The Artimus Pyle Band is hitting the road this month for a series of tour dates that will begin August 27 in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s a chance for fans to hear a bunch of legendary music played by someone who was there for a lot of the history.
The drummer is the last living member of Lynyrd Skynyrd who survived the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of three of his bandmates on October 20, 1977 in Gillsburg, Mississippi, including vocalist Ronnie Van Zant.
“Playing the music, I get emotional sometimes in the middle of a set doing a certain song. Tears will come to my eyes,” he tells UCR. “It quickly passes because I’m busy, you know, playing these songs.”
“No two Lynyrd Skynyrd songs are the same. There’s no drum parts that are exactly the same on any Skynyrd song. Every one is different, and it’s a challenge,” Pyle says. “And I accept that challenge and love doing it. And so you know, APB to me, has saved my life, and kept me alive.”
READ MORE: The Day Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Plane Crashed
In addition to the opening night in Cleveland, Pyle and his band will also perform further concerts in Pennsylvania, Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kansas and New Hampshire. The shows are on sale now and you can see all of the upcoming dates below.
How Artimus Joined Lynyrd Skynyrd
It’s been more than 50 years since the drummer joined the Southern rock legends, an opportunity that came his way in 1974, prior to the band going into the studio to record 1975’s Nuthin’ Fancy. “I was playing and jamming with a guy named Charlie Daniels, and he auditioned me for his band down in in New Orleans. Charlie had two drummers, and the drummer that was going to quit changed his mind at the last minute,” Pyle remembers.
“But he said, ‘I do know of a band that’s looking for a drummer because their drummer is having some medical issues.’ And it was Lynyrd Skynyrd — Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band both told Ronnie, ‘We know a drummer that’s crazy enough to be in your band’ and that was me.”
Listen to Artimus Pyle Play ‘Saturday Night Special’ With Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd Was ‘Definitely Hard Rock’ Back in the Day
Though Skynyrd these days is known for being in the Southern rock genre, partly because of the enduring success of the many songs that continue to get regular radio play, Pyle confirms that the Lynyrd Skynyrd of the ’70s was a harder-edged animal. In fact, he points out that they occupied space in several different genres, something he thinks is a factor in why the band’s music is still so popular.
“We were definitely hard rock, you know. But the the genius of Ronnie Van Zant is a song like ‘The Ballad of Curtis Loew,’ and several other songs that fit almost a country genre, and then we’d go into something like ‘Saturday Night Special,’ which is definitely heavy metal,” he says. “And then ‘Free Bird,’ you know, that’s just a wild melee of heavy metal, with the solo that Allen Collins wrote.”
“When you look at ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’ [that] is not a pop song, but it became a very popular song and still is all over the world,” he explains. “I mean, you think about Ronnie’s songs; they’ve lasted all these years. And they’re still relevant and played on radio stations all over the world. His songs will be here a thousand years from now.”
What Fans Can Expect From the Artimus Pyle Band’s Concerts
The drummer cuts right to the chase: “People that love Lynyrd Skynyrd music can expect a phenomenal band,” he tells UCR. “There’s seven of us now, and we’ve added Barry Lee Harwood [who some fans might know from his work with the Rossington Collins Band and also, his dobro and mandolin on Skynyrd’s Gimme Back My Bullets album] to the group.”
READ MORE: When Lynyrd Skynyrd Mixed Things Up For ‘Gimme Back My Bullets’
“We have an incredible frontman, Thane Shearon — and Scott Raines, Jerry Lyda and I have been together for years,” he adds. “We’ve got Johnny Jump on bass guitar, and Joe ‘Boogie’ Simpson on keyboards. It’s an amazing band, and the guys, they play Lynyrd Skynyrd music better and with more heart, and for all the right reasons than any band in the world.”
Artimus Pyle Band, 2026 Tour Dates
Aug. 27 – Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
Aug. 28 – North Ridgeville, OH @ Northeast Ohio VetFest 2026
Aug. 29 – Strausstown, PA @ Pat Garrett Amphitheater
Sept. 19 – Ocala, FL @ Circle Square Cultural Center
Sept. 20 – Stuart, FL @ Lyric Theatre
Sept. 21 – Jacksonville, FL @ Alhambra Theatre and Dining
Oct. 02 – Newberry, SC @ Newberry Opera House
Oct. 10 – Largo, FL @ Central Park Performing Arts Center
Oct. 15 – Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
Oct. 16 – Millville, NJ @ Levoy Theatre
Oct. 17 – Newton, NJ @ The Newton Theatre
Oct. 18 – Irwin, PA @ The Lamp Theatre
Oct. 31 – Rochester, NH @ Rochester Opera House
Nov. 07 – Kingman, KS @ Kingman Theatre
Lynyrd Skynyrd Albums Ranked
The reunited band has carried on the original lineup’s legacy, releasing almost twice as many LPs over the years.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
