Sunday, February 1, 2009

Billy Powell...

I was very saddened to hear of the death of Billy Powell. Tina and I have been huge Skynyrd fans for many years. I never got to see the original band in concert, but Tina and I saw the "Second Time Around" version 5 times at Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion in Gilford, NH (http://www.meadowbrook.net/). We understood that this was not the original band. At that time it only had 2 or 3 original members. That didn't matter at all. If you closed your eyes and listened to Freebird, you were transported back to the early 70's in your mind. The "new" Skynyrd was fronted by Johnny Van Zant, the younger brother of Ronnie. We loved going to Skynyrd concerts because the music was great. The stage presence of this band was powerful. The love they had for their music was evident and the love they had for their fans was felt at every concert. The only original member now is Gary Rossington. Their latest concerts have been canceled. Will they tour again... I don't know. They could get another piano player... but Billy Powell will be greatly missed. Dead at the age of 56...

You can check out all the bio's and history of the band at their official website: http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/bios.html



Death:
On January 28, 2009, the keyboardist died at the age of 56 at his home in Orange Park, Florida. Powell called 911 at 12:55 a.m., complaining of shortness of breath. He missed his appointment with the doctor on the day before his death; the appointment was for a checkup on his heart.[1] The EMS responders found Powell unconscious and unresponsive, with the telephone still in his hand. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 am. A heart attack was the suspected cause of death, but an autopsy was not performed.

Freebird:


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