Watch Lynyrd Skynyrd Perform “Sweet Home Alabama” In Germany In 1974

Riveting!

On May 12, 1974, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed “Sweet Home Alabama” in Hamburg, Germany and let’s just say, it’s nothing short of spectacular. They pulled out all the stops and while everyone did a splendid job, Ed King stood out easily with his jaw-dropping guitar work. Check it out below.

“Sweet Home Alabama” was written by Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant, and Gary Rossington. Interestingly, none of them came from Alabama. And they penned the track in response to Neil Young’s “Alabama” and “Southern Man” – they also mentioned his name in the lyrics.

Rossington told Garden & Gun magazine, “I had this little riff. It’s the little picking part and I kept playing it over and over when we were waiting on everyone to arrive for rehearsal. Ronnie and I were sitting there, and he kept saying, ‘play that again’. Then Ronnie wrote the lyrics and Ed and I wrote the music.”

King shared, “Gary was playing a pattern that you can hear behind the verses. I put my guitar part on top of his as a counterpoint. But Gary’s part was the catalyst that started the ball rolling.”

It was a huge hit in several countries – peaking at #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA.