10 most iconic riffs of the 70s: Remembering Ed King, the legend who gave us the opening riff on 'Sweet Home Alabama'
The music world lost yet another legend on Wednesday. Ed King, former guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Strawberry Alarm Clock died in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 68.
King was a founding member of Strawberry Alarm Clock, the acid rock band formed in King’s hometown of Los Angeles. Renowned for their 1967 hit single 'Incense and Peppermints', which King wrote with keyboard player Mark Weitz, Strawberry Alarm Clock opened for a young Lynyrd Skynyrd during a run of shows in Jacksonville, FL in 1968, which introduced King to its members, including frontman Ronnie Van Zant.
However, King wouldn’t go on to join Lynyrd Skynrd until 1972, when he briefly replaced the bassist Leon Wilkeson. Upon Wilkeson’s return to the band, King moved to guitar, establishing the famous triple-guitar combination which the band became synonymous with. King played on the band’s first three albums, 'Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd', 'Second Helping', both released in 1974 and 'Nuthin’ Fancy', released in 1975. He contributed to many Skynyrd hits such as 'Poison Whiskey', 'Saturday Night Special', and 'Swamp Music.'
