Pyle was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1967-71 as a sergeant in aviation. He joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1974. He survived the 1977 plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Gaines andSteve Gaines. Pyle suffered several broken ribs, but he and other survivors walked several hundred yards to a farmhouse to try to get help. The appearance of Pyle and his companions alarmed the residents of the farmhouse, who greeted them with guns and demanded they leave the premises. Eventually the Gillsburg Volunteer Fire Department arrived and assured the occupants that the men were survivors of a plane crash. The farmer's son actually shot Pyle in the shoulder with an air rifle. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Pyle currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, playing solo and with various musicians, including previous members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute bands. He also plays with his own band, "The Artimus Pyle Band", which released "Artimus Venomous" in 2007 on Storm Dog Records Group/Cleopatra Records. He also appears with "The Floyd County Rangers."