This past Wednesday, 28-January-09, Billy Powell, the keyboardist that played the rolling introduction to Freebird. died of a presumed heart attack.
Billy Powell started a a roadie for the band forming in the sixties. In 1972 he joined the band as a playing member. The band's first album “Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd” was released in 1973.
The band was riding the popular wave of southern rock music when on 20-October-77 their charter plane crashed in a swamp near McComb Mississippi (see Jerry Clower). Three members of the band died in the crash, including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and Steve's sister vocalist Cassie Gaines. Three more died in the crash; an assistant road manager, the pilot and the co-pilot.
Billy Powell survived the crash and in 1979 joined the survivors in a group named Rossington-Collins Band, that I saw play in Piedmont Park that same year. Later in 1991 Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed with Garry Rossington, Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson from the original band joined by Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie's younger brother.
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