Via UltimateClassicRock. Lynyrd Skynyrd released their sophomore effort, "Second Helping" on April 15, 1974. Coming off the strength of their debut album "Pronounced "Leh-nerd Skin-nerd," and an opening slot on The Who tour, keyboardist Billy Powell said they were ready to bust out. "We just went out with guns blazing. We wanted to blow the doors off. In some places, Skynyrd went down better than the Who." Added guitarist Gary Rossington, "We were just a band that played clubs, teen dens and pubs. Then, all of a sudden, we were playing in stadiums for 30,000 people. ... We’d have shots of whiskey every night ’cause we were so scared."
The album was full of hits like their cover of JJ Cale's "Call Me The Breeze," "Don't Ask Me No Questions," "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe," and their biggest song "Sweet Home Alabama." With the album climbing the charts, radio stations went back to check out the songs on the first album, where they discovered a future rock anthem "Freebird."