Just heard the sad news that Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell has passed away. Those are his wonderful keyboards you hear during Freebird. For a short time he was in a Christian rock band called Vision who released one album.
Fly home, Billy!!! Be free!!
Mike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKrVjvBm2L8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKrVjvBm2L8&feature=related)
Skynyrd has had such bad luck. Aren't most of the original members gone now?
Far as I know only two still survive, Gary Rossington and Artimus Pyle. I never got to see them as Skynyrd, but did see them when they were touring as the Rossington/Collins Band. They did Freebird as an instrumental, with a spotlight on an empty mic stand. It was quite touching. Then, Leon Wilkeson grabbed it and threw it off stage, almost decapitating a roadie before they broke into the jam part of Freebird!
Mike