By 1975, personal issues began to take their toll on the band. In

By 1975, personal issues began to take their toll on the band. In January, drummer Burns left the band after suffering a mental breakdown during a European tour, and was replaced by Kentucky native and former US Marine mechanic Artimus Pyle . The band’s third album, Nuthin’ Fancy , was recorded in 17 days. Unhappy with the band’s lack of preparation for the album’s recording, Kooper and the band parted ways by mutual agreement after the tracking was completed, with Kooper mixing the album while the band left for the tour that had precipitated the constricted recording schedule. Though the album fared well, it ultimately had lower sales than its predecessors. Midway through the Nuthin’ Fancy tour, guitarist Ed King abruptly left the band after a falling out with Van Zant. King’s guitar roadie and Van Zant were arrested together and spent the night in jail. With his guitar roadie unavailable, King played that night’s show with old strings that broke, causing his performance to be substandard. Van Zant subsequently belittled him in front of his bandmates. King quit and returned home to Los Angeles, believing Van Zant had been responsible for his guitar roadie being in jail in the first place.