When the audience members began to hold up lighters, I laughed till I cried.” In the opening to “Free Bird,” Ronnie sings, “ If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” The answer to his question would be a resounding “yes.“The next thing you know everybody’s yelling “Freebird.’ Before the crowd could stop laughing and cheering, the band had launched into a blistering version of “Freebird.’ They encouraged audience members to come up and kneel to worship the lead guitarist, who was scribbing his way through a mock guitar solo. And they continue to keep the memory of their lost sister and brothers alive by performing their classic hits for crowds of people around the world. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They’ve penned and recorded many more Southern rock anthems. In the years since 1977, Skynyrd has released nine more studio albums. It proved Skynyrd’s unshakeable strength in the wake of tragedy, showing they could carry on despite the heartbreak they endured. The tribute tour turned into so much more. They finally decided to come back together for a tribute tour in 1987, this time with Ronnie’s younger brother, Johnny Van Zant, leading the charge. ![]() Miraculously, the other 20 passengers on the plane survived, although many were severely injured.įollowing the crash, Skynyrd went on a ten-year hiatus, and the various members took some time to pursue some side projects. Ronnie was three months shy of turning 30 on the day that Skynyrd’s plane crashed, claiming his life as well as the lives of Cassie, Steve, Dean, William, and Walter. They all dismissed him, but Ronnie knew his fate. Ronnie Van Zant, Skynyrd’s fearless leader and lead vocalist, often told family and friends that he would never live past the age of 30. But it was a potential he never got to realize, as he was one who lost his life on that tragic day. Steve penned four of the songs on Street Survivors, and had a future full of potential. The previous year, her brother, Steve Gaines, joined the group as a guitarist. The band’s assistant road manager, Dean Kilpatrick, was also killed.Ĭassie Gaines, who was part of Skynyrd’s group of background singers known as “The Honkettes,” also lost her life on that day. The pilot, Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray both died in the crash. The plane crashed in the forest outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi, and the course of Southern rock was changed forever. While the pilots attempted to make an emergency landing, they were unable do so. The plane carrying Southern rock’s shining stars started to run out of fuel as they neared the end of their flight. The band and crew loaded up on their chartered Convair CV-240, completely unaware of the life-altering event that would occur only moments later. On October 20th, they had just wrapped up a show in South Carolina and were all set to head to their next performance in Louisiana. With new music out, Skynyrd was traveling around the country to play at various gigs. For some members of the group, it became the final album they would ever record. Three days prior to that, Skynyrd had released their fifth studio album, Street Survivors. The date was October 20, 1977, forty years ago to this exact date. With songs under their belt such as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man,” and the iconic “Free Bird,” Skynyrd was poised at the top of the music world in 1977.īut one tragic day in October changed all of that in the blink of an eye. ![]() What started as a bunch of young kids who just loved playing music eventually turned into one of the greatest rock bands to ever exist. Their songs ranged from bluesy tunes to rock and roll masterpieces, and they quickly became American anthems. For four years leading up to that, a group of young Florida rockers had been taking the music industry by storm.
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