1970: The Petty – Skynyrd Connection
Many rockers know that both Tom Petty and some of his guys along with most of the original Skynyrd band all hailed from northern Florida. Petty’s Gainesville is only @ 70 miles SW of Jacksonville where Ronnie & co. called home. So in the music scene of that region, not a surprise that they would have eventually met. So while not fully substantiated, enjoy a segment of Steve Vest’s “Swamp Chat” where he details how the two bands first connected in the small town of Lawtey, FL. (here’s Part 2 if you like as well)
Beyond this story, Petty will forever be connected with Lynyrd Skynyrd as Oct. 20th will always be marked as both Tom’s birthday and the date of the fatal plane crash that killed three members of the early Skynyrd band including Ronnie Van Zant.
