Street Survivors
Encyclopedia
Street Survivors is the fifth studio album by Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...

 band, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...

, released on October 17, 1977. The LP is the last Skynyrd album ever recorded by original members Ronnie Van Zant
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

 and Allen Collins
Allen Collins
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

, and is the sole Skynyrd studio recording by guitarist Steve Gaines
Steve Gaines
Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

. Three days after the album's release, on October 20, 1977, the band's chartered airplane crashed en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

, killing the pilot, co-pilot, the group's assistant road-manager and three band members (Van Zant
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

, Gaines
Steve Gaines
Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

, and Steve's older sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines
Cassie Gaines
Cassie LaRue Gaines was an American singer. She was a member of the female gospel vocal trio The Honkettes, who in 1975 became the backup singers for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....

), and severely injuring most who survived the crash. The album performed well on the charts, peaking at #5 (their first top 5 album), as did the singles "What's Your Name" and "That Smell", the former a top 20 hit on the singles chart.The album was certified Gold on 10/27/1977, Platinum on 12/2/1977 and 2x Platinum on 7/21/1987 by the R.I.A.A.

Background

The original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors had a photograph of the band standing in flames. The cover was changed to an alternate photo with an all-black background, out of respect for the deceased. Thirty years later, the original "flames" cover was restored, while the alternative cover serves as the back of the case. Lead singer Van Zant is wearing a t-shirt depicting Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

's album Tonight's the Night in both photographs.

The album was recorded twice, once with Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...

 at the helm at Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a music-recording studio in Miami, Florida, started in 1958 by Mack Emerman.In 1999, The Hit Factory purchased Criteria Studios, revamping and reopening the studios under the new name The Hit Factory Criteria Miami.-Notable artists:...

 in Florida, and then at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia five months later. The Doraville recording was used for the initial release of the album. In March 2008, the album was re-issued with these alternate versions of most of the songs. Differences are minor on some songs, with the major difference being a much slower and extended earlier version of "That Smell." Also included are two songs recorded for, but not included on the original album, "Georgia Peaches," and "Sweet Little Missy," with the latter being included twice, in demo and final form. Also included is a version of "Honky Tonk Night Time Man," with Ronnie's alternate autobiographical vocal take, entitled "Jacksonville Kid," which is believed to be the last vocal take he ever recorded in a studio.

The song "One More Time" was added to the album, presumably after it was decided to drop one of the two tracks above. However, this song is the original recording from their 1971 Muscle Shoals demo; it was not re-recorded for this album. Hence it features Ed King, Greg Walker and Rickey Medlocke in place of Steve Gaines, Leon Wilkeson and Artimus Pyle.

Street Survivors was a showcase for guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines
Steve Gaines
Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

, who had joined the band just a year earlier on the recommendation of his sister Cassie
Cassie Gaines
Cassie LaRue Gaines was an American singer. She was a member of the female gospel vocal trio The Honkettes, who in 1975 became the backup singers for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....

. Publicly and privately, Ronnie Van Zant marvelled at the multiple talents of Skynyrd's newest member, claiming that the band would "all be in his shadow one day." Gaines' contributions included his co-lead vocal with Van Zant on the co-written "You Got That Right" and the guitar boogie "I Know A Little" which he had written before he joined Skynyrd. So confident was Skynyrd's leader of Gaines' abilities that the album (and some concerts) featured Gaines delivering his self-penned blues "Ain't No Good Life" - one of the few songs in the pre-crash Skynyrd catalog to feature a lead vocalist other than Ronnie Van Zant. The album also included the hit singles "What's Your Name" and the ominous "That Smell
That Smell
"That Smell" is a song by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Written by Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins, it was released in 1977 on the album Street Survivors. At the time the song was written, the band had been drinking and doing many different drugs...

" - a cautionary tale about drug abuse that was clearly aimed at one of the band members (both Collins and Gary Rossington
Gary Rossington
Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

 had serious car accidents which slowed the recording of the album).

Side one

  1. "What's Your Name
    What's Your Name (Lynyrd Skynyrd song)
    "What's Your Name" is a rock song by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the opening track on their album Street Survivors. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #6 in the top Canadian songs.-Chart performance:...

    " (Gary Rossington
    Gary Rossington
    Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

    , Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 3:30
  2. "That Smell
    That Smell
    "That Smell" is a song by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Written by Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins, it was released in 1977 on the album Street Survivors. At the time the song was written, the band had been drinking and doing many different drugs...

    " (Allen Collins
    Allen Collins
    Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

    , Van Zant) – 5:47
  3. "One More Time" (Rossington, Van Zant) – 5:03
  4. "I Know a Little" (Steve Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    ) – 3:26

Side two

  1. "You Got That Right
    You Got That Right
    "You Got That Right" is a song written by Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. It was recorded by the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd for their last studio album before the plane crash, Street Survivors, and released as a single in 1978...

    " (Gaines, Van Zant) – 3:44
  2. "I Never Dreamed" (Gaines, Van Zant) – 5:21
  3. "Honky Tonk Night Time Man" (Merle Haggard
    Merle Haggard
    Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...

    ) – 3:59
  4. "Ain't No Good Life" (Gaines) – 4:36

2001 CD reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Georgia Peaches" (Gaines, Van Zant) – 3:15
  2. "Sweet Little Missy" (Rossington, Van Zant) – 5:10
  3. "You Got That Right (Alternate Version)" (Gaines, Van Zant) – 3:26
  4. "I Never Dreamed (Alternate Version)" (Gaines, Van Zant) – 4:55
  5. "Jacksonville Kid" (Haggard, Van Zant) - 4:03

30th Anniversary Edition CD bonus disc

  1. "What's Your Name (Original Version)" (Rossington
    Gary Rossington
    Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 3:33
  2. "That Smell (Original Version)" (Collins
    Allen Collins
    Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 5:29
  3. "You Got That Right (Original Version)" (Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 3:19
  4. "I Never Dreamed (Original Version)" (Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 5:22
  5. "Georgia Peaches" (Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 3:14
  6. "Sweet Little Missy (Original Version)" (Rossington
    Gary Rossington
    Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 5:16
  7. "Sweet Little Missy (Demo Version)" (Rossington
    Gary Rossington
    Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 5:11
  8. "Ain't No Good Life (Original Version)" (Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    ) – 5:02
  9. "That Smell (Complete Original Version)" (Collins
    Allen Collins
    Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 7:30
  10. "Jacksonville Kid" (Haggard
    Merle Haggard
    Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) - 4:09
  11. "You Got That Right (Live)" (Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 4:41
  12. "That Smell (Live)" (Collins
    Allen Collins
    Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 6:05
  13. "Ain't No Good Life (Live)" (Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

    ) – 5:01
  14. "What's Your Name (Live)" (Rossington
    Gary Rossington
    Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 3:28
  15. "Gimme Three Steps (Live)" (Collins
    Allen Collins
    Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

    , Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    ) – 5:09

  • Live tracks recorded at the Selland Arena
    Selland Arena
    The Selland Arena is a multi-purpose arena built in 1966 that makes up part of a five-venue complex of the Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center in Fresno, California. It is named after former Fresno mayor Arthur L. Selland and has had over ten million people walk through its doors in its over...

    , Fresno, California
    Fresno, California
    Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

    , August 24, 1977.

Personnel

  • Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronnie Van Zant
    Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

     – lead vocals
  • Steve Gaines
    Steve Gaines
    Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...

     - guitar, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Ain't No Good Life", co-lead vocal on "You Got That Right"
  • Allen Collins
    Allen Collins
    Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...

     – guitar
  • Gary Rossington
    Gary Rossington
    Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...

     – guitar
  • Billy Powell
    Billy Powell
    William Norris "Billy" Powell was an American musician. He was the longtime keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, from 1970 until his death in 2009.-Biography:...

     – keyboards
  • Leon Wilkeson
    Leon Wilkeson
    Leon Russell Wilkeson was the bassist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.-Early life:...

     – bass, backing vocals
  • Artimus Pyle
    Artimus Pyle
    Thomas Delmer "Artimus" Pyle is an American musician best known for playing drums with Lynyrd Skynyrd, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.-Early life and career:...

     – drums
  • The Honkettes
    The Honkettes
    The Honkettes was the name given to the female backing singers of the Southern Rock and Roll band Lynyrd Skynyrd. These members were Cassie Gaines JoJo Billingsley, and Leslie Hawkins...

     (JoJo Billingsley
    JoJo Billingsley
    Deborah Jo "JoJo" Billingsley was an American singer, soloist, songwriter and recording artist. As a backing vocalist, Billingsley was best known for her work with the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

    , Cassie Gaines
    Cassie Gaines
    Cassie LaRue Gaines was an American singer. She was a member of the female gospel vocal trio The Honkettes, who in 1975 became the backup singers for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....

    , Leslie Hawkins): backing vocals on "That Smell" and "One More Time"
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