Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd have reversed their decision to drop the Confederate flag from their stage show following an outcry from fans.

The Sweet Home Alabama singers previously announced they would no longer use the banner, which has been part of their act for many years, over claims its original message had been lost amid race issues.

The musicians insisted they didn't want to be associated with racist groups who have adopted the flag as their own.

However, the rockers have now changed their minds after receiving criticism from their supporters.

Guitarist Gary Rossington wr...

Lynyrd Skynyrd have cancelled a series of concerts after singer Johnny Van Zant was hospitalized over the weekend.

The frontman was admitted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday to seek treatment for complications from a previous surgery.

Doctors diagnosed him with a Staphylococcal infection and have ordered him to stay off the stage until he recovers.

As a result, the Sweet Home Alabama rockers have pulled out of a number of shows, including stops in Michigan, South Dakota and Missouri, while a handful of gigs have been postponed.

Rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd are set to open a restaurant in Las Vegas. The group has teamed up with several Sin City restaurateurs to create Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer at Excalibur Hotel & Casino.

The venue, which will serve Texas-style BBQ food, will be dedicated to the band and decked out with memorabilia from the rockers' long running career. Musical entertainment will be provided by tribute acts, while patrons will be encouraged to get up and sing their favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd songs.

The band has also promised to perform at the restaurant "throughout the year."

A statement posted on the...

The Florida teacher who inspired rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd's misspelled name has died.

Leonard Skinner died on Monday at a nursing home in Riverside, Florida. He was 77.

The Freebird rockers paid a sarcastic tribute to their former gym teacher, who lived in infamy during band founders Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington's school days, because he had a habit of sending boys to the principal for growing their hair too long.

Ironically, many of the bandmates later became friends with Skinner.

See more photos of Lynyrd Skynyrd here!

Worried fans of ailing rocker Bret Michaels have been given a big boost - his aides are hopeful he'll be back onstage late next month.

The Poison singer is recovering in an Arizona hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage last week and initial reports suggested he was facing months of rehabilitation.

But there's new hope for concerned fans - shows postponed due to the star's ill health are already being tentatively rescheduled.

In a post on his MySpace.com website, a publicist writes, "While Bret is recovering, we obviously have some shows that are being rescheduled. We are working to...

Kid Rock is not a big fan of Twitter, apparently. Despite a user posing as Kid Rock on Twitter - the fact that his mug shot is the user avatar should clue you in that it's a fake - the self-proclaimed "American Bad Ass" has not kind words for the site.

"It's gay. If one more person asks me if I have a Twitter, I'm going to tell them, 'Twitter this [expletive], [expletive],' I don't have anything to say, and what I have to say is not that relevant. Anything that is relevant, I'm going to bottle it up and then squeeze it onto a record somewhere." He told Page Six.

Most recently, Kid Roc...

Heart attacks. Plane crashes. Car crashes. Drug overdoses. Murder. Over the years, these have become some of the most common causes of the often shocking deaths in the music industry. On a lighter note, some might argue that even ham sandwiches have been involved.

Regardless of the cause, take a look back at these musical icons that have left us way, way, way too soon - yet have left us with legacies that will live on forever. The majority of these deaths, in addition to being sudden and shocking, were in some way either ironic or just completely messed up. Rock on...

Michael Jackso...

Hank Williams Jr. has been a walking embodiment of American music for three generations of fans. As a youngster, he sang his father's songs, carrying forward country's richest legacy. As a young adult, he forged his own million-selling, award-winning path, becoming an icon of Outlaw country and Southern rock, helping bridge the gap between Johnny Cash and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Today, he is seen as a founding father of both genres, serving as inspiration for musicians ranging from Montgomery Gentry to Kid Rock.

Along the way, Hank Jr. has become a living icon, an American original whose accompl...

American rocker Bo Bice is set to be a dad again - his wife is expecting their third child in January.

Bice announced his partner Caroline's pregnancy on Friday night at a fan club gathering in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 33 year old told the crowd: "American Idol has a new winner each year - seems things are the same in our house. Can't wait to introduce our new little Idol to the world (on) January 31st!"

The couple, who married in 2005, are also parents to sons Caleb James, nine months, and three-and-a-half year old Aidan Michael.

The rocker, who will open for Lynyrd Skynyr...

Veteran rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd are moving on after the January death of keyboardist Billy Powell - they've signed a new record deal and are working on their first album in six years.

Two months after Powell died from a suspected heart attack, aged 56, the Sweet Home Alabama hit-makers are pressing ahead with tour and album plans, all in their late bandmate's honor. And they have signed with label Roadrunner Records to release their next disc, the follow up to 2003 album Vicious Cycle.

Singer Johnny Van Zant says, "We're busy putting the finishing touches on our next record being...

Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd announce they will join forces again to provide the best show of the summer, reprising last year's highly successful "Rock and Rebels" tour. The Live Nation produced tour kicks off in West Palm Beach, FL at the Cruzan Amphitheater with a 22 market trek through outdoor amphitheaters across the country. Tickets go on sale beginning March 20th, for specific on-sale dates and additional ticket information go to www.livenation.com.

Kid Rock's Rock 'N Roll Jesus debuted at #1 in 2007 and became the #1 selling rock album in America in 2008. Sales of the record co...

It takes a cataclysmic event to derail Overrated/Underrated from its usual Friday spot. Currently the Oscars have been serving as that disruptive force, but this week interruption comes from the most unlikely source: a sports columnist from the Kansas City Star.

This is because Joe Posnanski has suggested on his blog that we stop voting artists into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame and shift our focus to Hall-Worthy songs. Songs he deems "Iconic". His criterion for including a song on the ballot is that it be "A song that represents a set of beliefs or a way of life. So, I see these s...

Monday, Sept 8

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox, 8 p.m.) - Happy 16th Birthday, John Connor! Your terminator friend just blew up, there's some really bad guys after you and Shirley Manson appears to have something up her sleeve.

Gossip Girl (The CW, 8 p.m.) - We're still angry that the promo last week spoiled the Duchess reveal. It's still juicy though.

One Tree Hill (The CW, 9 p.m.) - Brooke's got revenge on her mind after being attacked.

Prison Break (Fox, 9 p.m.) - Smart move resurrecting Sara. Now, if only we knew what was going on, but we kind of forgot ...

We all know that the 70s was the decade of classic/arena rock, the 80s was the decade of hair metal/synth pop and the 90s was the decade of grunge/alternative rock. This brings up a question that a lot of music lovers must wonder: how will we categorize our current decade of music?

It's funny how music tends to change every generation. The 70s was the era of classic rock where groups such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd took over the entire music scene. Next up was the 80s, where both hair metal rockers such as Guns 'N Roses, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi reigned, along with ...

Sometimes it seems like a band just doesn't know when to quit. Just imagine how many times you've heard some classic rock DJ try to pawn off front row tickets to Steely Dan, or how many advertisements you've seen for a free REO Speedwagon show at the naval base followed by fireworks and the Glen Hill retirement community brass band. While I'll admit that the willingness of these groups to play every major outdoor amphitheater each summer showcases their tenacity, it doesn't exactly work wonders for their dignity. After a while, playing to half-empty audiences of drunken suburbanites has to ...

Kid Rock is to tour North America with Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd this summer. The Rock and Rebels Tour will begin in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on August 8.

"Kylie Minogue is the greatest thing that has happened to Australian music. Before her the world didn't have a f---ing clue about our music, nor any interest in it. Kylie has more greatness in her little fingernail than every f---ing Aussie indie band put together." Nick Cave has high praise for his "Where The Wild Roses Grow" duet partner.

Frank Sinatra will appear on a new U.S. postage stamp. The late crooner's daughte...

When the first Guitar Hero was released for the Playstation 2 in November 2005, it was met with both critical acclaim and a lot of buzz: a video game that substituted a simulated guitar for the standard controller? Why, it was unheard of! The game sold a modest 1.5 million copies and was popular enough to launch an entire franchise that has only gotten better with time.

Take, for example, the setlists. The original game, with a mere 47 songs, was composed of almost entirely cover versions. Guitar Hero II, on the other hand, contained 64 songs, four of which were actually recorded by th...

On their self-titled Virgin Records debut, Saving Abel boast a cool, alt-rock, Southern-tinged sound that's instantly familiar and irresistible. With songs ranging from the intense rocker "New Tattoo" to the sexy groove of the first single, "Addicted," the quintet from Corinth, Mississippi are radio-ready.

Singer Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null met in late 2004, and by 2005 were recording acoustic demos with producer Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed). Saving Abel then moved into a more rock/electric direction with a full band lineup, while "Addicted" garnered local radio...

Before Lindsay Lohan became a Mean Girl and Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron became High School Musical sweethearts, Winona Ryder was a Heather and Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy were our favorite couple from two different worlds.

Today's popular teen flicks would have never existed without the high school classics that made and shaped the genre. What makes a great high school movie is the legacy they've made on generations of teenagers, despite the decade they grew up in. These are the movies with the unforgettable characters, witty lines, and the feeling of being forever young. The...

A pop wannabe who briefly dated Britney Spears was voted off reality TV contest American Idol on Thursday night. Robbie Carrico romanced the troubled pop superstar in 1999 when he was a member of band Boyz N Girlz United, and the pair even stepped out as a couple at the 1999 premiere of movie Drive Me Crazy.

Acid-tongued American Idol judge Simon Cowell even ruled Carrico's rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" "quite good" in the first round of the current season of the show in January.

However, Carrico's luck ran out on Thursday when he was one of four contestants voted o...

A pop wannabe, who briefly dated Britney Spears, is a contestant on the current series of reality TV contest American Idol.

Robbie Carrico romanced the troubled pop superstar in 1999 when he was a member of band Boyz N Girlz United, and the pair even stepped out as a couple at the 1999 premiere of movie Drive Me Crazy.

On Wednesday's edition of American Idol, Carrico successfully auditioned in front of judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul in Miami, Florida.

He is now through to the next round of the show, after Cowell ruled his performance of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "...

Michael Jackson's Thriller and Pink Floyd's The Wall are among the 70 recordings that have been added to the Grammy Hall Of Fame.

Among the Recording Academy's other 2007 selections are Lynyrd Skynyrd's rock anthem Free Bird, Love's classic album Forever Changes and Willie Nelson's country hit Always On My Mind.

The Grammy Hall Of Fame was created in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting significance that are at least 25 years old. Its roster now numbers 798 recordings.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)

Rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd's former drummer Artimus Pyle has been jailed after failing to register as a sex offender. The 59-year-old - real name Thomas Delmer Pyle - pleaded guilty in 1993 to charges of attempted sexual battery on a victim younger than 12 and also principal to lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 16 years old.

He was sentenced to eight years' probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.

But Pyle is currently being held in Florida on $10,000 bail after his failure to register as a convicted sex offender was discovered when he renewed his driver's licence ...

Reformed British rockers The Verve are confident they will headline next year's Glastonbury festival. Frontman Richard Ashcroft insists it would be "a travesty" if the band was not asked to headline the legendary English music event because they are more talented than other rock acts.

He says, "I think it would be a travesty if we didn't. I think what's missing from a lot of the headliners is we're one of the few bands that can jam without sounding like Lynyrd Skynyrd on a bad night, so we can actually take people on a proper journey, rock n' roll-wise. We can change a standard rock g...

The much-anticipated Sex and The City movie began shooting in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday. The film, which reunites the cast of the hit TV show and features Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, is scheduled to be released in May 2008.

Lynyrd Skynyrd anthem Sweet Home Alabama is to be adopted as Alabama's official catchphrase in 2008.

CMT will become Carrie Music Television on Thursday when American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's new video 'So Small' is played back-to-back for six hours. The promo will appear 64 times from 6am.

Rocker Perry Farrell is launching a new record labe...

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (AP) _ At the start of ''Sweet Home Alabama,'' Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant shouts ''Turn it up!'' And that's what the state of Alabama plans to do with its new tourism campaign. Gov. Bob Riley has announced that Alabama's tourism agency will use the line ''Sweet Home Alabama'' to market the state in 2008.

State Tourism Director Lee Sentell said the line -used first in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song in 1974 and then in the 2002 movie starring Reese Witherspoon - will be featured throughout the state's $4.5 million marking program next year. The campaign symbol is a...

Hughie Thomasson, the founder of country rockers The Outlaws, has died from an apparent heart attack. The singer/guitarist died at his home in Florida on Sunday, aged 55.

The Outlaws formed in the late 1960s and released a hit debut album, called The Outlaws, in 1975. After scoring hits with anthems like "Green Grass & High Tides" and "There Goes Another LoveSong," the group became a live staple until disbanding in 1990.

Thomasson then started touring with Lynyrd Skynyrd until The Outlaws reunited two years ago.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Netwo...

Halfway To Hazard is Chad Warrix and David Tolliver. Chad and David have been friends since grade school each performing, making music and raising hell all of their lives. The guys are from the coal-country of Eastern Kentucky, Jackson and Hindman respectfully, just outside of Hazard, KY. Halfway To Hazard was formed while David, a solo artist who was writing songs for industry giant EMI and Warrix, who was coming off a major label recording deal of his own with his band Sodium, decided it would be interesting to take the stage together. Now three years later, they find their talents com...

It's been two and a half years since Charlie Hunter's last release, Copperopolis. This is certainly not too long to wait if you're happy with the jazz status quo. But for those of you who are Hunter fans Mistico has been a long time coming.

With Mistico, Hunter's first release on Fantasy Records, he continues the quest he's been on since he left Blue Note years ago; a quest no more complicated than the enjoyment of music-his own and others'. And he seems at least a few steps closer to what he's been looking for. "I wanted everything to sound like one kind of large instrument that will ...

Ben Folds has been forced to scrap his cruise plans due to poor ticket sales. The former Ben Folds Five leader was to set sail with a floating gig in February, as part of a series of celebrity cruise concert concepts.

But it seems Folds' fans suffer from seasickness - because the pop pianist's at-sea show undersold and has now been scrapped, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Folds was only one star looking to set sail from Florida to the Caribbean next year, and all the other floating shows are still going ahead.

These include cruises featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Barenaked L...