Long considered the “wild man” of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Artimus Pyle’s powerful and distinctive double bass drumming helped define the legendary Skynyrd sound. Now, The Artimus Pyle Band, featuring Pyle, the last surviving member of the classic Skynyrd lineup and 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with the fabled band, celebrates the man who defined it, Ronnie Van Zant. “If it wasn’t for Ronnie, no one would know my name,” Pyle has said.
Pyle got his first break at the Charlie Daniels band’s Volunteer Jam. His first recording lists Artimus Pyle, percussion. Then, with work for the Marshall Tucker Band, Pyle became known as a powerful session drummer. Using his connections with Charlie Daniels and Marshall Tucker, both of whom often toured with Skynyrd, Pyle met with Ronnie Van Zant and Ed King. His debut with the band took place at Sgt. Pepper’s Club in Jacksonville in 1974. When Bob Burns left the band later that year, Artimus Pyle became Skynyrd’s new drummer.
The Artimus Pyle Band’s new album, Anthems, includes classic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs and special guest singers, including “Sweet Home Alabama,” featuring Ronnie Dunn, “Simple Man,” featuring Sammy Hagar, and “Free Bird,” featuring Dolly Parton. The band is featured on Parton’s 2003 album, Rockstar, and the soundtrack from the 2020 film, Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, features music from The Artimus Pyle Band.
In addition to Artimus Pyle, the band consists of Brad Durden on vocals and keys, Jerry Lyda on guitar, Scott Raines on guitar, and Jeff Delk on bass.
Brad Durden grew up in Georgia and started playing with bands at 15. In 1991, he joined the Southern rock band Copperhead and toured with them for several years, sharing the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, and The Kentucky Headhunters. He had a short stint in country music and his influences range from Billy Powell, Elton John, and Jon Lord of Deep Purple, to “anyone who has played piano, Hammond B-3 or keyboards, in general.”
Jerry Lyda began playing in rock cover bands in the 1980s, touring the Southeast circuit. With his band, The Colts, he opened for Kenny Chesney, Johnny Paycheck, and Wade Hayes. He owns and operates Music City Asheville, and his versatile guitar style and raw power of his Les Paul are perfect complements to Scott Raine’s rich Strat sound. “Playing with Artimus has been a complete pleasure,” he said. “To be able to play that music with the man who helped create it is pretty special.”
Scott Raines “knows Skynyrd in and out.” A native of Slocomb, Alabama, he started playing the guitar at 9, learning by ear the music of Led Zeppelin, Skynyrd, and The Allman Brothers. Although his roots are in classic rock, he is able to cross genres easily.
Jeff Delk grew up in Brevard, North Carolina, in a musical family. He started playing the guitar at 12 in his dad’s Gospel quartet. He began playing bass in his friend’s basement, leaning toward Southern rock and country music. In 1977, at 13, he and a friend went to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live. It was the last show before the deadly plane crash that killed Van Zant and others. Shortly after, they named their band Nuthin Fancy, after a Skynyrd album, and played the East Coast for 25 years. When he got the call from The Artimus Pyle Band, he felt he had come full circle. “To get to play this legendary, iconic music with one of its creators and the bandmates who play it note for note, exactly the way Skynyrd wanted it to be heard, is quite an honor for me.”
Come honor one of the classic bands of the 20th century with an artist who made it happen and a few of his talented friends. You’ll feel like you’re Comin’ Home.
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