’t be sorry.

These, along with the devastating loss of Jeff beck in January, and the passing of Dean Daughtry, co-founder and keyboardist for the Altlanta Rhythm Section, 2023 has gotten off to a very painful start.

I am purposefully not promoting any merch, CD’s, videos, or downloads in this post because this is meant to be a tribute and remembrance of all of these great musicians.

Their legacies are monumental, and their influences with remain with us all for the rest of our lives.