Lynyrd skynyrd plane crash free#

On the night of the crash, the band was on the third leg of its Street Survivors Tour. 'They wrote every word that is on there, went through 40 variations of what ought to fit on the thing, and we've got the pictures on the back of the band members,' he said. The information on the monument came from three Lynyrd Skynyrd scholars - all with Mississippi ties - who hail from Denver, Jacksonville, Florida, and Clarksdale. 'Dave Pace and Kevin Laird of Brookhaven Monument designed it and laid it out, took what we gave them and made it into what it is,' Nelson said.

What people will see in Amite County is a black granite marker that is 8 feet tall and 14 feet wide with steps leading up to the monument. It would give fans something to see, touch, remember, and have a picture of when visiting the crash site,' Nelson said.Īs donations poured in, the group planning the memorial opted to go bigger. 'We had an idea for a highway marker near the crash site on Hwy. 20 was originally planned as a green marker from the Department of Archives and History or possibly a Blues Trail marker through the Mississippi Development Authority. 'They are one of the better cover bands in the country,' said Nelson. Nuthin' Fancy, a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band from Florida will perform for an audience that includes crash survivors and their rescuers as well as medical personnel who helped save lives of those who were pulled from the wreckage. Judy Van Zant, widow of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, and Corrina Gaines, daughter of guitarist Steve Gaines and niece of backup singer Cassie Gaines, plan to attend the dedication. Pat Nelson, one of the organizers of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Project, which has partnered with the Southwest Medical Foundation, has confirmations from several family members of those who perished in the crash.

Lynyrd skynyrd plane crash free#

The unveiling is free and open to the public. Dwain Easley was one of the rescuers that night. The memorial will sit on land donated by Dwain and Lola Easley on Easley Road, just off Hwy. about 400 yards from the actual crash site, which is difficult to navigate because of trees, vines and marsh. GILLSBURG - Forty-two years after a plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd to their next sold-out show crashed in a Southwest Mississippi swamp, a monument to honor the band members and their crew who died will be unveiled near that fateful spot in Gillsburg. The late Ronnie Van Zant talks about Freebird while fishing.They unveiled a memorial there yesterday. He says, 'He just looked like he was laying there asleep.'' And Lacy (Van Zant) didn't know his leg was broke. He said that he just had a little bump right here behind his ear - a little cut. His own father, when he went to identify the body the next day said that when they pulled Ronnie out, Ronnie looked like he was asleep. Ronnie Van Zant had an eight-inch little nick and a fractured bone in his leg. Lynyrd's Skynyrd's head of security Gene Odom, who was on the plane and one of the 20 survivors recalled the state of Ronnie Van Zant's body after the fatal crash: However, In 2007, the 30th-anniversary reissue reinstated the original album cover. Three days before the crash the band released its fifth album, Street Survivors, which featured the future classics 'What's Your Name' and 'That Smell.' The album cover, which featured the band seemingly engulfed in flames was deemed poor taste following the crash so it was eventually substituted with another photo in light of the horrific plane crash. Tragically, the crash claimed the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines Skynyrd manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as the plane's two pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray.