Lynyrd Skynyrd was a southern rock music band. The greatest hit in pop music by Lynyrd Skynyrd was number 2 song Sweet Home Alabama, an answer song to Southern Man by Neil Young. However, the song Free Bird, which was a tribute to the late Duane Allman of The Allman Brothers Band, was a pop hit twice. Free Bird also became an all time rock music classic. In October, 1977, a plane crash took the lives of writer and singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and sibling backup singer Cassie Gaines. Lynyrd Skynyrd then broke up. The group reformed years later with Johnny Van Zant as singer, brother of Ronnie.