Who Was From Alabama?
As it turns out, none of the song’s writers were from Alabama. The three artists were actually from Jacksonville, Florida and Southern California. They had never lived in Alabama; they had only driven through it. How can someone write an anthem for a state that was never theirs?
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Ronnie Van Zant and his friend Gary Rossington were from Jacksonville, Florida. Ed King was from Glendale, California and yet despite not knowing the state as a native, they still wrote a song about it. The song mentions three different cities in the state, but still —