On This Day

Lynyrd Skynyrd in History

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Events in Music

  • 1977-10-20 Plane chartered by rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd runs out of fuel and crashes in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Six people are killed, including band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gains, and Cassie Gaines, and road manager Dean Kilpatrick

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

2006-03-13 21st Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Black Sabbath; Blondie; Miles Davis; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Sex Pistols; Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss

Jazz Musician Miles Davis
Band Manager and Pioneer of Punk Malcolm McLaren
Rocker Steve Jones

Birthdays in Music

  • 1948-01-09 Cassie Gaines, American rock singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), born in Miami, Oklahoma (d. 1977)
  • 1948-01-15 Ronnie Van Zant, American rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Gimme Three Steps"), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 1977)
  • 1948-07-15 (Thomas) "Artemis" Pyle, American rock drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Gimme Three Steps"), and plane crash survivor, born in Louisville, Kentucky
  • 1949-09-14 Ed King, American psychedelic rock guitarist, bass player, and songwriter (Strawberry Alarm Clock, 1967-71 - "Incense and Peppermints"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1972-75 & 1987-96 - "Sweet Home Alabama"; "Saturday Night Special"), born in Glendale, California (d. 2018)
  • 1949-09-14 Steve Gaines, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1976-77 - "You Got That Right"), born in Miami, Oklahoma (d. 1977)
  • 1950-02-17 Rickey Medlocke, American rock guitarist, vocalist, and drummer (Blackfoot, 1969-97 - "Highway Song"' "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1971-72 and 1996-present), born in Jackson, Florida
  • 1950-11-24 Bob Burns, American rock drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1964-74), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2015)
  • 1951-12-04 Gary Rossington, American rock guitarist, slide-guitar player, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd; Rossington-Collins Band), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2023)
  • 1952-04-02 Leon Wilkeson, American rock bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama"), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 2001)
  • 1952-05-28 Deborah Jo Billingsley, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and songwriter, born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2010)
  • 1952-06-03 Billy Powell, American musician and keyboardist (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "That Smell"; "Freebird"), born in Corpus Christi, Texas (d. 2009)
  • 1952-07-19 (Larken) Allen Collins, American southern rock guitarist, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"; "Gimme Three Steps"; Rossington-Collins Band - "Don't Misunderstand Me"), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 1990)
  • 1952-08-13 Hughie Thomasson, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Outlaws - "Green Grass and High Tides"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1996-2005), born in Buchanan, Virginia (d. 2007)
  • 1954-07-01 Randall Hall, American rock guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1987-94), born in Jacksonville, Florida
  • 1960-02-27 Johnny Van Zant, American rock vocalist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), born in Jacksonville, Florida
  • 1962-06-07 Michael Cartellone, American rock drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), born in Solon, Ohio

Deaths in Music

  • 1977-10-20 Cassie Gaines, American rock singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 28
  • 1977-10-20 Ronnie Van Zant, American rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 29
  • 1977-10-20 Steve Gaines, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 28
  • 1990-01-23 (Larken) Allen Collins, American southern rock guitarist, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"; "Gimme Three Steps"; Rossington-Collins Band - "Don't Misunderstand Me"), dies from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis suffered in a drunk driving accident, at 37
  • 2001-07-27 Leon Wilkeson, American guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies at 49
  • 2007-09-09 Hughie Thomasson, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Outlaws - "Green Grass and High Tides"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1996-2005), dies of a heartt attack at 55
  • 2009-01-28 Billy Powell, American musician and keyboardist (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "That Smell"; "Freebird"), dies at 56
  • 2010-06-24 Deborah Jo Billingsley, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and songwriter, dies of cancer at 58
  • 2010-09-20 Leonard Skinner, American high school gym teacher; namesake of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, dies at 77
  • 2015-04-03 Bob Burns, American drummer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a car crash at 64
  • 2018-08-22 Ed King, American psychedelic rock musician (Strawberry Alarm Clock; Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies of cancer at 68
  • 2023-03-05 Gary Rossington, American rock guitarist, slide-guitar player, and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd; Rossington-Collins Band), dies at 71 [1]

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