Turn it Up! My Years with Lynyrd Skynyrd: Love, Life, and Death, Southern Style

Ron Eckerman gets it right. I’ve followed this band since 1974 and am very familiar with their habits and relationships. This book is the best one ever done as far as being consistent goes. I highly recommend it.

Now that the last of the survivors has died, makes me want to read it all over again. Very interesting book. I was reading and going to you tube at the same time looking them up.

As much as I love the Skynyrd music there was some factual faults that I noticed immidiately which makes Me wonder if there are other errors in this book as well.There were simply to many errors on audience figures which are very easy to look up. And this comes from the Road manager ? Should he not know a little better ?It might sound silly reacting to faulty audience figures. But to Me this makes Me wonder what else is not true in the book.I Give a few Examples. Knebwort 1976. Ron Eckerman says there were 500 000 people there. The promotor of Knebworth 1976 said very clearly 120 000 people.Rfk Stadium 1976 according to Eckerman there were 100 000 there. Stadium takes 56 000 people, the stage was put on the long end of the stands, guessing maybe loosing 20 000 people by putting the stage like that. When Springsteen played the same stadium 1985 with the stage on the short side of the stands making it taking in lots of more people he had 52 000 in attendance. Maybe Skynyrd had 50 000 but No way 100 000.Chicago 1977 according to Eckerman 80 000 people there Billboard Magazine says 63 000.JFK 1977 Eckerman says 100 000 Billboard magazine counted 91 000People ( not a big difference but anyway why always go higher thsn the truth ? ).And also he Said Skynyrd performed just before Stones at Knebworth, which they did not. There was another band after Skynyrd and before Stones. I would not want this man as a road manager. Also the fact he choosed the plane they crashed in annoys Me. Truth is it was the pilots fault that the plane crashed because there was not enough Girl in the plane, but other bands like Aerosmith had looked at the plane and decided it was to dangerous to use. And truth to be told I dont understand the statements he makes saying they would be Americas biggest band, soon as big as the Rolling Stones. This is in No way to let Skynyrd down as their music id much better than the Rolling Stones music, but did he not see that even in 1977 they just played one gig in one city ? I think the Stones played 5 gigs in a big arena in LA and 6 gigs in Madison Square garden 1975 and multiple gigs in all other cities. They even played some stadium shows that were just the Rolling Stones. Not like Skynyrd festival shows with 5 other bands and Peter Framton as main artist and ending artist of the festival. From what I have read the tour should have ended February 1 and after that Ronnie would do an album with a country artist I have forgotten the name on. Then the punk came. So even if they would have Done an album late 78 it early 1979 I think their style of music would not have lasted much longer. Sad to say about such Nice music but they were not the kind of music the people prefered to listen to. That their biggest hit just hit No 8 on the Billboard chart is another reminder that the best music is not the music that sells. The sad truth is that the Plane Crash Made Skynyrd much bigger and known to the general people than they otherwise would have been.And they would never come close to the popularity of the big bands. But to Me Thats the great thing about Skynyrd that they were not as big as the biggest bands. You had music many times other people never had heard of. So hats off to the incredible music of Skynyrd but unfortunately No hats off to Ron Eckerman. I would not recomend this book.

I read the first third of this book and had to put it down. I have read several books about Lynyrd Skynyrd. I have read Lee Ballinger's book, the Marley Brant book and two books by Gene Odom. Gene's first book was poorly written, the work of a bodyguard. Gene's communication skills with English weren't the best, but at least his first book was written early after the plane crash in about 1983. Ron Eckerman's book came decades after the plane crash and it really just reads like notes. The writing doesn't flow. The details seem to be weak. Granted, I had Covid 19 for a while when I was trying to read this book, but there was almost nothing to draw me into the book. I actually was feeling sorry for Ron as he recalled how his wife had loved to party and to drink. She sure didn't sound like my kind of lady. Anyway, Steve Gaines and his sister and the Honkettes may have given the band a new energy but this book sure hasn't energized me. I just don't like the book. I don't like how the band treated Ron. It seems to me they sort of didn't like him. I guess that Alan Walden/Cry For the Bad Man, didn't help Ron to connect more intimately with this band. The band seemed to be little more than Ron's working associates. He just didn't seem to have a strong relationship with the band. I was pretty down at one point when I had Covid and another book about one of my favorite bands could have lifted my spirits, but this book left me feeling a bit sad. Part of it was the new beginning of the band and the end of the band. It's the time era of this book. It isn't going to end well, that much I know. Anyway, Ron's book has not impressed me so far.

This is the best book written from the inside of one of the greatest Southern Rock bands. All the 'meat & potatoes' are here,....written by 'RonEckerman', as he was called by the boys. Ron Eckerman was Lynyrd Skynyrd's tour manager and survived the plane crash. This story is absolutely captivating and 'tells it like it is' or was in their day. Musicians especially will want to know the 'ins & outs' of the music industry and this book will put quite a bit into perspective for them. All that glitters is not always gold and after upper managements' take, pay-offs to everyone including percentages to the venue all the way down to the roadies,....the earnings were not as great as one would think. Turn It Up! is a factual 2 year (almost diary-like) of the daily dredge of touring and making it all work. Ron's ability to deliver the truth, the love and 'brotherhood' with Ronnie Van Zant, the trials and tribulations within the band, fist fights with knock-out punches, food fight shenanigans & tearing up hotels,....makes this book (without a doubt) one great read from cover to cover. All Skynyrd fans will enjoy this book and I highly recommend it !

What can I say are original frontman of the greatest southern rock and roll band Lynyrd Skynyrd great book great historical book on the history of this great band who unfortunately was cut short and their rock and roll careers I personally do not consider the reformed band to be Lynyrd Skynyrd when the originals was killed in the plane crash to me that was the end of the Lynyrd Skynyrd legacy great book great read I see this seller has other books on Lynyrd Skynyrd which I will be purchasing very shortly I enjoy buying from this customer and I will always enjoy buying from this cellar

This is a great, easy to read account of the last few years of Lynyrd Skynyrd. That's really the only caveat. If you are looking for something with details about the early days you won't find it here because the author was not associated with the band at that time.

Although this book only chronicles the time "Roneckerman" as Allen Collins called him worked for the band, this gives fans like myself a far greater insight into the characters who made up Lynyrd Skynyrd than any other book I have read.The most interesting being the complex character of Allen Collins who appears to be far more belligerant and opinionated than I had peviously thought.Eckermans skill lies in the fact that he recounts his stories with obvious affection towards the band;the bottom line being this is a great read.

This book is far from perfect and the author is clearly not a professional writer. But there are some very interesting sections which makes this book worth reading once.

Great to learn more about the band. It made me want to turn back time in places. Needed a bit more proofreading, otherwise, it would have been 5 Stars.

Was für ein tolles Buch! Ich konnte es nicht beiseite legen. Sehr anschaulich und lebendig geschrieben. Man erfährt sehr viel über das Leben auf Tour und wie es ist der Road Manager von einer der größten Bands der 70er zu sein. Ich habe ein paar neue Dinge über Ronnie erfahren, wer aber detaillierte biographische Einblicke in die Bandmitglieder erwartet, wird mit diesem Buch nicht zufrieden gestellt.Danke, Ron Eckerman für diese wertvollen Memoiren!

Awesome book,the best I have read about LS. A must have for all Lynyrd Skynyrd fans. I read the whole book in one day, couldn’t put it down until I finished.