Posted on 10/19/2007 10:21:26 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
Thirty years ago today, a rented plane took off from Greenville, S.C., headed for Baton Rouge, La. Just before dark, just before it reached the Louisiana line, the plane ran out of fuel and sank toward the Mississippi landscape below.
It first grazed the tops of the pine trees.
"It was like the sound of a billion baseball bats beating the side of the plane." Lynyrd Skynyrd bass player Leon Wilkeson described in an interview a decade ago.
The plane crashed down through the trees to the ground, breaking apart as it went. In the twisted, broken pieces of that 1947 Convair lay what was left of Jacksonville's greatest musical legacy.
Though there were 26 people on the plane, only six died that evening, Oct. 20, 1977. But killed along with the two pilots were three band members and the road manager for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
Try Ted Nugent.
Harry Chapin that was impressive, but so was the rest of the crew. Oscar Brand and Dave Von Ronk. Wow. Joni looked terrific. When did become a skeleton? My dan had all the sea shanty LP’s from Oscar along with his Rusty Warren, Doug Clark and Redd Foxx lp’s.
Couldn’t tell you. I don’t know a single thing about the politics of singers. If this group would have kept their politics out of their song, I wouldn’t have known about their views.
If you look closely, you’ll see that Ronnie is wearing a Neil Young concert t-shirt in that photo. This was after Young wrote “Southern Man.” Ronnie and Neil were good friends —despite politics. Rumor has it that Ronnie was buried in this shirt.
Oh my goodness he sounds and looks great, and his saxophone guy is OUTSTANDING....(remember the saxophone solos on Year of the Cat and others)
I remember Al doing the Pink Panther theme, and he would put a big stuffed Pink Panther on the piano. Yep, Al always had great saxamophone players. ‘Song on the Radio’ was another one that had great sax.
One bizarre trivia about this tragedy is that the Big Bopper was on that plane only because Waylon Jennings gave him his seat.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was just hitting their stride when the plane crashed. I think they could have been one of the biggest bands ever.
I’ll never forget going to the Will Rogers theater in Oklahoma City
with my brother to see some “concert films”.
One was on Lynard Skynard; it appeared to have been sponsored by
Pepsi.
It was a good collection of concert performances, along with some
“at home” footage, especially seeing the keyboardist playing classical
at home.
I think he had a bust of Beethoven on/near his piano.
There are few things (most) Skynyrd fans hate hearing more than that. Ronnie knew talent when he saw/heard it.
If you look closely, you’ll see that Ronnie is wearing a Neil Young concert t-shirt in that photo. This was after Young wrote “Southern Man.”
Or "Alabama." ("Southern Man" was released in '70 and "Alabama" in '72).
Song on the Radio, On the Border, Year of the Cat...
He appeared at EPCOT'S opening day of an international food festival...
He was there for 2 days, to be followed each weekend by other 'golden oldies'....
We saw Arlo Guthrie last year....(Al Stewart was better)
Stewart is very witty, articulate and entertaining.
Love the song.
So that plane actually flew again? I thought it was a total loss.
Me too. :)
The world would have ended without disco, or polyester.
“To clarify, Skynyrd wrote “Sweet Home Alabama” in response to Neil’s “Alabama,” not (as is widely believed) in response to “Southern Man.”
Actually its directed at both songs but more “Southern Man” than “Alabama”. It even has someone sounding like Neil Young singing the words “Southern Man” in the backround after the line “Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her,”.
http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lynyrd.htm
???
Like your tagline! A Tele is next on my purchase list. I’ve owned one before and I really miss it. The Highway Ones are looking good (it will go with my Strat) but I’m thinking of building a parts-o-caster from eBay to slowly sneak it past my wife...
Yes they do. And the new comers, or the old has beens, tend to fly in really old airplanes, that I'd be loathe to fly in unless I knew a lot about how they were being maintained. Airplanes can last a long time, if properly maintained, but many older birds are kept flying with bailing wire and chewing gun, and little more.
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