Today marks 34 years since the tragic plane crash in McComb, Mississippi that took the lives of three members of the southern boogie rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd and transformed it forever. The plane leased by the band, an old Convair 240 twin piston prop passenger aircraft was in disrepair. The motors were not working correctly and members of the band noticed this, but the pilots disregarded their concern and said, "we'll get to Greenville, South Carolina just fine." Well, unfortunately, the plane never made it and ended up running out of fuel, crashing into a forest in McComb, Mississippi. Survivors were hauled from the wreckage and treated for their injuries, but three members of the band (backup singer Cassie Gaines, her brother, guitarist Steve Gaines, and lead singer/bandleader Ronnie Van Zant), were all killed. Other band members suffered several injuries. The band did not perform again for a decade.
In 1987, they got back together with Ronnie's younger brother Johnny Van Zant leading the band which he still does to this day. Their music is a raucous mix of guitar screaming rock and roll with healthy doses of country twang and blues thrown in. Johnny Van Zant said years ago that it's pretty much country music, but played on the 10 setting of the amplifier dial. I had the chance to see Skynyrd in concert in 2007 at the Target Center and everything about the performance was perfect. They played all their hit songs and it was a stellar performance. Unfortunately, after the plane crash, they were never quite the same. Many of their other band members have also passed on including guitarist/songwriter Alan Collins, keyboardist and piano master Billy Powell (who could also wail on a Hammond B3), and their bassists Leon Wilkeson and Ean Evans. The band is still together with newer members Johnny Van Zant, Ricky Medlocke (originally a member of another bluesy boogie band called Blackfoot and an original Skynyrd member), original guitarist Gary Rossington (the only surviving original member), and drummer Michael Cartellone.
The band has gone through several changes. But, their style and countless records and songs still hold up. They are staples of rock and roll radio and some of their numbers, frankly, are overplayed. But that is not something that concerns diehard fans. The songwriting genius was Ronnie Van Zant. He could have been put down to being a typical redneck type guy. But, the songwriting capability he had and the way he could put a listener into a song with a lyric, has a lot to do with the positive side of southern culture and really represents the landscapes where the band came from in Jacksonville, Florida. No matter the criticism, Lynyrd Skynyrd (who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after years of trying to get in), they have secured their place in history. They are and always will be a significant band in the history of rock and roll.
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