Lynyrd Skynyrd (leh-nerd skin-nerd) is an iconic U.S. southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The band reached prominence during the 1970s under the leadership of vocalist and primary songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, until he died, along with several other members of the band (Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick), in a plane crash on Oct. 20th, 1977 in a Gillsburg, Mississippi swamp. Their album, named \"Street Survivors,\" released just 3 days before the crash, showed them standing in flames.