SPOTLIGHT = Lynyrd Skynyrd (1 song) & Marcy Playground (1 song)

A Jacksonville FL band & a band named after a grade school….

#1
Lynyrd Skynyrd originally formed in 1966 in Jacksonville FL as My Backyard by teenage friends Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins & Gary Rossington. Before settling on LS in 1970, the band was known as The Noble 5, 1 % & Leonard Skinnerd. This song, written in reply to Neil Young’s “Southern Man” & “Alabama”, hit the airwaves 06/24/1974 & is easily their signature tune; it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 & notched at #6 in Canada. It has since been covered by various artists, including the country band Alabama, & featured in several films including ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, ‘Crimson Tide’, ‘Con Air’, ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ & ‘Despicable Me’. Other familiar tunes by LS include 1974’s “Free Bird”, 1977’s “What’s Your Name” & 1987’s “Truck Drivin’ Man”.

#2
Marcy Playground formed in 1997 by John Wozniak, who named the band after the Marcy Open grade school he attended in Minneapolis MN. In the ‘1-hit wonder’ category, this band’s only hit was this song, released 11/04/1997 from their self-titled debut album. This single peaked in 1998 at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Alternative Songs, #4 on the Mainstream Rock, #3 on the Mainstream Top 40 & #4 on the Adult Top 40 charts. Elsewhere, it notched in the Top 10 of 3 other charts, including 2 in Canada.