This is a bit of a somber day of the year for me for almost a decade now, because 10 years ago, when Billy Ray Cyrus was experimenting with Alternative Rock with his band Brother Clyde (imagine Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Paramore, Nirvana and Linkin Park in a blender) I wanted to hear some of the rock music that influenced this, so I bought Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gold and Led Zeppelin IV. I would spend the next year obsessed with Lynyrd Skynyrd, learning the ins and outs of their tours, booze-induced infighting, love of The Rolling Stones, Merle Haggard and Eric Clapton and down-home sensibilities of treating people like you wanted to be treated.
On this day in 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd's tour plane's engines failed and plummeted, crashing in a swamp. Only drummer Artimus Pyle was in any shape to ask for help, heading to a farmhouse where he was almost killed due to his appearance; he was covered in blood and scratched up very fiercely. Lead singer, lyricist and force behind the band Ronnie Van Zant was killed upon impact, one of the three guitarists, Steve Gaines, also died, as did his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines and roadie Dean Kilpatrick. Allen Collins, who played the solo on "Free Bird," sunk into a depression and became paralyzed in a car crash, only able to help the reunion tour in 1987 from behind the scenes. He died in 1990 from pneumonia.
Lynyrd Skynyrd has long been one of my favorite Classic Rock bands for being blatantly honest, delivering fun riffs, and having good messages in their songs as well as fun ones. Their first album follows a song about fleeing a girl's jealous boyfriend at a dance with advice from parents and grandparents on how to live life so that you're happy; don't be greedy, be patient, pray and count your blessings.
I can only imagine what the world would be like if the crash had never happened, but I personally feel Billy Ray Cyrus is the closest the music business has right now to Ronnie Van Zant, BRC admitted to being a huge Skynyrd fan multiple times by covering their version of "Call Me The Breeze" and also writing "The Freebird Fell," a memoriam of this day in 1977 co-written by former Skynyrd band members Ed King and Artimus Pyle.
As the recently passed Charlie Daniels said, "Fly On, Proud Bird, You're Free At Last."
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