Three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a Mississippi plane crash

History.Com(This Day in History) ^ | 10/20/2017 | staff

[Red Badger]

So do I...................

[wafflehouse]

so what exactly made aerosmith decide not to go with these guys?

[Liberty Valance]

I remember it well. I was working for the local daily in McAllen Tx.

[jaydubya2]

"Concerns over the flight crew led Aerosmith to look elsewhere"

I believe the concern was the flight crew was drinking.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Funny story...one of my grand kids had me listen to a great new song he found.... “Free bird”

My son did the same with me some years ago. He said he'd heard a great new acoustic song done by Metallica. It was called "Tuesday's Gone".

I said, "Ah, m'boy...you have much to learn. Come with me and let's listen to Ol' Dad's vinyl albums for a while and listen to some old Southern Rock. You'll be amazed at how derivative most of the music you listen to is."

He started playing guitar very soon thereafter...using Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers as inspiration and models. He is very, very good these days and writes his own stuff.

[Night Hides Not]

I was the platoon leader of a 4.2 mortar platoon in an armor battalion Germany.

IIRC, I was platoon leader for both Chaparral platoons in our composite Chaparral/Vulcan battery at Hahn AB. I was at Hahn until spring 79, when I was kicked up to Battalion HQ.

Can't recall when I transitioned over to a Vulcan platoon, though it was shortly thereafter. I had 3 AJ squad leaders and an E-5. Loved those guys, busted their tails for me.

We were the only platoon to pass during a battery level ARTEP. Our CO was a great staff officer, and should've stayed on staff.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

I was a high school freshman in my bedroom doing homework when the news broke on Q102 (WKRQ Cincinnati).

[Magnatron]

"I remember it well. I’m from Jax"

I was stationed in Mayport '79 - '82. I remember news stories about Ronnie's headstone getting stolen so may times they stopped replacing it for a while.

Spent a good many nights at Skinner's Bar on the beach (owned by the namesake of the band Leonard Skinner). Don't know what ever came of that place. I don't think it exists any longer.

[Skooz]

I was a high school stoner living in Alabama.

A few days after the crash I skipped work to attend a Ted Nugent concert. Ted dedicated a particularly blistering guitar solo in their honor. It’s the best I’ve ever seen him play.

[Rebelbase]

Pilot error on fuel levels prior to take-off and one engine consuming excessive fuel.

NTSB crash report, page 3:

http://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/FAA/AAR78-06.pdf

[fedupjohn]

I was 20 yrs old and in a NJ Southern Rock Club Band. We were in the studio rehearsing some of the new Skynyrd songs off the Street Survivors album.

When we were informed about the crash, a roadie went up to the liquor store for a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels, lit up a couple of "bones" and played Skynyrd as loud as the neighborhood could take till midnight.

People we pulling up and sitting outside the building where we rehearsed, as we were told, singing and crying.

When the police told us it was time to shut it down, they let us play Freebird with no interruptions.

It seems like it was yesterday. That night is burned into my memory forever.

[OldMissileer]

I was pulling Alerts in the Titan II ICBM system at McConnell AFB, KS. Like others here I had just bought the Street Survivor album with the original jacket.

[Chickensoup]

evidently not paying attention

[Mears]

One of my sons was 15 at the time,and was very upset.

I didn’t even know who they were.

.

[Hogblog]

Had tickets to see them in Little Rock at Barton Collisuem. They were coming to the Rock after Baton Rouge.

[McGruff]

You scared me.

[Seruzawa]

I was destroying a copy of FreeBird because I was sick to death of hearing it.

[4yearlurker]

I remember back in 1976 I was living in Savannah,Georgia. Skynyrd was playing at the local concert hall (can't remember the name of the place.) It was sold out. Me and a bud went down to see if we could get a couple of scalped tickets. Apparently so did hundreds of other folks. The kids started pushing on the entry doors and throwing stuff,the cops came in with dogs and billy clubs,I grabbed my buddy and said "lets beat feet outa here!" Sigh,never did get to see them.

[fedupjohn]

Mears,

My Mom & Dad didn't know either, They sure learned who they were in 1978 when we hit the big clubs and they were on the Guest List for the shows. LOL

[BenLurkin]

“Where were you ‘77?”

October: Working a dead-end retail job in San Francisco, trying to get into a Masers Program at SFSU. Vaguely recall hearing about the Lynrd Skynrd plane crash.