Lynyrd Skynyrd

In 1970, Van Zant sought a new name. “One Percent” and “The Noble Five” were each considered before the group settled on “Leonard Skinner”, a mocking tribute to a physical-education teacher at Robert E. Lee High School, Leonard Skinner,^[2] who was notorious for strictly enforcing the school’s policy against boys having long hair.^[3][4] Rossington dropped out of school, tired of being hassled about his hair.^[5] The more distinctive spelling was adopted before they released their first album. Despite their high-school acrimony, the band developed a friendlier relationship with Skinner in later years, and invited him to introduce them at a concert in the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum.^[6]

Skinner allowed the band to use a photo of his Leonard Skinner Realty sign for the inside of their third album.^[7] Skinner died on September 20, 2010, at age 77 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.^[8]