Guitarist Garry Rossington, the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd died today at the age of 71. Rossington was one of 20 survivors of the Oct. 20, 1977 plane crash in Mississippi where Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmates Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and three others died.
Rossington has been carrying the Skynyrd banner through all their eras including the last 36 years when Skynyrd reunited following the crash with Ronnie’s younger brother Johnny on lead vocals along with crash survivors Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, and Artimus Pyle. Powell and Wikeson have since passed away and Pyle drums in his own band (although not an original Skynyrd member).
Rossington along with Ed King and Allen Collins and later with Steve Gaines and Collins formed a three-guitar attack in Skynyrd’s early years that has been the model for any true three-guitar rock band as the band had different soloists and an attack of six strings that truly made for the “Skynyrd” sound. RIP Gary Rossington.
