I learned to play guitar because I wanted to play the songs I liked. Even if I couldn't play them as well as the records, it was satisfying to have those small moments of triumph when I could duplicate a great riff or chord sequence from a favorite tune and a well-known guitarist. Ed King played one of the greatest rock riffs of all time, and many amateur guitarists like me did our best to learn it. For me, riffs and chord sequences like those in Day Tripper, Smoke on the Water, Turn, Turn, Turn, the flat-picked chord sequence of House of the Rising Sun, and the finger-picked arpeggiated opening to Stairway To Heaven, were all goals to accomplish. Learning to play those made me feel better about my guitar skills, and made me want to learn more and play them better. Many such riffs spring to mind, but there was one that, once learned, gave me more satisfaction than all of the others. It was the iconic opening to one of my favorite songs, and I struggled with it, trying to get it to sound right.
Then one fine day, I was in a music store, and some guy whose name I should have written down so I would never forget it, made it all happen for me. He did something that experienced guitar players do for others; things that help to open the door, so to speak, and help someone improve their craft.
He was sitting on a Fender Twin Reverb amp, with a sunburst Fender Strat, playing that memorable riff. I watched him play it, and I was mesmerized by the sound and his apparent ease at playing the notes. He looked up and smiled, and then he showed me how to play it.
It was, of course, the well-known opening to the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Sweet Home Alabama– the riff written and performed by Ed King. That song was released in 1974 with Skynyrd's second album, helpfully titled, Second Helping. Somehow, I had not noticed this new band until I heard that exceptional riff and the song that went with it.
With that song, I instantly became a fan, and a few years later when I bought my first guitar, that riff was among the first things I tried to play. Learning it spurred me on; it was a turning point in my development as a guitarist. Ed King's unique riff made me work harder to get better on the instrument.
As simple as it sounds, it is difficult to get exactly right, and the guy in the music store took the time to show me how to play it. At the time, I didn't even know the names of the three Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarists, and I had no idea which man had played it. I didn't discover until years later that Ed King was the man responsible for this classic riff.
As simple as it sounds, it is difficult to get exactly right, and the guy in the music store took the time to show me how to play it. At the time, I didn't even know the names of the three Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarists, and I had no idea which man had played it. I didn't discover until years later that Ed King was the man responsible for this classic riff.
King, a California native, was a founding member of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, a 1960's band that had a hit song with Incense and Peppermints. He met his future band mates during a tour when Skynyrd opened for the SAC and not long after, in 1972, he was invited to join the Southern Rock band. Bassist Leon Wilkeson quit Skynyrd during the recording of their first album, Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) and King was recruited to replace him. Wilkeson returned soon after the sessions, and King switched to guitar, along with Garry Rossington and Allen Collins.
The Strawberry Alarm Clock's brand of psychedelic pop is a huge jump to Skynyrd's three-guitar Southern Rock style, but King fit right in. His Fender Stratocaster sound was the perfect complement to Rossington's Gibson Les Paul, and Collins' Gibson Firebirds and Explorers. It was a seamless mix of talent, and Lynyrd Skynyrd became one of the biggest bands on the planet.
Within a few years though, King had had enough, and he left the band (later replaced by Steve Gaines, who died in a 1977 plane crash, along with his sister Cassie, Ronnie Van Zant, pilot Walter McCreary, co-pilot William Gray, and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick.)
Ten years after the crash, Lynyrd Skynyrd re-formed and King rejoined, staying until 1996 when congestive heart failure forced him to retire. He had a heart transplant in 2011, but it was cancer that caused his death on August 22, 2018, at age 68.
The legacy King left behind is his exceptional body of work, primarily with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and probably especially, the memorable Sweet Home Alabama riff. I can only imagine, but it must have made King smile when he thought of the millions of guitarists who spent hours trying to duplicate it – something that, according to an interview, came to him over the course of just a few minutes.
Ed King's talents on guitar, bass, and as a songwriter contributed enormously to the success of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Thanks to artists like him, guitarists everywhere enjoy playing and learning classic riffs like the one Ed gave us on Sweet Home Alabama. He inspired us to play guitar - a gift I will never forget.
Larry Manch is an author, teacher, guitar player, freelance writer, and columnist. His books include: 'Twisted Logic: 50 Edgy Flash Fiction Stories', 'The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories','A Sports Junkie', 'The Avery Appointment', 'Between the Fuzzy Parts'. His books are available in paperback and e-book.
He writes about sports for Season Tickets, food and travel on Miles & Meals, and music/guitars on The Backbeat.
Follow @Season Tickets
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