The cabin was on a creek. King was a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, responsible for co-writing "Sweet Home Alabama," & a member of Strawberry Alarm Clock. And I hate myself for that now, Rossington frowns. Guitarist Gary Rossington, the lone original member of the Lynyrd Skynyrd that tours today, quipped on Kings aloof, business-minded nature in the documentary. In a new interview, Pyle . If he didnt latch onto it in the first five or ten minutes, then youd go on to something else.. I had gotten fed up with frankly all the violence. I just felt that I had a wealth of knowledge for this. King says that it was the Beatles who inspired him to become an accomplished guitar player. Leon Wilkeson - Bass for the group up until the album was cut. The two bands bonded when Purple opened for Skynyrd in the US two years previously, though it was Ian Gillan and company that would be headlining in Europe. The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock and Roll Heaven. The band were four dates into an intended 45-show trek, dubbed The Tour Of The Survivors, when disaster struck. He had a slide in his pocket, and when he pulled that out he really impressed Allen and I. In choosing to call their next release, in 1976, Gimme Back My Bullets, Ronnie had made it plain that it was time for the group to recapture former glories bullets being the symbol that US magazine Billboard awarded to albums that had sold more than a million copies in the US. I would have liked to have been, but I didn't want to jeopardize Cleopatra's chances of winning the lawsuit. King is now retired and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 with Lynyrd Skynyrd. But it was the best thing I ever did. The tour is named, Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour. In a 2005 interview with Classic Bands, King said that he began playing guitar in 1961 when he was 12. Lynyrd Skynyrd is in the middle of a U.S. tour, the bands next gig is set for August 24 at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, New York. In an interview shortly before his death from cancer in 2018, King pointed to the below photo as being illustrative of his place in the band all by himself to the left, with the other guys all standing side by side: In March of 1975, during a show in Ann Arbor, Michigan, King snapped two guitar strings while playing Free Bird, throwing off his performance. After a dust-up with singer Ronnie Van Zant, King, tired of the Skynyrd drama and propensity for fighting, exited the band in 1975, detailing the incident in the superb new documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ed King died on August 22nd, 2018 at the age of 68 in Nashville. Skynyrd and various crew members had been aboard their private 1947 Convair 240 turbo-prop plane when its 21 tons fell from the sky. Its the best one weve done since then, and Im hoping it could do for this line-up what Street Survivors did for the original band. It's a movie about something that really happened, so it's not just some frivolous flick that we put together. that was great. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. They had my telephone number; they would call me at four in the morning, asking questions. I gotta get me a Sweet Home Alabama coaster. Ed King Discussions. Damon Johnson (@DamonJOfficial) August 23, 2018, Sad to learn Ed King passed away. You participated in the band's If I Leave Here Tomorrow documentary. Coincidentally, King and Gaines shared the same birthday. Artimus Pyle was originally charged with capital sexual battery in assaults on the 4- and 8-year-old girls. That band, called The Saturday Night Special Band, played several shows that can be found on YouTube. Skynyrd never relied on the jazzy improvisations of the Allman Brothers. I'm a pilot. Ed has said many times it was the incredible pressure from the record company and constant touring mixed with drugs and booze that finally ended it all. The co-pilot started to put the landing gear down, which cut down our glide ratio. After leaving Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1975, King spent time working on his own personal musical projects. I wanted the beating to stop, but not like it did. [12] Coincidentally, Steve Gaines was born on the same day as King, September 14, 1949. Because of Ronnie, Randall also developed a close relationship with Allen, who eventually recruited him to join The Allen Collins Band after the plane crash in 1977. BA1 1UA. Gainess presence also had the knock-on benefit, Powell says, of taking some of the pressure off Ronnie [because] Steve was a great singer, too. However, what the band previously thought of as their unassailable relationship with producer Dowd began to unravel as heated arguments broke out during the mixing of the Street Survivors album. The famed keyboardist was one of the band's most recognized members, but he was not an original member, despite what some might think. I never made a deal. That wasnt even work. On the road and drinkingwatch out! The documentary also features interviews with drummer Artimus Pyle, Sweet Home Alabama cowriter Ed King, producer Al Kooper, late drummer Bob Burns and Honkette backup singer JoJo Billingsley. King was born in California in 1949. Weve no ego about all that stuff, Billy concludes. According to Rossington, it had been acting up for a day or two, and pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray had announced their intention of getting it checked out at the next port of call in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee 2006. I would hope and pray that if anything happened to me, the guys would carry on playing [without me], so my wife and kids would be helped out., It was strange to think that Johnny Van Zant had been with Skynyrd for twice as long as his brother, fronting them for 16 of their 30 years thus far. Travel well, #EdKing. With fatherhood on the horizon, the 29-year-old had realised it was time to consider settling down. He's a solid person in that respect. Ronnies younger brother Johnny Van Zant was happy to deputise at the microphone except during Free Bird, the epic track which at the start of the reunion the band ritually dedicated to Ronnie, Steve and Cassie Gaines and Dean Kilpatrick, performing it each night as an instrumental. Lynyrd Skynyrd said their 2003 album Vicious Cycle was of the same calibre as Street Survivors, and that Ronnie Van Zant would have wanted them to keep on rocking. They made some really bad mistakes. Leons replacement was ex-Outlaws man Ean Evans, who joined former Damn Yankees drummer Michael Cartellone in the groups engine room. But in many respects, Gary is also very weak. [6] The band's popularity waned considerably in the early 1970s. The band spent five years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1969. pic.twitter.com/viOjOC4kw2, DolfanGary (@DolfanGary) August 23, 2018, Ed King Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. So they're living the high life and they've stolen everything I've ever worked for. It had all come to a head with Nuthin Fancy, an aptly titled collection for which Skynyrd fans were mostly unprepared. Its name was inspired by the band's high school gym teacher, named Coach Leonard Skinner (via CNN). "Ed had a beautiful collection of instruments," Isbell says. Theyd give us Scotch and wed drink up a storm with them. They toured so much that days off just didn't exist, and when they did, it was into the studio to record.. Our band played the same bars as the Outlaws: The Depot, My Back Yard, Losers. [7] Wilkeson soon regretted leaving and rejoined the band, and King switched to lead guitar, creating with Allen Collins and Gary Rossington the triple-guitar attack that became the band's signature sound. After his passing, many important instruments from King's personal collection . That was never easy. About the decision to leave the band, King said "well, I was out of my mind for quitting. I said the only way I would do it is if I came out and played at least seven songs. After Allen was left paralyzed following a car accident, he handpicked Randall as his replacement for Skynyrd's 1987 tribute tour. King's departure in 1975 happened during a particularly difficult tour that the band dubbed the "Torture Tour", a tour that also claimed drummer and founding member Bob Burns weeks earlier due to a mental breakdown. The band was still in the early stages of development and was still finalizing the lineup when King officially joined as a guitarist and bassist. I feel very satisfied that we did the best we could. And Jake saw that the guy was trying to cover up. After the group disbanded, King joined "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1971 and contributed to their first three albums. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock and Roll Heaven. Skynyrd fans - and I'm not trying to be facetious - are not getting younger, and I wanted them to hear the story. She never really did anything for Lynyrd Skynyrd as a band. What a fascinating story Ed King has to tell! Dates to 2022 Tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd and 38 Special Singers Team Up on Sweet Florida, Lynyrd Skynyrd Childhood Home Available to Book on Airbnb. Im a hack who got lucky!! Worse, at another gig, in North Carolina, Van Zant lost his voice following a lengthy booze and coke binge, and stumbled offstage midway through the performance. We never bought it, people just gave it to us. Of the several surviving bandmates, one of them was Billy Powell. After I spoke for a while about it Id have the blues for the rest of the day. I jumped up and down, but I got through the two 11-hour days. Shout as: 0 /256 Cancel. The solution was close at hand in the form of Steve Gaines, the kid brother of backup singer Cassie. In the aftermath of the crash, almost everyone on the plane that survived sustained several injuries. In the months leading up to his death, he had been battling lung cancer. 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[13] In 2005, Ed asked Mark Basile, a long time friend and guitarist from New York, to put together the remaining non-touring Skynyrd members, Artimus Pyle, Leslie Hawkins, JoJo Billingsley and Bob Burns for several shows from 2005-2006. Guitarist Ed King (1949-2018) was a member of the legendary Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd for their first three albums. Kings replacement, Steve Gaines, was killed in a 1977 plane crash along with Ronnie Van Zant and Gaines sister, Cassie. I had good reason to leave., Jackson! As I say in the beginning of the movie, some people that were on the plane have a totally different recollection. For Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1977 was both the best and worst of times. The band call the track, with its chorus of My hairs turning white/My necks always been red/My collars still blue, a celebration of the American working class. All Rights reserved. More than ever before, Skynyrd found themselves walking on eggshells when they were around Van Zant, whose wife Judy had given birth to their daughter, Melody. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1996.[3]. But because of their frivolous, greedy lawsuits with their asshole attorneys, we ending up having to focus the movie on my story. It's probably not common to use the words rocker and religion in the same sentence, but that's what Powell was. That's his problem. Maybe Tom was getting too old, or his ears werent as good as theyd been, Powell says. I had good reason to leave.. You were with them at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Ive just found out about Eds passing and Im shocked and saddened, he said. He was with Skynyrd for less than a year and a half before dying in the plane crash, which happened a month after his 28th birthday, and he only recorded one live and one studio album with the band. The song came real quick. I'd like to give all of them a piece of my mind for being so damn greedy. The band also recorded a tribute called Mad Hatter to their fallen brother, famous for his legendary eccentric headgear. The current Lynyrd Skynyrd is just the official Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band that just happens to have one of the original members. Learn about his stunning Les Paul, and how it came into the possession of Jason Isbell. Ed King, the guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died at the age of 68. How do you feel now that Street Survivors is finally out?It's an overwhelming process. So I was flying again the very next day. They can't play the parts, and if you can't play the parts, you should get someone who can. You must log in or register to reply here. King would later reconcile with the other band members, and rejoined them when they reformed Skynyrd in 1987, but had to leave the band due to to congestive heart failure problems in 1996. The first to feature a red-hot new guitarist duo of former Blackfoot star Rickey Medlocke (who actually played drums on Skynyrds First And Last album) and ex-Outlaws man Huey Thomasson, it made a complete mockery of their risible post-reunion studio albums (Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991, Twenty) and the glut of live records (Southern By The Grace Of God: Tribute Tour, Southern Knights, Lyve From Steel Town) that had blighted their catalogue. They call themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd. Heres how it works. [13] In 2017, he appeared as a customer in the Discovery Channel docudrama Moonshiners, buying $30,000 worth of premium gin. Going back to the day of the crash - were you alone when you went to the farm? Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. I have the full gambit of emotions, everything: I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm relieved and I'm a little mad. Even 10 years after the crash, people still loved the band and those songs of ours.. But then wed get through a few shows and me, Ronnie and Allen would sneak off and pull a drunk somewhere. But they screwed up, man. Powell wasn't a founding member and also wasn't a native of Florida. The first time he came up to Allen and Gary they were afraid he was about to beat them up. King was so enamoured with the band that he told vocalist and leader Ronnie Van Zant that if they ever needed his services, he would be happy to join. Kings guitar playing & songwriting skills were essential to Skynyrds first three albums. Artist Ed King Real name Edward Calhoun King Born September 14, 1949 Died August 22, 2018 Country United States IPI 00040493893 14 works Affiliation ASCAP Comments Guitarist and songwriter. I love [founding Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist] Gary Rossington, and at one point Judy and I were friends. [8], Band biographer Mark Ribowsky wrote that King was an outsider in Lynyrd Skynyrd to some extent, as he was from Southern California and the only non-Southerner in the lineup, but that it was King who brought a level of professionalism to the fledgling band. Former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King, who co-wrote the hit Sweet Home Alabama, has died aged 68. . Eventually, King found himself. He left Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines who perished along with his sister Cassie Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant in a 1977 plane crash. Chris Chamberlain. Well, he wasn't there. As the story goes, the name of the band was inspired by Lee High gym teacher, Coach Skinner. King, along with all pre-crash members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Instead, they were a hard-living, hard-driving rock & roll band. Fortunately, Johnny guffaws when I suggest that with Edge Of Forever Skynyrd had reached the point of shitting or getting off the pot. I never brought it up.. It just got a. #Edking pic.twitter.com/JTMfGGw0cd, Kirsten King? Rossington: Wed been taught by the best. So, in the middle of the night, I just walked out. Its pretty bad to live through that and still not get the message. Per his obituary, an autopsy was not performed, but it is believed that he died of a heart attack. So, I don't want to be a part of a farewell tour where they're fleecing the fans, going back to cities two and three times. He touches on it in this interview too - basically he got tired of the drama. The band is currently on atour in North America that ends in Bethel, New York. Powell laughs when reminded that Collins once claimed they never knew how to play in front of 15,000 people sober. We thank his many friends and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career.. One notable critic even referred to it as an album from a great band in limbo. 3. Junstrom stayed in the Lynyrd Skynyrd orbit, though: In 1977, he joined .38 Special, a Southern rock band founded by Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother Donnie in 1974. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. That spring they were also set to perform in several other cities and overseas in Germany and Finland (via Jam Base). It took a while to get Gary to agree, Powell nods. He'll say, "Yeah, I'll do it." And he had seemed to be as good as his word. pic.twitter.com/wMrGC0GIS7, Jesse Knutson (@JesseKnutsonNC5) August 23, 2018, Remembering the one and only Mr. Sweet Home Alabama, Ed King. Johnny saidyes. But certainly not better. I can only do one major project at a time, and this movie is a big deal. You cant blame the pilots; they obviously wouldnt have flown if they knew what was gonna happen., Among the main recipients of Van Zants bullying, Billy Powell makes an astonishing admission of the thoughts he was having as he lay dazed and wounded in that Florida swamp twilight: You want the truth? he asks. I have every reason to be bitter and pissed off. When we started adding those songs, thats when the light-bulb went off. Ronnie Van Zant, Ed King, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Bob Burns, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell performing Sweet Home Alabama May 12, 1974 in Hamburg Germany shortly after release of single in USA. You are using an out of date browser. He then joined a band called Vision and played Christian rock music, says My Faith Radio. He said, "Did you pull the trigger?" Anything from an over-loud amplifier to a minor stage collision could apparently tip the singer over the edge, resulting in fist fights and lingering bad feeling. Blasted on a mean combination of whisky and Quaaludes, Rossington had passed out at the wheel and slammed into an oak tree. Powered by. We thank his many friends and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career.. As the reality of their plight had dawned, the pilots informed air traffic control in Houston that the aircrafts altitude had dropped from 12,000 feet to just 4,500. People have to get blamed when people die, but I dont hold anyone responsible. I wish there was better / more material of him telling stories, talking guitars etc. (@kirstenkayyyy) August 23, 2018, Sad to hear of the passing of Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King. Edward King was born on September 14, 1949 in Glendale, California, USA. Bruce Warren (@somevelvetblog) August 23, 2018. They're awful. And it didn't have to be that way, but that's the way it was, and I'm so proud of Cleopatra, of the attorneys that defended us, of the actors and actresses that portrayed us and put their hearts and souls into it and of Jared Cohn, the director. Following Kings death, Rossington released a statement. The plane crash that changed the band forever happened on October 20, 1977. Ronnie said as long as they got to the next show he didnt care how they managed it. Edward Calhoun King[1] (September 14, 1949 August 22, 2018)[2] was an American musician. JavaScript is disabled. The free birds were still flying, but considerably older and wiser. Thr group's third brilliant guitarist Ed King talks about joining Lynyrd Skynyrd after being asked by founding group frontman Ronnie Van Zant Every seat but one had been ripped from the floor and some victims had been thrown through the shattered fuselage. I knew that Steve was dead, too, but I didnt know about Cassie. YMMV. I got hit with something, and he just doesn't want to admit the truth. Three days after releasing Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd were crippled by the plane crash that killed three of their number. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. He did one album with the band. And therein lies the problem., Drugs, it seems, were less of a concern than alcohol and violence, but their presence still lurked in the background. Lynyrd Skynyrd was in a bit of a rut by the time of their fourth album, 1976's Gimme Back My Bullets. (Indeed, Artimus Pyle once told Classic Rock that hed been in two more plane crashes since then. As helicopters arrived to rescue the survivors, so did the gangs of rubber-neckers and souvenir hunters. She never mourned Ronnie Van Zant's death. His work with Strawberry Alarm Clock and ofcourse Lynyrd Skynyrd will forever be remembered. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Ronnie and I looked at each other and went whoathis might be it! We kind of agreed, why fly when you can take a bus? And now Skynyrd fans will be able to see a story that they've been wondering about probably for years. They may have jammed endlessly on-stage, but their . Off Topics. The 15 drummers they've gotten since I left, they can't play the drums properly. He would undergo a transplant in 2011. Thats right, he hoots, adding: After so long away, we kinda felt the same with this one, but its much better than the last one.. Rossington: Its the same song, but done in a modern style, with Van Zant adding: Bobby I love to call him Bobby! He'll go out when he's not feeling well or he's not healed up. I saw the gun. He was marvelously talented that riff in Sweet Home Alabama? It was a devastating loss for the band on the rise, and it changed them forever. So when Powell officially joined, despite not ever facing the ire of Coach Skinner, he too had long hair and fit right in. But a decade into the band, Leon Wilkeson joined the group to replace Junstrom, and a new member and keyboardist named Billy Powell was also part of the new lineup. 3 min read. Gear Head's. Gear Head's. . Wed write a song in the morning and record it in the afternoon, which wasnt ideal. It didnt last long, of course. "When I think of Lynyryd Skynyrd, I just think of outrageously fun times," says one of the speakers over pictures of the guys hanging out, shirtless and drinking and feeding whiskey to a monkey.. The 1974 song was their claim to fame and helped skyrocket the band to notoriety. ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd Announce Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour, Gary Rossington Calls Current Lynyrd Skynyrd a Tribute Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd Hanging It up in the Next Year or so, Lynyrd Skynyrd Show Enduring Rock N Roll Spirit in Los Angeles, Damon Johnson Talks Gary Rossingtons Return to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lynyrd Skynyrd Add More U.S. Rejoined shortly thereafter. "It is with great sorrow we announce the. Alligators would come up out of the creek and sit on the shore and listen to the music; it was real fun. Three judges ruled unanimously that I had the right to tell my story. They wouldn't resume the tour until April 2009. Ed King, ( Lynyrd Skynyrd/Strawberry Alarm Clock) September 14, 1949 August 22, 2018 was born in Glendale California and a guitar prodigy from early on in his life. Faced with the loss of their recording contract with Uni Records and with internal conflicts over musical direction, Strawberry Alarm Clock disbanded in early 1972. The NC5 report says that King had recently been hospitalized. King said in 2005 that during his days on the road with Skynyrd he never drank, but [he] was into drugs pretty good. During the same interview, King said that leaving the band, due to a combination of factors, was the best thing I ever did. King was also a lead and bass guitarist with Strawberry Alarm Clock. Ed King, the Strawberry Alarm Clock expatriate who'd been hired to play bass on debut album Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd had switched to guitar, ripped off notes that nibbled at the far ends of psychedelia, his Stratocaster filling the psychic gap between Collins' Gibson Firebird and Rossington's Les Paul. We were playing a lot of the new tunes, he remembers, things like That Smell and I Never Dream, and they were going over really good with the audience. Ed King, 1949-2018 The famed Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, composer and foodie died in his home Aug. 22. Both he and Gaines were among the band members inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Ed King's Guitar Collection | Marty's Guitar Tours, In this episode of Guitar Tours, we sit down with the legendary guitar player Ed King! They made the audience wait for three hours, and when they did play they were too Quaaluded [powerful downers] out. Of course, a man who attended a Catholic high school during his formative years would have some type of allegiance to faith. I knew where to take it. It was always me and Allen Collins that fought, Powell explains. Guitarist Gary Rossington, one of the last surviving founding members of the group and the only one still in the band, narrated most of the documentary, which was made by director Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, We Are X). Instagram instagram.com/martyschwartz Twitter, Lynyrd Skynrd Crash Report from 1977 Rare Survivor & Eyewitness Interviews, Lynyrd Skynrd Crash Report from 1977 Rare Survivor & Eyewitness Interviews Lynyrd Skynyrd 40th Crash Anniversary. Leaving the Band. But the same was true of the rest of us in those days. Hed been arrested for drunkenness five times already on tour, with nine shows being cancelled. My band, APB, wrote what I think is a bona fide Southern rock hit for the movie the title track, "Street Survivors." Last time when we shared a bus with Deep Purple, I ended up getting their autographs. Author email; Aug 27, 2018 Aug 27, 2018 Updated May 4, 2021; So I'm very proud of everybody involved in this movie, especially the young actors and actresses that portrayed us on the screen. But if things for Skynyrd looked rosy from the outside, behind the scenes tensions continued to mount. Its all part of my story and its made me who I am.. But it was the best thing I ever did. They brag about pushing Gary out in two weeks. When I was in the band, we hated to fly. Leon [Wilkeson] and I even got to share a joint with Jack Nicholson in our trailer and you can quote me on that., As a live band it was definitely an incredible time, Rossington remembers. During the latter half of 1976 Van Zant had begun to tell people he was quitting the booze or at least reducing his intake. And although Dowd had sent engineer Barry Rudolph in his place, Elson played a huge role in the re-recording process. It was owned by this guy who lived a couple of miles up from the cabin near the road in a little town called Green Cove. One of us had to stay there every night. When exactly did things go wrong?The main thing was greed. A California native, King was a founding member of the psychedelic Sixties band Strawberry Alarm Clock, known for their hit Incense and Peppermints. He offered to join Skynyrd when, opening for the band at the Jacksonville, Florida, bar the Comic Book Club in 1968, he heard them rehearsing the song Need All My Friends. It wasnt until 1972, however, when King would sign on with Skynyrd, temporarily replacing bassist Leon Wilkeson and then becoming a full-fledged member as third guitarist. It hurt to keep going back to it in interviews or whatever. Ed King underwent a successful heart transplant in 2011. Burns happened to be a drummer and was a friend of guitarist Gary Rossington. Allen Collins wasnt present, but gave the venture his blessing. King's departure in 1975 happened during a particularly difficult tour that the band dubbed the "Torture Tour", a tour that also claimed drummer and founding member Bob Burns weeks earlier due to a mental breakdown. During his time with the band, one day Van Zant heard Powell play the piano version of the group's song "Free Bird" and decided to hire him (via Boston). When Ronnie was killed, Judy became an instant billionaire. The band would have several more changes with members departing and some new additions for a few years, including the departure of Burns and addition of drummer Artimus Pyle (via Oldies). He also appeared as a customer in the Discovery Channel docudrama Moonshiners, purchasing $30,000 in premium gin in 2017. He died, presumably from cancer at his Nashville home on August 22, 2018. The redneck in him made him want to fight a lot. Use code SKYNYRDHARDCORE and grab your pre-sale tickets now!