When the Free Bird crashed I was in high school in a small town in North East Ohio. I never dreamed at that time that I would ever find myself having Thanksgiving dinner with the family at the table of the youngest brother, Johnny VanZant a little over a decade later.
It seemed surreal to visit the mausoleum in Orange Park, and sit on the bench that Charlie Daniels had inscribed with a poem as a tribute.
Johnny had just released Brickyard Road and was trying to decide if he would form the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Band. I had taken a job with his first wife, Cindy as a window decorator at the area malls.
Johnny signed the deal of course, and his life was forever changed in ways none of us could ever have foreseen. But crash survivor Billy Powell signed on to play the music we loved so much, and we got to enjoy him a while longer. I chose the tune above so you can see a little more of the classic keyboard player
Save me a ticket on the other side, Billy, and our condolences to the family and the band.
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