SHINEDOWN SAYS NO JASIN, NO DIME, NO SKYNYRD SIMPLE MAN

Shinedown talks about why they’ll never play the Lynyrd Skynyrd song Simple Man again.

Shinedown are currently enjoying crossover success with “Second Chance,” as it’s climbing up the pop charts after being a staple at Alternative Rock and Active Rock radio. The band’s first hit was a cover of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic “Simple Man,” but fans familiar with that shouldn’t plan on hearing it from the band anytime soon.

The band talked about how the idea to do the song came about and the tie-in for it to be a tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell.

[Barry Kerch] “We kind of fought it, and initially it wasn’t even about Darrell. We gave it to him after he passed away. We were doing that song long before he passed away, god rest his soul, but really that song came about because our old guitar player, Jasin, was married to [late Skynyrd vocalist] Ronnie [Van Zant]’s daughter. And we used to play at her mother’s club, her and her mother’s club, Freebird Live in Jacksonville. And one night as a thank you because we cut our teeth there, we played the song for her.”

Shinedown added that fans will go away disappointed if all they came to see is their rendition of “Simple Man.”

[Barry Kerch] “After losing Jasin in the band the song just wasn’t the same. We can’t do it.” [Brent Smith] “It’s disrespectful to do it now. Some people tell me, ‘Well what about the fan who comes to the show and that’s all they want to hear?’ Well, I’m sorry. Actually, I’m not to be honest with you because we have all of these other songs, and it’s just disrespectful. I just wouldn’t feel right singing it.”

The band is scheduled to play a slew of radio festivals in early May before hitting the Rock On The Range festival in mid May.