Songfacts®:

• This is Shinedown's cover of the 1973 Lynyrd Skynyrd classic written by their lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Gary Rossington. Skynyrd's version was never a hit but grew to become one of their most popular songs and one that defined Ronnie Van Zant, who died in a 1977 plane crash.
  
  Lynyrd Skynyrd formed in Jacksonville, Florida, as did Shinedown, whose guitarist, Jasin Todd, was married to Ronnie Van Zant's daughter Melody. Shinedown's lead singer, Brent Smith, wasn't from Jacksonville - he moved there from Knoxville, Tennessee - so Ronnie's widow, Judy Van Zant, let him stay with her.
  
  To show his appreciation, he had the band learn "Simple Man," and they played it at Freebird Live, the club Judy and Melody owned. It was supposed to be a one-time performance, but in the fall of 2003, a few months after Shinedown released their debut album, Leave A Whisper, they played an in-studio showcase at the Boston-area radio station WAAF while they were touring as an opening act for 3 Doors Down. Their DJ, Mistress Carrie, insisted they play a cover song, so they reprised "Simple Man," playing an acoustic version live on the air.
  
  When the band returned to Boston a month or so later, they found out that WAAF had been playing their cover of "Simple Man" to appease listener demand, and that it had been downloaded 500,000 times from their website. When they came back to Jacksonville they recorded the song - keeping it acoustic - and tacked it on to fresh copies of the Leave A Whisper album. They also released it as a single and put it into their setlists, where it got a great reaction from fans.
• Shinedown went on to become one of the most successful rock bands of their time, but no matter how many hits they churned out, they refused to bump "Simple Man" from their setlists, since it's a crowd favorite and a reminder of their roots.
• On November 13, 2022, Brent Smith of Shinedown got to sing "Simple Man" with Lynyrd Skynyrd at Skynyrd's show in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium. This version is available on the Celebrating 50 Years – Live at the Ryman DVD.
• Shinedown's cover earned royalties for Judy Van Zant, who owned half the publishing rights to the song. When Brent Smith was staying with her, he told her he would pay her back somehow. When their version of the song became a hit, he told her, "See, I told you I'd pay you back!"
• After Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was killed on December 8, 2004, Shinedown would often dedicate this song to him when they played it live.