When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the band’s main songwriter, frontman, and singer. Photo: Most Of The Band Did Not Want To Board The Plane, But Band Leader Ronnie Van Zant Overruled And forced Them To Go Ronnie Van Zant enjoying a stog before a show. Sadly, the band would not make it to Baton Rouge and the plane had been pushed one flight too many. The band decided that once they had landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they would acquire a Learjet to replace the severely outdated 30-year-old plane. Artimus Pyle once said they were flying in a plane that he believed belonged to the Clampett family (they were the family from the Beverly Hillbillies, a family notorious for using pieced together equipment.). As they, too, were succumbing to the sub-par standards of the plane and crew. Lynyrd Skynyrd did not plan on keeping the plane for long. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. Buker had noticed the flight crew passing around liquor bottles while aboard the plane. According to the band’s autobiography, Zunk Buker, Aerosmith’s chief of flight operations manager, was inspecting the plane and the crew before they pulled the trigger. Although Steven Tyler and Joe Perry had insisted that they charter the plane, ultimately it was not signed to the band. A design that would most likely lead to the infamous crash.Īerosmith’s management passed on the opportunity to call this plane their own. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. It was going to be the replacement for Douglas C3’s with a pressurized cabin that was then just being mandated as a rule for commercial airlines. Photo credits Aerosmith Was Interested In The Same Plane And Crew As Lynyrd Skynyrd At The TimeĪerosmith’s band management at the time was looking at a Convair CV-240. Making the original release cover more valuable to collectors than the second cover released just a few weeks after the album hit the shelves.Ī Convair CV-240. The cover would quickly be changed to a more bland blacked-out background with the band in the same pose after the accident. If you look closely, Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines (2 of 3 band members to die in the crash) are completely engulfed in flames, whereas the rest of the band is merely standing around in the streets of fire. The album cover depicted the band members in an alleyway covered in flames. The album had a very controversial cover when released. It is a cautionary song about drug abuse that fans believed was aimed at one of the members. The band leased a new Convair CV-240 to help them get between shows easier. The album would go through several cover changes and would mark a new era for the guys. It would also be the first album that guitarist Steve Gaines would be the sole guitar player on. Both of which helped the album climb to the No. The album had two notable songs: “What’s your name” and “That Smell”. The album would reach gold in ten days after release and it would eventually go double platinum. “ Street Survivors” was released just three days before the crash and would quickly become a hit. The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. Photo thanks to Ultimate Classic Rock The Band Was Touring, With Their 5th Album “ Street Survivors” Being Released. Lynyrd Skynyrd poses for a shot for their Street Survivors album. Here are 10 facts about Lynyrd Skynyrd and their fateful end. On October 20, 1977, they would board a flight bound for Louisiana that would crash in Gillsberg, Missippi and claim the lives of band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, along with Pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray. From the commercial hits of “Free Bird” and “Simple Man” to less mainstream songs like “The Needle And The Spoon” and “T’ Is For Texas”, Lynyrd Skynyrd and their driving southern sound quickly cut their way to the top of the charts and into the hearts of many across the states and around the world. Lynyrd Skynyrd is no doubt an American staple in music and southern rock culture.
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