That comment “turn it up” was part of a sound check and wasn’t really supposed to be heard but when they played it back they liked the way it sounded so they left it in and it kinda became part of the song.
The Govenor was George Wallace who was pro-segregation. Almost got assasinated in 72. The Swampers were a band comprised of session musicians from Muscle Shoals recording studio, which is a studio famous for soul music recordings and the Muscle Shoals "sound". Some of the former session musicians were Duane Allman and Donna Jean Godchaux(Grateful Dead). A lot of Rock musicians recorded there as well (Rolling Stone) trying get the distinctive sound of the studio and the music they had admired over the years.
Thank you (and the other people) in the comments, for giving us some history and perspective. It is not always very well known over here, across the pond.
No Ben.. dunno how old you are but when I was in high school George ran for governor of Alabama in 74 and won in a wheel chair from a shooting in 72" that left him paralized ...and ran for president in 76 and lost. Then ran and won again in 82 for governor. I am thinking.
The lines about Birmingham and Watergate can best be described like this: Birmingham's governor is the South's personal scandal, and Watergate is the North's. Ronnie Van Zant is basically saying in a tongue-and-cheek way, 'yeah we have issues here at home, but so do you. Are you really going to hold ours against us? Watergate doesn't bother us, does it bother you?' It's not showing support for the governor or Watergate, just pointing out that you shouldn't put the whole South or North down for either of them.
Neil Young later on admitted that he deserved the hit from LS, that he is honoured to be mentioned in this great song and that he wish he'd taken a different lyrical approach without so much ambiguity in the interpretation. I personally love southern man as a song and believe that his heart was in the right place when he wrote it.
Muscle Shoals is a famous recording studio in Northern Alabama where Aretha Franklin, Wilson Picket, The Rolling Stones (brown sugar recorded there), and The Allman Brothers' Duane Allman got his start there recording a cover of Hey Jude, with I believe Otis Redding. Musicians claim, like Sound City in 70s Los Angeles, it had a magical, special feel, and sound. In the Vane of sound city, Chess Records, and Sun Records. Most great music in the US for decades derived from a group of cities (Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans) and their rural areas. The blues started in the south, moved up the Mississippi river to Chicago, got on chess records in the late 40s-1950 and rock and roll was inspired by those greats (Muddy Waters, BB King, Ray Charles) in Memphis in the 50s, then the Brits got their hands on some Muddy, Lightnin Hopkins, the 3 Kings, (bb, albert, and freddie) Buddy Guy, and Elvis, and BAM, you get the Beatles, Animals, and the Stones. You are already catching up on the rest. Apparently, the thing with Neil Young was all tongue in cheek, and they shared no ill will to each other. Just a song mentioning another, teasing.
What a great band they were at this time. They had 3 lead guitarists and good ones, too. Yet, they have a secret weapon in Billy Powell. He's an absolute genius on piano and sprinkles his keyboards on so many of their top tunes like this one. Please check out "Call Me The Breeze" their rollocking version of the JJ Cale song. It is the perfect marriage of guitars and piano.
5:55 Muscle Shoals and the Swampers is a reference to an Infamous group of session musicians from Muscle Shoals Alabama and associated with the famed Muscle Shoals recording studio, at which Lynyrd Skynyrd also did a number of recordings. The Swampers were phenomenal and worked with tons and tons of black artists and later just all these really impressive people. They literally worked on hundreds and hundreds of songs. So he's saying that he can't wait to get back to that area and then you always have those guys turning out this great music, they pick him up when he's feeling down.
American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969.They attracted noted artists from across the United States and Great Britain. Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Duane Allman, George Michael, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Tamiko Jones, Cher and Cat Stevens.
Billy Powell on the piano was just so consistently amazing. I'm an advanced piano player and I know. He is so inspirational to me in fact, along with Scott Joplin and Pinetop Perkins and Otis Spann and a whole bunch of those guys.
To really hear Billy Powell rip up that keyboard, check out They Call Me The Breeze live. Here's the Knebworth '76 performance of it. ruclips.net/video/EsIqEq9OFxE/видео.html
The really cool thing is that he was a roadie for the band and substituted in the studio when they couldn't get a piano player for the session then history was made.
@@jonathanwright9613 I didn't actually know that about him but it totally makes sense. And I would draw a strong parallel to years later with the acquisition of Steven Gaines by virtue of the fact that he already had his own band, but he would work as a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and of course his sister Cassie Gaines was in the Honkettes, the trio of women backing vocalists, who I always thought totally kicked ass. Sadly, both of them were among the deaths associated with the plane crash. Another huge light-speed jump forward, just like with Billy Powell.
@@suecook1326 Oh yeah, and I would also say on I Know A Little, Honky Tonk Night Time Man, Ain't No Good Life, and others. And of course he's critical to Freebird and Tuesday's Gone and really so many.
This is a much misunderstood song, and I didn’t realize this until I actually looked at the lyrics and read a little bit about it, the governor was Wallace, who was pro segregation, and I always thought the lyric was in Birmingham. They love the governor oh oh oh but the lyric is actually in Birmingham. They love the governor boo boo boo. Now we all did what we could do is a very cryptic reference to trying to vote the governor out. I like a lot of people thought this was a very conservative song. It was actually a song meant to say to Neil Young not all Southerners are racist.
Muscle Shoals is a small town along the Tennessee River and has a lot of marshes (aka swamps) thus the name "swampers" were a band from that area. In 1974 the Governor of Alabama was George Wallace and Nixon defeated him in the Presidential race thus the reference to Watergate.
The Honkettes , the female backing singers of the Southern Rock and Roll band Lynyrd Skynyrd. These members were Cassie Gaines JoJo Billingsley, and Leslie Hawkins.
Muscle Shoals is a small city in northern Alabama known for it's music studios. The Muscles Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios were home to a group of session musician known as "The Swampers". They were one of the legendary homes of southern soul. Lots of great records were made the in the 60s.
Very fitting video to make for today, which would’ve been Lynyrd Skynyrd’s founder, lead singer, and songwriter (Ronnie Van Zant)’s 75th birthday. Great choice!
Actually this song is just as much if not more a response to another song by Neil Young from the Harvest album, "Alabama," in which Young specifically calls out Alabama!
The documentary video 'Muscle Shoals' is a great watch.....part of the history of American music evolution from the late 50s into the 70s, and later....
Muscle Shoals is the location of a famous recording studio in Southern Alabama and the studio musicians there were nicknamed, "The Swampers." The produced a ton of records in the 70s for people like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, and a bunch of others.
Free Bird was originally recorded at Muscle Shoals. A record exec felt it was too long to be a hit so it was shelved. It was only later that it was recorded again as Skynyrd became popular and long play single became more prevalent on top 40 stations.
Southern Man is about Lillie Belle Allen and her father who was a preacher in 1969. You can Google her name and the song Southern Man will make more sense. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote this in response to Young's song Alabama. The incident in 1969 occurred in York Pennsylvania where Lillie's parents lived and Lillie lived in South Carolina. Nowhere near Alabama.
Muscle Shoals is a recording studio in Alabama the " Swampers " are the studio musicians who havr played on some of the most iconic tracts in history. There's a video documentary free on RUclips about it hands down best music documentary I've ever seen made me cry ,laugh, sing and shout its called Muscle Shoals ✌️❤️
Ed King playing the opening riff was from Strawberry Alarm Clock ( Incense and Peppermint), a Southern California psychedelic band. He was the third guitarist..
Thank you for showing the lyrics. I was twelve when this came out so I’ve known it most of my life. I’m a bit embarrassed to realize how creative I was in my interpretation of the words. When you’re a kid you don’t always have the vocabulary and knowledge to understand a song so you do the best you can. (I’d never heard of Muscle Shoals or the Swampers.) Back then, unless you bought the album you were stuck with listening to songs on the radio. You had no way of pausing and rewinding or looking up the lyrics, or even knowing when it would be played by the DJ. That’s one reason I enjoy these reaction videos. I have learned a lot about music I’ve known most of my life, both from seeing the correct lyrics and from reading the comments. Tonight I learned that I misunderstood the words to Sweet Home Alabama more than most songs. And that’s after learning some years ago that in Birmingham they love the governor, not the gumbo! Thanks for reacting to this fun classic.
Skynyrd was so much fun. I was lucky enough to see them on their last tour in Oakland. I think you would like the songs: I Know a Little, Call Me the Breeze and Swamp Music. Cheers!
The Swampers were the back up session players at the Muscle Shoals recording studio that had a lot of hits recorded there like Aretha Franklin to Wilson Pickett, Duane Allman, even the Rolling Stones recorded Angie, Honky Tonk Woman and Brown Sugar was written there.
2:50 The harmonies that you pointed out are from The Honkettes, which wasn't a side project or anything it was just what the three women backup singers went by and they liked it. Of course others in the band can sing as well and sometimes they do, but that backing group was key to their sound for so long. And sadly, Cassie Gaines was one of them and her brother Steve had just joined Lynyrd Skynyrd not a whole lot before the plane crash. In fact Steve was already known as a great musician and had his own band but he was just a killer addition. Check out the short and very beloved Boogie song, I know a little. Anyway, both brother and sister died in the plane crash.
Actually they were just session backing singers on this song. Merry Clayton, famous for her amazing voice crack on Gimme Shelter, was one of them. They never put the Honkettes together til the 76 Gimme Back My Bullets tour
Muscle Shoals Alabama refers to the home of record ing studios a very small town outside Sheffield AL. The first by a band called the Swampers. Later Fame recording studios: Aretha Franklin, , Duane Allman Otis Reading, the Rolling Stones also at one point. People refer to the Muscle Shoals sound
One thing I always liked was that Ed King was the guitarist for the strawberry alarm clock ( insence and peppermints). San Fran psychedelic to southern rock!
The swampers was the local house band at the legendary muscle Sholes recording studio that help create a sound for so many bands and artists,their list of whose who is remarkable.
This piano player loves that you always mention the keys 👌 Maybe it's because of your background in hip hop, where pianos and synths are more prominent. Because rock is a guitar genre at heart - in its 'classic' form anyway - the keyboards often get slept on. Which is a real shame.
Neil Young's "Southern Man" is his best, in my opinion. It powerfully rips wide open the scar of the legacy of racism and racial abuse for which the South had sadly been known. Lynyrd Skynyrd took offense to Young's portrayal, not because they denied it entirely, but because they felt it portrayed all Southern men in this ugly light. For instance, the reference to residents of Birmingham, Alabama, loving the state's Governor Wallace, a notorious racist and pro racial segregationist, is followed by the band's boos of disapproval. To underscore what they see as hypocrisy, they reference Watergate, an election scandal involving Richard Nixon, then President of the US-- all 50 states (in contrast to George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, only one of 50 states). They immediately call Neil Youg on what they see as his hypocrisy with the line, "Does your conscience bother you?" To add insult to injury, they know Neil Young isn't even an American. He's Canadian.
As a man who grew up on Alabama this is truly a anthem that everyone here knows from a early age . I have been to Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts 4 times in my life and each one was spectacular, they went the extra mile and gave you everything they had ,never were they a lazy band ,they always connected with their audience.
I learned a few things from the comments, but I always thought they mentioned Neil Young in this song because of the song called Alabama by Neil Young. The song says, “Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders That's breaking your back Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch And a wheel on the track” It ends with, “I come to you and see all this ruin What are you doing Alabama? You got the rest of the union to help you along What's going wrong?” In Sweet Home Alabama they sing, “Well I heard Mr Young sing about her, well I heard old Neil put her down”. I didn’t realize it was about Southern Man
Simple Man, Call Me The Breeze, Ballad of Curtis Lowe, Saturday Night Special, the list just goes on and on with Skynyrd songs that are absolute gems. From slower bluesy tracks to honky tonk to just rock classics. I think the Watergate line is slightly misunderstood as well. My take on it was always Ronnie just saying in his own tongue in cheek way that he didn't really give a shit about politicians in Washington because they are all corrupt anyway. That's why it didn't bother him.
The church choir in the background as you called them were 3 backup female singers affectionately known as The Honkettes! Honkette Cassie Gaines was guitarist Steve Gaines' sister and they both passed away in the plane crash. The Honkettes weren't at the Oakland Coliseum performance in July '77 but were at the Knebworth Festival in 1976, which is my favorite live performance of Free Bird. You can see the guitar army action so much better at Knebworth!
The Honkettes did play the Oakland show, because they're singing on Sweet Home (check out the clip of it), but they went offstage for Freebird (as opposed to them staying onstage during the Knebworth show).
Allen Collins most underrated guitar player in America!! Skynyrd was righteous, bitchin n outrageous band ever‼️✌️. They didn't cause Watergate, those who did don't have a conscious. Glad my teen years was the the 70s. The Honketts background vocals ‼️💯🥰
Gregg Allman used to say that rock was born in the South, so saying Southern rock was like saying rock rock. He also used to say that Southern rock doesn't have a single sound, it's more of an attitude than a style of music.
I have seen them live 2 times and they put on a fantastic show. sadly i never got to see the original band members all together as i was like 8 years old when the plane crash happened, but i can say, even the guys they have now are true to the sound and it is such a charged show.
My take has been that the line "in Birmingham they love the Governor (Boo, Boo, Boo), now we all did what we could do. Now Watergate does not bother me, does your conchense bother you" translates to they aren't racist (not for Wallace, the Governor, who was) and they weren't for Nixon (Behind Watergate) since they state that it doesn't bother them, does it bother you. Just my interpretation.
Greetings from Birmingham, Alabama, where we no longer love the governor. He’s referring to birminhamians loving Gov. Wallace who was in favor of segregation. Swampers we’re the famous studio band from muscle shoals the north western corner of the state, really close to Memphis. The Swampers played on so many albums it’s unbelievable. Look up their track listing. The “church choir,” is their female backup singers who were in their own right, awesome. The game between Neil and them was just that, a little game. They actually had a lot of respect for one another and Neil is seen wearing a Skynard tshirt in one of the crazy horse shows. At any rate, love what you’re doing. Things are lovely down here. Love and peace to you brother and keep up this wonderful journey.
The "Three Guitar Army" of Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, and Ed King played this together, with later on Steve Gaines replaced Ed. Billy Powell shows off his classical musical training on piano which is second to none. The bass player is Leon Wilkerson, also known as the "Mad Hatter" for his wearing different hats in concerts. While playing at Wembley Stadium he was a London Bobbie's helmet. When they played Wembley, they blew the Rolling Stones away.
After being gone for a month or so, I'm catching up on what I missed out and 'Sweet Home' is a fun one to start with. Others here will catch ya' up on the cultural and historical references. Good to be back!
I'm really late to the conversation here, but I'd like to add that Warren Zevon got involved in the Southern Man vs Sweet Home Alabama dust up with his own song using the same chord sequence and rhythm, Play It All Night Long. It takes the nastiest swipes at Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Southerners in general, so it hurts my feelings a little, but it is also funny AF.
Skynyrd was as disciplined, rehearsed and tight as any band ever. Their marathon rehearsals were legendary. They sound so good because they worked at it like a Marine Corps drill team. Their image is as a bunch of good ole boys out for a hell raising good time, which was true enough, but they were dedicated professionals thru and thru...
Muscle Shoals had a famous and successful recording studio. The Swampers were the session musicians for this studio. They produced a lot of rock and R&B hits
A lot of 60's and 70's music is upbeat, these were the times don't think it had anything to do with church. Our generation was full of peace, love, and Rock n roll
Check out Lovebites Swansong live with Chopin Intro. Guaranteed it will blow you away. As a hip hop fan, I would Almont bet you never have heard anything like them.
So as for reference you were asking about when it comes to the Swampers lyric: the Swampers were the original team of people running Muscle Shoals Sounds, a recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. And yes, they were also a band. Nobody in Skynyrd were from the State of Alabama (in fact, most of them hailed from the northern Florida), but they did record their first attempt of an album in Alabama with the Swampers at Muscle Shoals Sounds. Some of the tracks from the album were compiled into a record called, “Skynyrd’s First & Last,” the year after the plane crashed, but the complete Muscle Shoals album Skynyrd recorded got finally released in full in 1998. Can’t recommend, “Skynyrd’s First: the Complete Muscle Shoals Album,” enough! Lots of interesting early versions of what would later become Skynyrd classics are on that early attempted album, including Free Bird, I Ain’t the One, Simple Man, Trust, and Gimme Three Steps. But there are also other songs on that album they didn’t re-record for any of the albums they recorded since, like Lend a Helping Hand, Wino, the Seasons, You Run Around, Ain’t Too Proud to Pray, and Comin’ Home. Also, the album features Rickey Medlocke (pre-Blackfoot) on drums and some vocals for about half the record.
They are clearly critical of George Wallace (boo boo boo), but say a governor doesn't represent everything about a state just as Nixon doesn't represent every aspect of America. I think their message is not to condemn the South because of some rotten apples, some flawed figures and patches of history. All of the US has flaws
Hard to say they're "clearly critical" given the "and the governor's true" line toward the end. Lots of people have tried to spin the "boo hoo hoo" in the background as condemnation, but that feels like a post hoc justification to me - especially given the context of the song as a response to Neil Young. The song seems like a pretty uncritical love letter to Alabama, no disrespect to Skynyrd or the song itself, which is legendary.
Yes, you're right that it's not that straightforward, but they specifically say "we all did what we could do" and then mention Nixon and regular Americans don't feel guilty because of what one bad man did. I still think their message is that you can't condemn a whole state for one bad apple, like one can't condemn the whole country for Nixon, nor should people feel guilty for what an elected official does. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but that seems to be what the lyrics are suggesting. They seem to be acknowledging the problem of Wallace, but also point out the North has/had it's own problems. They are pointing out the hypocrisy of the anti-Southern stereo-types that still exists here in the US. Not every Southerner is a George Wallace nor is that what characterizes them.
@@LioraBee Oh, I definitely think you are correct about the general message of the song, and I like your interpretation of the Watergate line - I never quite knew what to make of that one.
@@BalbazaktheGreat I agree with you. My guess is if Ronnie lived he would be no different than Johnny and Donnie politically. Some try to make that division but I don't buy into it.
The guys at MUSCLE Shoals , took in the boys From, Florida. They came to Shefield Alabama without a penny. They were roaming the streets of the Shoals, picking up empty coke bottles and and turning them in for a whopping 2 cents. They were able to make enough money that way to buy a box of crackers crackers and a jar of peanut butter, to keep from Starving. One of the SWAMPERS, JIMMY JOHNY, had been giving the guys, Free time in the Studio after midnight. JIMMY ALSO TAUGHT THEM THE ENDS AND OUTS OF RECORDING FOR FREE. NO DOUBT, WITH OUT JIMMY, THERE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A LYNYRD SKYNYRD. The whole band had been living in a small room at ballews truck stop in Tuscumbia. They scavenged during during the day and and had fist fights with Truckers at night because of their long hair! Yess, can you imagine people these days working like that for nothing?
Excellent reaction! If you want some dazzling guitar licks give "I Know A Little" by LS a shot. Whether you make a vid and react or not, it's one not to be missed. Also, a very heartfelt tune paying homage to an old poor black dobro player is called "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe". You'll respect this band exponentially if you give that one a shot as well.
David Hood was the bassist for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, a.k.a., the Swampers. His son Patterson is the main songwriter for the band Drive-by Truckers. He wrote a concept album called Southern Rock Opera based in large part on Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Wallace, and "Sweet Home Alabama." Check out "Ronnie and Neil" and "The Three Great Alabama Icons," namely, Wallace, legendary University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, and Jacksonville, Florida's Ronnie Van Zant. Great stuff although I prefer the next couple albums when Jason Isbell joined the band.
I heard that Ronnie Van Zandt and Neil Young later became friends and Ronnie was wearing a Neil Young shirt on their last album cover before he died. About the Watergate comment, it doesn't seem to belon in the song so I wonder if Neil Young had perhaps mentioned something about Watergate that triggered that line? Looking back now, what happened at Watergate was peanuts compared to what happens now. The guitar riffs and piano really make this song for me.
Does your conscience bother you...? Apparently not in Alabama...! Big wheels (of history) keep on turning... Carrying me home to see my kin... (return of the same) again and again and again. From Wiki: Further complicating the racial politics of the song is the fact that Merry Clayton (Gimme Shelter) and Clydie King, two well-known black studio singers, are heard on the track as backing vocalists. In a 2013 interview, Clayton spoke at length about her decision to take the job. In her recollection, her initial response was negative: "[Clydie King] said the song was 'Sweet Home Alabama.' There was a silence on the phone for quite a while. I said, 'Clydie, are you serious? I'm not singing nothing about nobody's sweet home Alabama. Period.'" Nonetheless, Clayton was persuaded to take the job, to "let the music be [her] protest.
You got it all wrong. “Alabama” is the song & the LP is “Harvest”. Insulting song, but Neil don’t care & A Southern Man Don’t Need Neil around, anyhow.
At about 7min10sec you hear Ronnie react on something a bit disturbing . Ronnie took donuts with him for eating when having a break. He just finished the last words singing and he sees somebody eating his donuts. That's when you hear him saying : "mwooaaah my donuts g...da...mn" Love that funny part , most people don't have a clue what he's saying , haha
"The Swampers" was the name adapted by a group of very gifted studio artist who wrote some of the best music of the day for other artist like Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Rod Stewart amoung them. They were not a formal touring band, but there music was solid and you have probably heard some of their work. Just didn't know it.
George Wallace was the Alabama governor, a racist white guy. Nixon was the USA president who had to resign because of the Watergate scandal. We are reliving that era right now in the US.
Yes, and more to come on the true history of what happened. Actually, it is out there now and guess what? It is all gonna come full circle to day. Parallel Coup d'état that happened and we are currently living though. Hopefully this will have a different result.
That comment “turn it up” was part of a sound check and wasn’t really supposed to be heard but when they played it back they liked the way it sounded so they left it in and it kinda became part of the song.
The Swampers were the session band at Muscle Shoals studios. Skynyrd's cover of J.J. Cale's "Call Me The Breeze" is a honky-tonk extravaganza.
J.J. Cale is hands down one of the most overlooked artists of that generation and worthy of a deep dive into his catalog!
Call Me The Breeze is my favorite LS song.
The Govenor was George Wallace who was pro-segregation. Almost got assasinated in 72. The Swampers were a band comprised of session musicians from Muscle Shoals recording studio, which is a studio famous for soul music recordings and the Muscle Shoals "sound". Some of the former session musicians were Duane Allman and Donna Jean Godchaux(Grateful Dead). A lot of Rock musicians recorded there as well (Rolling Stone) trying get the distinctive sound of the studio and the music they had admired over the years.
Wallace was not killed, it was an attempted killing. He lived into the 1990's
Thank you (and the other people) in the comments, for giving us some history and perspective. It is not always very well known over here, across the pond.
No Ben.. dunno how old you are but when I was in high school George ran for governor of Alabama in 74 and won in a wheel chair from a shooting in 72" that left him paralized ...and ran for president in 76 and lost. Then ran and won again in 82 for governor. I am thinking.
I'm not sure but Aretha Franklin recorded songs there too?
@@rickeylucero3955 George had already been governor, but had to lay out a term because of laws about 3 consecutive terms.
The lines about Birmingham and Watergate can best be described like this: Birmingham's governor is the South's personal scandal, and Watergate is the North's. Ronnie Van Zant is basically saying in a tongue-and-cheek way, 'yeah we have issues here at home, but so do you. Are you really going to hold ours against us? Watergate doesn't bother us, does it bother you?' It's not showing support for the governor or Watergate, just pointing out that you shouldn't put the whole South or North down for either of them.
Neil Young later on admitted that he deserved the hit from LS, that he is honoured to be mentioned in this great song and that he wish he'd taken a different lyrical approach without so much ambiguity in the interpretation. I personally love southern man as a song and believe that his heart was in the right place when he wrote it.
And some of the members of LS said they were fans of Neil Young
General message of Southern Man is spot on
Muscle Shoals is a famous recording studio in Northern Alabama where Aretha Franklin, Wilson Picket, The Rolling Stones (brown sugar recorded there), and The Allman Brothers' Duane Allman got his start there recording a cover of Hey Jude, with I believe Otis Redding. Musicians claim, like Sound City in 70s Los Angeles, it had a magical, special feel, and sound. In the Vane of sound city, Chess Records, and Sun Records. Most great music in the US for decades derived from a group of cities (Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans) and their rural areas. The blues started in the south, moved up the Mississippi river to Chicago, got on chess records in the late 40s-1950 and rock and roll was inspired by those greats (Muddy Waters, BB King, Ray Charles) in Memphis in the 50s, then the Brits got their hands on some Muddy, Lightnin Hopkins, the 3 Kings, (bb, albert, and freddie) Buddy Guy, and Elvis, and BAM, you get the Beatles, Animals, and the Stones. You are already catching up on the rest. Apparently, the thing with Neil Young was all tongue in cheek, and they shared no ill will to each other. Just a song mentioning another, teasing.
What a great band they were at this time. They had 3 lead guitarists and good ones, too. Yet, they have a secret weapon in Billy Powell. He's an absolute genius on piano and sprinkles his keyboards on so many of their top tunes like this one. Please check out "Call Me The Breeze" their rollocking version of the JJ Cale song. It is the perfect marriage of guitars and piano.
A rock band with lots of, home loving soul. Music of hard working people.
5:55 Muscle Shoals and the Swampers is a reference to an Infamous group of session musicians from Muscle Shoals Alabama and associated with the famed Muscle Shoals recording studio, at which Lynyrd Skynyrd also did a number of recordings. The Swampers were phenomenal and worked with tons and tons of black artists and later just all these really impressive people. They literally worked on hundreds and hundreds of songs.
So he's saying that he can't wait to get back to that area and then you always have those guys turning out this great music, they pick him up when he's feeling down.
Wasn't Duane Allman a Swamper?
@@michellezaleske-estrada40 I think so!
@@michellezaleske-estrada40 Allman worked there between bands as a session guy...so I guess he was one of them for a while.
Famous maybe, but "noted" or well known in the industry, not "Infamous", which does not mean what you seem to think.
American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969.They attracted noted artists from across the United States and Great Britain. Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Duane Allman, George Michael, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Tamiko Jones, Cher and Cat Stevens.
They weren't for the Watergate scandal at all. I think he was just trying to say that they had bigger fish to fry there in Alabama.
I would add: they’re saying we (the South) had nothing to do with scandals like Watergate so worry about your own conscience.
Billy Powell on the piano was just so consistently amazing. I'm an advanced piano player and I know. He is so inspirational to me in fact, along with Scott Joplin and Pinetop Perkins and Otis Spann and a whole bunch of those guys.
To really hear Billy Powell rip up that keyboard, check out They Call Me The Breeze live. Here's the Knebworth '76 performance of it. ruclips.net/video/EsIqEq9OFxE/видео.html
The really cool thing is that he was a roadie for the band and substituted in the studio when they couldn't get a piano player for the session then history was made.
@@jonathanwright9613 I didn't actually know that about him but it totally makes sense. And I would draw a strong parallel to years later with the acquisition of Steven Gaines by virtue of the fact that he already had his own band, but he would work as a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and of course his sister Cassie Gaines was in the Honkettes, the trio of women backing vocalists, who I always thought totally kicked ass. Sadly, both of them were among the deaths associated with the plane crash.
Another huge light-speed jump forward, just like with Billy Powell.
@@suecook1326 Oh yeah, and I would also say on I Know A Little, Honky Tonk Night Time Man, Ain't No Good Life, and others. And of course he's critical to Freebird and Tuesday's Gone and really so many.
Now it's time to check out Southern Man, but listen to the live version by CSNY 1971 - which is a longer version with some great guitar work as well.
Neil and Skynyrd are good friends and Neil said he liked Sweet Home more than Southern Man.
This is a much misunderstood song, and I didn’t realize this until I actually looked at the lyrics and read a little bit about it, the governor was Wallace, who was pro segregation, and I always thought the lyric was in Birmingham. They love the governor oh oh oh but the lyric is actually in Birmingham. They love the governor boo boo boo. Now we all did what we could do is a very cryptic reference to trying to vote the governor out. I like a lot of people thought this was a very conservative song. It was actually a song meant to say to Neil Young not all Southerners are racist.
He also says "Now Watergate does not bother me".........
I'm gonna go ahead and recommend Tuesday's Gone next for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Well worth the listen!
"Southern Man" aswell as "Alabama" were the inspiration for this song.
Muscle Shoals is a small town along the Tennessee River and has a lot of marshes (aka swamps) thus the name "swampers" were a band from that area. In 1974 the Governor of Alabama was George Wallace and Nixon defeated him in the Presidential race thus the reference to Watergate.
The Honkettes , the female backing singers of the Southern Rock and Roll band Lynyrd Skynyrd. These members were Cassie Gaines JoJo Billingsley, and Leslie Hawkins.
Muscle Shoals is a small city in northern Alabama known for it's music studios. The Muscles Shoals Sound Studio and FAME Studios were home to a group of session musician known as "The Swampers". They were one of the legendary homes of southern soul. Lots of great records were made the in the 60s.
Very fitting video to make for today, which would’ve been Lynyrd Skynyrd’s founder, lead singer, and songwriter (Ronnie Van Zant)’s 75th birthday. Great choice!
Actually this song is just as much if not more a response to another song by Neil Young from the Harvest album, "Alabama," in which Young specifically calls out Alabama!
That’s what I always thought Sweet Home Alabama was about
The documentary video 'Muscle Shoals' is a great watch.....part of the history of American music evolution from the late 50s into the 70s, and later....
I don't care if it is 1972 or 2023. The first time you here this says to you 'Now this is an effing hit!!'
Muscle Shoals is the location of a famous recording studio in Southern Alabama and the studio musicians there were nicknamed, "The Swampers." The produced a ton of records in the 70s for people like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, and a bunch of others.
Free Bird was originally recorded at Muscle Shoals. A record exec felt it was too long to be a hit so it was shelved. It was only later that it was recorded again as Skynyrd became popular and long play single became more prevalent on top 40 stations.
Southern Man is about Lillie Belle Allen and her father who was a preacher in 1969. You can Google her name and the song Southern Man will make more sense. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote this in response to Young's song Alabama. The incident in 1969 occurred in York Pennsylvania where Lillie's parents lived and Lillie lived in South Carolina. Nowhere near Alabama.
Born in 71 and its a staple tune. EVERYONE knows every word!
Muscle Shoals is a recording studio in Alabama the " Swampers " are the studio musicians who havr played on some of the most iconic tracts in history. There's a video documentary free on RUclips about it hands down best music documentary I've ever seen made me cry ,laugh, sing and shout its called Muscle Shoals ✌️❤️
Ed King playing the opening riff was from Strawberry Alarm Clock ( Incense and Peppermint), a Southern California psychedelic band. He was the third guitarist..
Thank you for showing the lyrics. I was twelve when this came out so I’ve known it most of my life. I’m a bit embarrassed to realize how creative I was in my interpretation of the words. When you’re a kid you don’t always have the vocabulary and knowledge to understand a song so you do the best you can. (I’d never heard of Muscle Shoals or the Swampers.) Back then, unless you bought the album you were stuck with listening to songs on the radio. You had no way of pausing and rewinding or looking up the lyrics, or even knowing when it would be played by the DJ. That’s one reason I enjoy these reaction videos. I have learned a lot about music I’ve known most of my life, both from seeing the correct lyrics and from reading the comments. Tonight I learned that I misunderstood the words to Sweet Home Alabama more than most songs. And that’s after learning some years ago that in Birmingham they love the governor, not the gumbo!
Thanks for reacting to this fun classic.
Skynyrd was so much fun. I was lucky enough to see them on their last tour in Oakland. I think you would like the songs: I Know a Little, Call Me the Breeze and Swamp Music. Cheers!
Southern rock music sticks to it's roots, regardless of what people think. You either like it or not. Always loved their music. 👍
Gotta love Skynyrd's music, if not their politics.
This is a great song of the 70's, their second best to "Free Bird."
The Swampers were the back up session players at the Muscle Shoals recording studio that had a lot of hits recorded there like Aretha Franklin to Wilson Pickett, Duane Allman, even the Rolling Stones recorded Angie, Honky Tonk Woman and Brown Sugar was written there.
You got that right---is a really fun and lively song by them also. i think you'd really like it
2:50 The harmonies that you pointed out are from The Honkettes, which wasn't a side project or anything it was just what the three women backup singers went by and they liked it. Of course others in the band can sing as well and sometimes they do, but that backing group was key to their sound for so long. And sadly, Cassie Gaines was one of them and her brother Steve had just joined Lynyrd Skynyrd not a whole lot before the plane crash. In fact Steve was already known as a great musician and had his own band but he was just a killer addition. Check out the short and very beloved Boogie song, I know a little.
Anyway, both brother and sister died in the plane crash.
Wow Crazy never knew the name Honkettes but I love it - so perfect!! Preeesh
Actually they were just session backing singers on this song. Merry Clayton, famous for her amazing voice crack on Gimme Shelter, was one of them. They never put the Honkettes together til the 76 Gimme Back My Bullets tour
The Honkettes are not singing on the original studio one recording of SHA. Do a little research.
Muscle Shoals Alabama refers to the home of record ing studios a very small town outside Sheffield AL. The first by a band called the Swampers. Later Fame recording studios: Aretha Franklin, , Duane Allman Otis Reading, the Rolling Stones also at one point. People refer to the Muscle Shoals sound
One thing I always liked was that Ed King was the guitarist for the strawberry alarm clock ( insence and peppermints). San Fran psychedelic to southern rock!
Neil Young and Ronny Van Zandt became great friends to the extent Neil was one of pall bearers.
The swampers was the local house band at the legendary muscle Sholes recording studio that help create a sound for so many bands and artists,their list of whose who is remarkable.
This piano player loves that you always mention the keys 👌 Maybe it's because of your background in hip hop, where pianos and synths are more prominent. Because rock is a guitar genre at heart - in its 'classic' form anyway - the keyboards often get slept on. Which is a real shame.
Neil Young's "Southern Man" is his best, in my opinion. It powerfully rips wide open the scar of the legacy of racism and racial abuse for which the South had sadly been known. Lynyrd Skynyrd took offense to Young's portrayal, not because they denied it entirely, but because they felt it portrayed all Southern men in this ugly light. For instance, the reference to residents of Birmingham, Alabama, loving the state's Governor Wallace, a notorious racist and pro racial segregationist, is followed by the band's boos of disapproval. To underscore what they see as hypocrisy, they reference Watergate, an election scandal involving Richard Nixon, then President of the US-- all 50 states (in contrast to George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, only one of 50 states). They immediately call Neil Youg on what they see as his hypocrisy with the line, "Does your conscience bother you?" To add insult to injury, they know Neil Young isn't even an American. He's Canadian.
Neil Young is a cock sucker. Southern Man isn’t a good song
Good OLD nealing younk.
The "Honky Tonk" piano weaves its way throughout, I have always enjoyed the style and it really lends a feel of jaunty conviviality to this one.
As a man who grew up on Alabama this is truly a anthem that everyone here knows from a early age . I have been to Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts 4 times in my life and each one was spectacular, they went the extra mile and gave you everything they had ,never were they a lazy band ,they always connected with their audience.
Billy Powell, on piano, was a classically trained musician, who was the roadie before they hired him
I learned a few things from the comments, but I always thought they mentioned Neil Young in this song because of the song called Alabama by Neil Young. The song says, “Alabama, you got the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back
Your Cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track”
It ends with, “I come to you and see all this ruin
What are you doing Alabama?
You got the rest of the union to help you along
What's going wrong?”
In Sweet Home Alabama they sing,
“Well I heard Mr Young sing about her, well I heard old Neil put her down”.
I didn’t realize it was about Southern Man
Simple Man, Call Me The Breeze, Ballad of Curtis Lowe, Saturday Night Special, the list just goes on and on with Skynyrd songs that are absolute gems. From slower bluesy tracks to honky tonk to just rock classics. I think the Watergate line is slightly misunderstood as well. My take on it was always Ronnie just saying in his own tongue in cheek way that he didn't really give a shit about politicians in Washington because they are all corrupt anyway. That's why it didn't bother him.
The church choir in the background as you called them were 3 backup female singers affectionately known as The Honkettes! Honkette Cassie Gaines was guitarist Steve Gaines' sister and they both passed away in the plane crash. The Honkettes weren't at the Oakland Coliseum performance in July '77 but were at the Knebworth Festival in 1976, which is my favorite live performance of Free Bird. You can see the guitar army action so much better at Knebworth!
The Honkettes did play the Oakland show, because they're singing on Sweet Home (check out the clip of it), but they went offstage for Freebird (as opposed to them staying onstage during the Knebworth show).
You mentioned the church choir sound in the background that's 3 ladies called the Honkettes lol
Allen Collins most underrated guitar player in America!! Skynyrd was righteous, bitchin n outrageous band ever‼️✌️. They didn't cause Watergate, those who did don't have a conscious. Glad my teen years was the the 70s. The Honketts background vocals ‼️💯🥰
Second helping was my first rock album
Got it when i was nineim 53 now still listening
Gregg Allman used to say that rock was born in the South, so saying Southern rock was like saying rock rock. He also used to say that Southern rock doesn't have a single sound, it's more of an attitude than a style of music.
I have seen them live 2 times and they put on a fantastic show. sadly i never got to see the original band members all together as i was like 8 years old when the plane crash happened, but i can say, even the guys they have now are true to the sound and it is such a charged show.
Brooo can u pls do more Beatles reactions? I highly recommend their cover of long tall sally live
My take has been that the line "in Birmingham they love the Governor (Boo, Boo, Boo), now we all did what we could do. Now Watergate does not bother me, does your conchense bother you" translates to they aren't racist (not for Wallace, the Governor, who was) and they weren't for Nixon (Behind Watergate) since they state that it doesn't bother them, does it bother you. Just my interpretation.
Greetings from Birmingham, Alabama, where we no longer love the governor. He’s referring to birminhamians loving Gov. Wallace who was in favor of segregation. Swampers we’re the famous studio band from muscle shoals the north western corner of the state, really close to Memphis. The Swampers played on so many albums it’s unbelievable. Look up their track listing. The “church choir,” is their female backup singers who were in their own right, awesome. The game between Neil and them was just that, a little game. They actually had a lot of respect for one another and Neil is seen wearing a Skynard tshirt in one of the crazy horse shows. At any rate, love what you’re doing. Things are lovely down here. Love and peace to you brother and keep up this wonderful journey.
Now our governor is a typical Gran.
Meemaw Ivey
I always interpreted the Watergate line as being that you can only say that if you don’t have a conscience
The "Three Guitar Army" of Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, and Ed King played this together, with later on Steve Gaines replaced Ed. Billy Powell shows off his classical musical training on piano which is second to none. The bass player is Leon Wilkerson, also known as the "Mad Hatter" for his wearing different hats in concerts. While playing at Wembley Stadium he was a London Bobbie's helmet. When they played Wembley, they blew the Rolling Stones away.
After being gone for a month or so, I'm catching up on what I missed out and 'Sweet Home' is a fun one to start with. Others here will catch ya' up on the cultural and historical references. Good to be back!
Cool review, thanks for sharing. Skynyrd is from Jacksonville, Florida I believe.
I'm really late to the conversation here, but I'd like to add that Warren Zevon got involved in the Southern Man vs Sweet Home Alabama dust up with his own song using the same chord sequence and rhythm, Play It All Night Long. It takes the nastiest swipes at Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Southerners in general, so it hurts my feelings a little, but it is also funny AF.
Gov George Wallace at that time. Considered racist.
The funky guitar part you like was by Ed King. Allen Collins and King shared the lead with Gary Rossington providing a third guitar part.
People really into music, from both sides of the pond, know all about Muscle Shoals.
Skynyrd was as disciplined, rehearsed and tight as any band ever. Their marathon rehearsals were legendary. They sound so good because they worked at it like a Marine Corps drill team. Their image is as a bunch of good ole boys out for a hell raising good time, which was true enough, but they were dedicated professionals thru and thru...
Muscle Shoals had a famous and successful recording studio. The Swampers were the session musicians for this studio. They produced a lot of rock and R&B hits
A lot of 60's and 70's music is upbeat, these were the times don't think it had anything to do with church. Our generation was full of peace, love, and Rock n roll
Imo, the guitar opening is the best guitar tone EVER.
Two songs you might like: "Let Him Roll" by Guy Clark, and "Crocodile Man" by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer
Skynyrd is from Jacksonville, Florida.
Check out Lovebites Swansong live with Chopin Intro.
Guaranteed it will blow you away.
As a hip hop fan, I would Almont bet you never have heard anything like them.
So as for reference you were asking about when it comes to the Swampers lyric: the Swampers were the original team of people running Muscle Shoals Sounds, a recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. And yes, they were also a band. Nobody in Skynyrd were from the State of Alabama (in fact, most of them hailed from the northern Florida), but they did record their first attempt of an album in Alabama with the Swampers at Muscle Shoals Sounds. Some of the tracks from the album were compiled into a record called, “Skynyrd’s First & Last,” the year after the plane crashed, but the complete Muscle Shoals album Skynyrd recorded got finally released in full in 1998. Can’t recommend, “Skynyrd’s First: the Complete Muscle Shoals Album,” enough! Lots of interesting early versions of what would later become Skynyrd classics are on that early attempted album, including Free Bird, I Ain’t the One, Simple Man, Trust, and Gimme Three Steps. But there are also other songs on that album they didn’t re-record for any of the albums they recorded since, like Lend a Helping Hand, Wino, the Seasons, You Run Around, Ain’t Too Proud to Pray, and Comin’ Home. Also, the album features Rickey Medlocke (pre-Blackfoot) on drums and some vocals for about half the record.
You would be shocked if you knew how many huge hits the stampers played on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They are clearly critical of George Wallace (boo boo boo), but say a governor doesn't represent everything about a state just as Nixon doesn't represent every aspect of America. I think their message is not to condemn the South because of some rotten apples, some flawed figures and patches of history. All of the US has flaws
Hard to say they're "clearly critical" given the "and the governor's true" line toward the end. Lots of people have tried to spin the "boo hoo hoo" in the background as condemnation, but that feels like a post hoc justification to me - especially given the context of the song as a response to Neil Young. The song seems like a pretty uncritical love letter to Alabama, no disrespect to Skynyrd or the song itself, which is legendary.
Yes, you're right that it's not that straightforward, but they specifically say "we all did what we could do" and then mention Nixon and regular Americans don't feel guilty because of what one bad man did. I still think their message is that you can't condemn a whole state for one bad apple, like one can't condemn the whole country for Nixon, nor should people feel guilty for what an elected official does. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but that seems to be what the lyrics are suggesting. They seem to be acknowledging the problem of Wallace, but also point out the North has/had it's own problems. They are pointing out the hypocrisy of the anti-Southern stereo-types that still exists here in the US. Not every Southerner is a George Wallace nor is that what characterizes them.
@@LioraBee Oh, I definitely think you are correct about the general message of the song, and I like your interpretation of the Watergate line - I never quite knew what to make of that one.
Yes, you have found the key to unlocking the song, and that is the line about Watergate/Nixon, and your interpretation is the correct one.
@@BalbazaktheGreat I agree with you. My guess is if Ronnie lived he would be no different than Johnny and Donnie politically. Some try to make that division but I don't buy into it.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was from Jacksonville, FL. They recorded in Alabama.
The guys at MUSCLE Shoals , took in the boys From, Florida. They came to Shefield Alabama without a penny. They were roaming the streets of the Shoals, picking up empty coke bottles and and turning them in for a whopping 2 cents. They were able to make enough money that way to buy a box of crackers crackers and a jar of peanut butter, to keep from Starving. One of the SWAMPERS, JIMMY JOHNY, had been giving the guys, Free time in the Studio after midnight. JIMMY ALSO TAUGHT THEM THE ENDS AND OUTS OF RECORDING FOR FREE. NO DOUBT, WITH OUT JIMMY, THERE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A LYNYRD SKYNYRD. The whole band had been living in a small room at ballews truck stop in Tuscumbia. They scavenged during during the day and and had fist fights with Truckers at night because of their long hair! Yess, can you imagine people these days working like that for nothing?
Those piano fills .. magic :)
#masterpiece
If you look at free bird at Oakland in 77 Ronnie VanSant was wearing a Neil Young tee shirt.
Excellent reaction! If you want some dazzling guitar licks give "I Know A Little" by LS a shot. Whether you make a vid and react or not, it's one not to be missed. Also, a very heartfelt tune paying homage to an old poor black dobro player is called "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe". You'll respect this band exponentially if you give that one a shot as well.
I love Lynyrd Skynyrd to death, but I'm a Yankee from Wisconsin, so I will defer to my Southern brothers for history and details.
A couple of suggestions you could try would be, " That Smell", and " On the Hunt "
David Hood was the bassist for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, a.k.a., the Swampers. His son Patterson is the main songwriter for the band Drive-by Truckers. He wrote a concept album called Southern Rock Opera based in large part on Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Wallace, and "Sweet Home Alabama." Check out "Ronnie and Neil" and "The Three Great Alabama Icons," namely, Wallace, legendary University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, and Jacksonville, Florida's Ronnie Van Zant. Great stuff although I prefer the next couple albums when Jason Isbell joined the band.
I heard that Ronnie Van Zandt and Neil Young later became friends and Ronnie was wearing a Neil Young shirt on their last album cover before he died. About the Watergate comment, it doesn't seem to belon in the song so I wonder if Neil Young had perhaps mentioned something about Watergate that triggered that line? Looking back now, what happened at Watergate was peanuts compared to what happens now. The guitar riffs and piano really make this song for me.
Neil Young actually dug the song and later played on a live version with Skynyrd where Ronnie Van Zandt sang "now Neil Young's jamming with us"
It was actually good-natured. I saw them live in concert. He had an a Neil Young T-shirt on ha ha
A whole lot of people recorded at muscle Shoals, including many from the British invasion i.e. Rolling Stones, listen to some of their country.
you might like Billy Holiday's rendition of "Strange Fruit" for perspective.
Does your conscience bother you...? Apparently not in Alabama...! Big wheels (of history) keep on turning... Carrying me home to see my kin... (return of the same) again and again and again. From Wiki: Further complicating the racial politics of the song is the fact that Merry Clayton (Gimme Shelter) and Clydie King, two well-known black studio singers, are heard on the track as backing vocalists. In a 2013 interview, Clayton spoke at length about her decision to take the job. In her recollection, her initial response was negative: "[Clydie King] said the song was 'Sweet Home Alabama.' There was a silence on the phone for quite a while. I said, 'Clydie, are you serious? I'm not singing nothing about nobody's sweet home Alabama. Period.'" Nonetheless, Clayton was persuaded to take the job, to "let the music be [her] protest.
You should check out the Allman Brothers pure southern rock.
Forget Freebird,Alabama has to be their greatest song,especially the live version from One More From The Road!
You got it all wrong. “Alabama” is the song & the LP is “Harvest”. Insulting song, but Neil don’t care & A Southern Man Don’t Need Neil around, anyhow.
At about 7min10sec you hear Ronnie react on something a bit disturbing .
Ronnie took donuts with him for eating when having a break.
He just finished the last words singing and he sees somebody eating his donuts.
That's when you hear him saying : "mwooaaah my donuts g...da...mn"
Love that funny part , most people don't have a clue what he's saying , haha
"The Swampers" was the name adapted by a group of very gifted studio artist who wrote some of the best music of the day for other artist like Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Rod Stewart amoung them. They were not a formal touring band, but there music was solid and you have probably heard some of their work. Just didn't know it.
Muscles Shoals,Alabama A town in Alabama
Mussel shoals a recording studio for awhile their studio guitar player was Duane Allman
Loving the goatee going on
Getting from China. Great song and reaction!
George Wallace was the Alabama governor, a racist white guy. Nixon was the USA president who had to resign because of the Watergate scandal. We are reliving that era right now in the US.
Yes, and more to come on the true history of what happened. Actually, it is out there now and guess what? It is all gonna come full circle to day. Parallel Coup d'état that happened and we are currently living though. Hopefully this will have a different result.
Listen to Warren Zevon’s parody “Play it All Night Long.”