NEW DELHI: One of the most devastating incidents in the history of
rock music
occurred on October 20, 1977, when a
Convair
CV-240 passenger aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi, US, claiming 6 lives including three musicians from the iconic American rock band
Lynyrd Skynyrd
.
Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist and founding member
Ronnie Van Zant
, guitarist and vocalist
Steve Gaines
, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain Walter McCreary and First Officer William John Gray all died as a result of the crash, while twenty others survived.
The tragedy abruptly halted Lynyrd Skynyrd's career until Van Zant's brother Johnny reformed the band 10 years later.
The crash occurred just two days after the band released its album Street Survivors -- the album cover showed the band surrounded by flames.
Following the
plane crash
, MCA replaced the image with a new cover, showing the band against a simple black background, which was on the back of the original sleeve. The site of the crash has become a memorial for fans, rescuers and survivors, with an oak tree that has been carved with Lynyrd Skynyrd iconography, while the site was also the location of a fortieth anniversary memorial by survivors and rescuers.
