Arteconciencias: Gary Rossington 1951-2023: the guitar world pays tribute

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March 6, 2023

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Editor's Note

Remembering Gary Rossington

Yesterday, Lynyrd Skynyrd announced that their last surviving original member, guitarist Gary Rossington, had passed away at the age of 71.

Rossington was never as much of a household name as the songs he helped create – most famous among them Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama.

He was, however, the man behind the aching slide licks on Free Bird, which perfectly set up the catharsis of Allen Collins' unimpeachable outro solo on the song. He was also the man behind Sweet Home Alabama's riff, giving the song the groove that helped make it the anthem it became. Furthermore, he was the glue that helped hold Skynyrd together for decades after their 1987 reunion – 10 years after the devastating plane crash that brought the band's original run tragically to a halt.

For those reasons and more, Gary Rossington inspired countless guitarists, and leaves behind a significant legacy, one that many guitar heroes saluted in the wake of his death.

Jackson Maxwell – Associate Editor, guitarworld.com

Gary Rossington 1951-2023: the guitar world pays tribute

(Scott Dudelson/Getty Images/Stagecoach)

Joe Bonamassa, James Hetfield, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and more have paid tribute to the influential Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, who died Sunday at the age of 71

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David Lindley, a legendary multi-instrumentalist and slide guitar master, has died at 78

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(Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

In this classic interview, the late Southern rock icon discusses Ronnie Van Zant's habit of writing lyrics in the shower, how Sweet Home Alabama started as a joke, and why the band's record label begged them not to include Free Bird on their debut album

Marty Friedman on the challenge of relearning his solos for the recent Megadeth reunion, his guitar legacy, and pushing the studio limits with Jason Becker

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