Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to tour although some original members have either left the band or passed away. Years later guitarist and crash survivor Allen Collins would die from pneumonia after he was paralyzed in a car crash in which his girlfriend died. In the early 1980’s Lynyrd Skynyrd would morph into the Rossington Collins Band (surviving guitarists) spot-lighting the late Ronnie Van Zant. The rest of the band and crew ended up in area hospitals with broken bones, punctures and facial lacerations.Īfter the crash, band members suffered physically, emotionally (survivor’s guilt), drowned themselves with alcohol and would face many legal and personal obstacles in the years to come. Via telephone Jo Jo told guitarist Allen Collins that she had a dream about the plane crashing and begged him to warn the others. Honkette Jo Jo Billingsley, sick with the flu, was luckily not onboard. Emergency personnel were sent to the scene to assist the crash victims. Three men including Artimus Pyle, the bands drummer, suffering from chest injuries ran to a farm house to get help. Keyboardist Billy Powell described the tree’s impact on his body like being hit with baseball bats. Minutes later the Convair CV-300 crashed into a tree-lined Mississippi swamp killing the pilots, band manager Dean Kirkpatrick, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines (guitar player) and his sister Cassie.
#LYNYRD SKINNER LOUISIANA SWAMP SONG FULL#
The pilots attempted to land but engine trouble and the accidental dumping of a full tank of fuel sealed their fate – as Skynyrd plummeted out of the sky all that could be heard within the planes cabin was the rushing of air and whispered prayers by passengers bargaining with God to avoid death. Enroute from South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana the plane started having problems like before.
The rock band Aerosmith considered purchasing the Convair CV-300 but were skeptical of its safety. Their sound tech Kenny Pedean said, “The right engine backfired a lot… We watched it catch on fire…had a flame about six feet long out of the engine.” Skynyrd considered buying Jerry Lee Lewis’ plane but the deal fell through. Their Convair CV-300 airplane started to develop engine problems. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s exhausting tour schedule would not permit the band to sleep – that would change on Octowhen the “Freebird” fell into a Mississippi swamp. The hard drinking Lynyrd Skynyrd, now international rock stars, toured with future Christians Mylon Le Fevre (wrote gospel/secular songs for Elvis Presley, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Brokenheart and is now an Evangelist) and were close friends with Charlie Daniels (“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” fame). Their first album, Pronounced, was comprised of the popular songs “Gimme Three Steps” and “Freebird,” a song every young guitar player aspired to conquer along with Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Within a year “Sweet Home Alabama” would debut. They were named “The Honkette’s” (Honkytonk). Backup singers Jo Jo Billingsley, Leslie Hawkins and Cassie Gaines would eventually join the band. A few years later Skinner would befriend the band, grow his hair out and become a temporary celebrity. Leonard Skinner, their former high school physical education teacher, hated their long hair and attitudes thus the band smugly borrowed his name and changed the spelling.
Remember the songs “Freebird,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Gimme Three Steps?” A group of cocky teenagers from Florida, lead by singer Ronnie Van Zant, produced these hits after naming themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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