Remember When Skynyrd Brought Down The House With ‘I Know A Little’ At The 1987 Volunteer Jam?

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The weight of the world was on Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s shoulders as they took to the stage at Charlie Daniels‘ Volunteer Jam in 1987. They had been on hiatus for ten years following the plane crash that claimed the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and Honkette Cassie Gaines. The Volunteer Jam marked their official return to the music scene. 

This time around, Ronnie’s younger brother Johnny Van Zant served as the frontman of the group. 30 years later, and Johnny is still singing with Skynyrd today.

We’re sure that the entire band was a bit anxious as they readied themselves to perform at the 1987 Volunteer Jam. But if they had any nerves, they certainly didn’t show in their performance.

One of the songs that Skynyrd performed that night was the peppy “I Know a Little.” The tune was one of few songs from the pre-crash lineup that Ronnie had no part in writing. Instead, Steve wrote the entire piece on his own. 

“I Know a Little” appeared on the band’s album Street Survivors, which was released just three days before the plane crash. With that in mind, Skynyrd knew they had a lot to live up to when they played the song in 1987.

We’d say that Skynyrd made everyone proud when they performed “I Know a Little” at the Volunteer Jam. Their performance was lively, exciting, and filled with phenomenal guitar work. It was everything that the audience could have hoped for following the group’s far-too-long absence.

Tune in below to check out the performance. You’ll be glad you did! 

Obviously, Skynyrd’s appearance at the Volunteer Jam was a success, because they’re still rockin’ out today! 

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd & Second Helping Live’ is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats – it’s the perfect gift for the Lynyrd Skynyrd fan in your life. Buy it here on Amazon!

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