In 1980, Collins, Rossington, Powell and Wilkeson formed the Rossington-Collins band with drummer Derek Hess (after Pyle was injured in a motorcycle accident), guitarist/singer Barry Harwood, and lead singer Dale Krantz, who latter married Rossington. In 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed with Van Zant's younger brother Johnny on lead vocals, and initially included Rossington, Powell, Wilkeson and Pyle, along with guitarist Ed King, who had left the band in 1975. Today, of the pre-crash members, only Rossington is still in Lynyrd Skynyrd. His wife Dale is one of two female backing vocalists.
Friday, October 20, 2017
The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash
Forty years ago today, the chartered Convair CV-240 aircraft carrying the band Lynyrd Skynyrd and their road crew ran out of fuel and crashed in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Six people were killed in the crash - pilot Walter McCreary, co-pilot William Gray, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/singer Steve Gaines, his sister backup singer Cassie Gaines, and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick. Cassie Gaines had been part of a vocal trio known as the Honkettes, which also included Leslie Hawkins and JoJo Billingsley, who was not aboard the flight. Twenty people survived, including Hawkins, keyboardist Billy Powell, guitarists Allen Collins and Gary Rossington, bassist Leon Wilkeson, and drummer Artimus Pyle. According to Powell, Van Zant was thrown from the plane as it broke up, his head hitting a tree. Although suffering broken ribs, Pyle was able to reach a nearby farmhouse and alert the authorities.
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