Goodmorrow I Am FALLSVIEW,
Lynyrd Skynyrd had its share of bad luck:
The beginning was truly a success story. Poor kids that practiced hard/worked harder and came across the right people at the right time.
Bob Burns the original drummer flipped out after seeing the movie The Exorcist, threw furniture out the hotel window along with a cat. Drugs and a nervous breakdown was at fault. The Exorcist's star Linda Blair was a serious groupie. Having sex with band members and also wanting to get connected with the huge cocaine dealer that Skynyrd had. She went on a binge one night and was running around naked. It was all hush hush because she was an actress.
Ed King got tired of Ronnie Van Zant beating up and threatening band members and left in the middle of the night.
Back up singer Cassie Gaines got her brother Steve an "audition" actually live on stage when they were close to his hometown. He was hired.
Steve Gaines brought boogie, great songwriting and fast, clean guitar playing into the band in the Summer of 1976. BUT the damage was already done. Ed King was responsible for bringing into the band two drugs, heroin and LSD from the West Coast scene. Gary, Allen and Leon were doing a lot of heroin/LSD and were completely burned out. Ronnie confided that after the Street Survivors tour he would be divorcing his wife Judy as he found her fooling around with one of his brother's band, 38 Special bandmates. The old song "One More Time" written in 1971 was put on the 1977 Street Survivors as a foreshadowing of what was to come for Judy...Ronnie did that intentionally.
Ronnie also spoke about a member of the entourage being fired after the tour. Many people believe that it was Gary or Billy but Artimus laid that rumour to rest as he said it was Ronnie's best friend and head of security Gene Odom.
By 1977 the group had a new sound thanks to Steve Gaines but it was short lived. Three days after the release of "STREET SURVIVORS" their plane ran out of fuel and crashed in Mississippi.
Now this is the weird part: If you look at the original album and put the vinyl sleeve over the cover, in the hole the only two faces showing are Ronnie and Steve's...the two band members that died. If you look at the original Tour Itinerary that came with the album the first three dates of the tour have periods after them...not any other date. They only made it to those three shows. Ronnie called himself the "Mississippi Kid." They always asked him why does he call himself that since he came from Jacksonville. He said "I don't know". He even wrote a song with that name. Ronnie died in Mississippi. He also said numerous times that he would not see 30 years of age.
One thing people may not know is that the Road Manager Dean Kilpatrick who died in the crash was Bisexual. He dressed in drag and was very open among band members about his sexuality. BUT...even to this day no band members that are alive, Artie or Gary will speak on this. Now...it really doesn't matter what type of person you're attracted to but this really went against the Skynyrd persona. It was never to be spoken of and if you think about it, Dean just about always bunked with Ronnie.
Artimus Pyle the drummer broke his leg in motorcycle accident in 1979 and did not join the Rossington Collins band along with piano player Billy Powell and bass player Leon Wilkerson. Gary and Allen were both sleeping with the lead singer, present wife of Gary, Dale Krantz. They released two albums and the second tour Allen Collins was informed that his pregnant wife Kathy had died in a movie theater bathroom in Jacksonville. It was coincidence that Ronnie's widow, Judy and Steve's widow Teresa were both at the same movie.
Steve and Cassie Gaines' mother died coming back from the cemetery graves 18 months after the plane crash.
The Tribute tour started in 1987 with much feuding between Judy and Gary. Years later Ed left and was never asked back, Artie flipped out on stage in Toronto and left never to be asked back.
Leon Wilkerson died in a motel room was replaced by another bassist that later died.
Ed was replaced with Outlaws front man Hughie Thomason. He died a few years later and was replaced by one time original drummer Ricky Medlocke.
Artimus Pyle and his wife filed for divorce and she accused him of sexually molesting their daughters. Artie drained his bank account fighting it and he was forced into a plea. When his daughters reached 18 they recanted their story saying how they were "coached" into saying certain things. Artimus still has to register as a sex offender though.
Billy Powell died in his condo of a heart attack as he was on the line with 911. His second wife is on instagram is a huge left wing nut job. She plays it as her and Billy were soul mates but in reality and something that is never spoke of, she was living in another condo at the time of his death.
Jake Tapper before being an anchor for CNN did a very sleazy documentary for VHI called "Uncivil Wars". It put a ton of gasoline on the flames. Gary said that Artie was afraid of alligators and was running away from them during the plane crash. Artie actually went for help to a near by farmers house. Billy Powell said that back up singer Cassie Gaines died in his arms with her throat slashed. This infuriated Judy Van Zant and she later posted the autopsy report showing that was not the case. If you speak to the right people they will tell you that Billy said that intentionally to get back at Judy.
Lots of drugs, sleeping around and normal Rock Superstar behavior going on. The problem was they needed what music stars have today...a bunch of handlers. Personally I don't believe Ronnie would ever go for that since he was the father figure in the group. He also did his back end dealings with concert promoters. Over selling an arena with "standing room only" tickets and splitting it with the concert promoter and no one else.
Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie's youngest brother and now lead singer of the band lost his 35 year old daughter to cancer last November.
The highly anticipated Skynyrd Movie, If I Leave Here Tomorrow debuted on Showtime this past Saturday...Ed King dies the following Thursday.
I probably missed some other stuff but I was writing off the top of my head. Even if you're not into Skynyrd...it does make for an interesting read.
