Lynyrd Skynyrd

 Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band, formed in Jacksonville, Florida in the summer of 1964. A group of teenagers, Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington, formed the band and called it "The Noble Five."

The band went through a number of name changes and some personnel changes and were known as "My Backyard" and "The Swampers."

The group won a local Battle of the Bands contest in 1968 and got the opening slot on several Southeast shows for the California-based psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock.

In 1970, Van Zant wanted a new name for the band, and after trying out "One Percent" and "The Noble Five," they settled on "Leonard Skinnerd."

The name was taken from a physical-education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School named Leonard Skinner. Skinner was known for being harsh on boys with long hair. Before they released their first album, they changed the spelling to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The band became prominent in 1973 with the hit song "Free Bird", which received national airplay, eventually reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It has become a rock and roll anthem today.

They achieved worldwide recognition before three members and one road crew member died in an airplane crash in 1977.

The band reformed in 1987 for a reunion tour with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother Johnny as the front man. Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to tour and record. Of its original members, only Gary Rossington remained with the band as of 2010. 

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

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• Collector's Edition Lynyrd Skynyrd
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• The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd 
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3 Musketeers

The 3 Musketeers candy bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars. It was introduced in 1932. The candy's name played off the popular The Three Musketeers (French: Les Trois Mousquetaires) novel by Alexandre Dumas which had many film and TV adaptations.The candy's name came from the fact that originally it had three pieces in one package: chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Rising costs and restrictions on sugar during World War II caused the company to eliminate the less popular vanilla and strawberry pieces.

But why were the Three Musketeers called musketeers when they spent all their time using swords? The French word mousquetaire originally referred to an infantryman with a musket. Over time, the word changed its meaning, lost the connection with the weapon, and referred to a much grander person.

At five cents, it was marketed as one of the largest chocolate bars available - one that could be shared by friends. 3 Musketeers was advertised on television on the 1950s-era Howdy Doody Show, along with a song that Buffalo Bob Smith encouraged children to sing.

In the mid-late 1990s, the bar's advertisements featured three men dressed as the legendary Three Musketeers to market the "45% less fat" campaign. The product's original slogan ("Big on Chocolate!") was expanded in these advertisements to "Big on Chocolate, Not on Fat!"

Most recently, the bar has been pitched to women with the tagline that it is a "Nice, Light Snack" which features "45% less fat" than other chocolate bars.

In Europe, the 3 Musketeers brand name was used for the French version of the Curly Wurly candy bar in the 1970s and 1980s. More Euro-confusion comes from the The Milky Way bar (also from the Mars confectionery company). The American version of the Milky Way bar is made of chocolate-malt nougat topped with caramel and covered with milk chocolate. It is very similar to the Mars bar sold in other countries. But the Milky Way bar sold outside the U.S. (UK, for example) is not topped with caramel and is therefore similar to the American 3 Musketeers bar.

Strawbs

 

STRAWBS (AKA The Strawbs) English rock band founded in 1964 as a bluegrass group. However, they gradually moved into folk rock, progressive rock, and even a flirtation with glam rock.

They have gone through many different member lineups, but their long-time leader and most active songwriter is guitarist and singer Dave Cousins (guitar, dulcimer, banjo, vocals). I discovered them through other similar British bands of the early 1970s such as Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and Steeleye Span. An early line up of Strawbs included vocalist Sandy Denny who was later lead singer of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay.

When they formed as a bluegrass band in 1964, they used the name the Strawberry Hill Boys. This is when the founding members were at St Mary's Teacher Training College which was located at Strawberry Hill in London. (No connection to an American cheap amd popular wine of the era called Strawberry Hill.)  For a 1967 concert, they needed a shorter name to fit an onstage display, so they just shortened theirs to the Strawbs.

They are best known for their hit anthem "Part of the Union", which reached number two in the UK charts in February 1973, and "Lay Down" a popular FM radio progressive rock hit. from the same LP.

I saw the band on a tour they did with Supertramp (promoting Crime of the Century) while Strawbs were promoting their Hero and Heroine album.

The band has remained active in the 21st century recording and touring in two lineups. The acoustic band is with Cousins, Lambert and Cronk. There is also the entirely original Hero and Heroine/Ghosts electric line-up from 1974 of Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Coombes and Hawken.

They werefeatured on the blue cruise in February 2019 along with Justin Hayward, The Zombies, Todd Rundgren, Dave Mason, Steve Hackett, Alan Parsons, Procol Harum, Al Stewart, Wishbone Ash and (inexplicably) Poco.

Their official website is www.strawbsweb.co.uk