"Simple Man" is the name of a song on the album (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd), by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The song was made a trademark classic done by the band, known for their soothing country ballads and steady guitar solos. The song was composed by lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington.

[edit] History

Shortly after Ronnie Van Zant's grandmother and Gary Rossington's grandmother died, they got together in Van Zant's apartment and started telling stories about them. Rossington came up with a chord progression, and Van Zant wrote the lyrics based on advice the women in their lives had given them over the years. They wrote it in about an hour. The theme of the song is based on a mother sharing wisdom on the facts of life and growing up with her son. Although the lyrics proclaim this was spoken to her "only son", that wasn't the case. Van Zant had two younger brothers, a sister that his father had with another woman from his first marriage, and two younger sisters. "Simple Man" has been covered by numerous groups including Shinedown, Deftones, Hank Williams Jr., Confederate Railroad, Skrewdriver, Gov't Mule and José Andrëa (in Spanish, entitled En Tu Estrella). Busch Beer also used the song in an ad campaign.

[edit] Covers, samples, and media appearances

In 1994, a cover version was recorded by country music band Confederate Railroad, as part of a compilation titled Skynyrd Frynds, which featured several country acts performing covers of Skynyrd songs.
In 2004, Jacksonville hard rock band Shinedown recorded an acoustic cover of Simple Man on their re-released debut album Leave a Whisper. The track went to #5 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and skyrocketed the band to popularity.
In 2005, Sacramento alternative metal band Deftones released their version of the song on their B-Sides & Rarities album.
Bucky Covington sang this song in the first week of the semi-finals on the fifth season of American Idol.
The song is playable as a downloadable content in the music video game Rock Band.^[1]
The song was featured in the film Almost Famous, released in 2000, and is also featured on the film's soundtrack.
The Terrence Hill film's Renegade soundtrack included this song with the Call Me The Breeze