I live in the South, but I wasn't born here, so I'll never be a "Southerner". As is the case for many Yankees, my first introduction to the South was through the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who spread like wildfire across the nation when I was just knee-high to a grasshopper. They helped usher in a new sound that we call "Southern Rock". I got meet Artimus Pyle back when I was in college, and he was the first genuinely down-to-earth rock star I had ever met. I'll always have a fondness for Lynyrd Skynyrd because of how kind Artimus was to me, and for the countless hours I spent listening to Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd and Second Helping on my Sony Walkman when I was growing up.

Since I've lived in the South, the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd has been inescapable. This band's music is forever ingrained into Southern culture, like Spanish moss, Tennessee whiskey or fatback.

In my view, Lynyrd Skynyrd's story is something that needs a modern big screen treatment. Struggle, tragedy, death, re-emergence... it's all here, and if you haven't read any of the band's history I highly recommend it. Lynyrd Skynyrd has continued on with many different line-ups and so they make a great subject for a Family Tree playlist.

In this list I've pulled together songs by members of Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as other bands the various members have been a part of.

This is a continuation of our top 10 summer song playlists by decade. To compile each list, I looked at songs that reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the months of June, July and August for each year of the decade. From the collection of songs that reached #1 each summer, I selected the song that spent the most weeks on the chart in the top position. In the case of a tie (which was rare), I chose randomly from the songs that tied. The end result is a 10 song playlist of the top summer hits of the decade, one song from each year, listed in chronological order.

These are not the top songs ABOUT summer, but rather the most popular songs DURING summer. Songs that reach the top of the charts tend the be remembered. And the music that was part of your life as a a teenager will stay with you for the rest of your life. The most memorable moments of our teenage years tend to happen during the summer when we were free from school and responsibilities. We associate the songs from our teenage summers with coming of age memories. So if you grew up during the 70s this list may hold a powerful nostalgic pull.

Now please note, these are not my personal picks, but the top Billboard hits. So these are truly the songs that were getting the most attention during each summer of the 1970s. Your top summer songs of the 1970s may differ.

So tell us, what were your favorite summer songs of the 1970s?

Hit songs will be remembered forever, but the most memorable will always be the hits of summer. Every summer there are certain songs that seem to be everywhere you turn. These are the songs that will always be associated with that particular year.

As we wait to see what the top summer songs of 2013 will be, let's look back at the decade of the 00s. For this playlist, I've looked at Billboard's number one hit songs from the years 200o through 2009. I then determined which songs spent the most weeks at number one in the months of June, July and August. The winner of each year is contained in this playlist.

The end result is a playlist that contains true top 10 summer hits of the 00s.

2009 is a year that really stood out. The whole summer (and then some) was dominated by a single act: The Black Eyed Peas. Their #1 hits "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta A Feeling" ruled the top of the charts from April 18, 2009 until October 17, 2009.

That's quite an accomplishment, in all of its Auto-tuned glory.

Are you ready for summer yet? Will you be working on a tan?

After all, a suntan is something that just goes with summer and the coconut smell of suntan oil will always remind me of summers spent on the beach. Musicians have penned a few songs about the suntan, whether to take a stab at a perceived vanity, or to comment on the perceived attractiveness of a  tan.

And for those of us who actually live in a part of the world that has seasons it's almost time to get out in the sun. I'm all for the great outdoors, but I do not get the whole sun worship thing. Too much sun is bad for you! Especially young people. I think if you asked any melanoma patient, they would gladly give up the bronzed skin of their youth in a heartbeat, if they only had a chance. So make sure you stay safe in the sun this summer! It's not a joke, the risks are real, so protect yourself!

This playlist features suntan-focused songs, and I think you'll find it a pretty interesting listen. Sometimes a random subject like this can help you find some great new music. This playlist did that for me.