Death of keyboardist forces Lynyrd Skynyrd to cancel Kinder concert
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January 28, 2009 - 2:35 PM
posted by: Scott Lawrence
A keyboardist for the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died, and all upcoming concerts, including one at Coushatta Casino Resort, have been cancelled.
Billy Powell died early Wednesday morning at his Florida home. He had a history of heart problems and a heart attack is suspected.
The group was scheduled to play January 30 at Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder, Louisiana. That show and the group's other upcoming concerts have been cancelled.
(From Grand Casino Coushatta)
LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S BILLY POWELL PASSES AWAY
"Beloved Pianist for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band, Billy Powell, passed away last night. We have no further details. The family and band request your respect and understanding during this difficult time. Thank you." Kirt Webster, Webster & Associates Public Relations. The Lynyrd Skynyrd concert scheduled for Friday, January 30, 2009 at Coushatta Casino Resort has been cancelled. We hope to re-schedule the show in the near future. Please refer to www.coushattacasinoresort.com and www.lynyrdskynyrd.com for updates on the bands touring schedule. Ticket holders may obtain a refund from the original place of purchase only.
Coushatta Casino Resort is located in Kinder, LA on Highway 165 (I-10 exit 44), featuring over 2800 slots and more than 70 table games. Phone 800-584-7263 for more information or visit the website at coushattacasinoresort.com.
ORANGE PARK, Fla. (AP) - A keyboardist for the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died at his northeast Florida home.
Keyboard player Billy Powell called 911 about 12:55 a.m. Wednesday saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m., said Orange Park Police Lt. Mark Cornett.
Powell, 56, who has a history of heart problems, missed a Tuesday appointment with his doctor for a cardiac evaluation. A heart attack is suspected. No autopsy will be performed because Powell's cardiologist will sign the death certificate, Cornett said.
The Jacksonville-based band was formed in 1966 by a group of high school students - famously, it took its name from a P.E. teacher they disliked, Leonard Skinner. Powell joined the group around 1972, the year before they released their first album, "Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd."
It became one of the South's most popular rock groups, and gained national fame with such hits as "Free Bird," "What's Your Name" and especially "Sweet Home Alabama," which reached the top 10 on the national charts in 1974.
The band was decimated on Oct. 20, 1977, when their chartered plane crashed in a swamp near McComb, Miss.
Six people were killed - lead singer Ronnie Van Zant; guitarist Steve Gaines; and his sister, vocalist Cassie Gaines; as well as an assistant road manager, the pilot and co-pilot.
Powell was one of the survivors.
Two years after the accident, Powell and fellow members Allen Collins, Gary Rossington and Leon Wilkeson formed the Rossington-Collins Band. It broke up in 1982.
Powell was on hand again in 1991 when a revived version of the band put out a new album, "Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991" and launched a tour in Baton Rouge, La., where the band was headed in 1977 when the plane crashed. Fans who kept their tickets from the canceled
1977 concert were admitted free. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
ld: (In number only). :cheesy:
