Lynyrd Skynyrd Founding Member Bob Burns Dies in Georgia Car Crash

[IDemo]

Source: NBC

Bob Burns, a founding member and one-time drummer of the iconic Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a car crash Friday night in Georgia, according to authorities and the band. He was 64.

Burns' car slipped off the road and into a tree when he was making a tight turn in Bartow County, about 50 miles from Atlanta, a Georgia State Patrol spokesman told NBC affiliate WXIA. The spokesman said Burns was not wearing a seat belt and died on the scene.

Burns joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 before the band shot to fame. The group recorded "Sweet Home Alabama," "I Need You" and "Free Bird" while Burns was the drummer. He left the band in 1974.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's guitarist Gary Rossington continues to tour under the band's name. Rossington wrote on the band's Facebook page Saturday that he coincidentally took a sentimental drive past Burns' old home while visiting Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday. "It was there in the carport where we used to first start to practice with Skynyrd," Rossington wrote.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/founding-member-lynyrd-skynyrd-bob-burns-dies-georgia-car-crash-n335721

[shenmue]

1. ...

Rest in peace.

[jimlup]

2. This band has had very bad luck

guess you shouldn't mess with Neil Young.

[EL34x4]

13. Sarcasm noted.

Few people realize that The Skynyrd bandmates and Neil Young were friendly with each other. Ronnie Van Zant is immortalized wearing a Young tour shirt for the "Street Survivors" album cover. He often wore the same shirt performing live.

Neil Young has been photographed performing live wearing a Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt (the one with the Jack Daniel's bottle motif) and has remarked that he thought LS were a great band.

Just thought I'd share.

[jimlup]

14. Good to know

I am sorry for their loss. This is a tragic and unfortunate event for his family and the band.

[EL34x4]

15. Indeed.

They've had their share. Possibly the most bad luck of any band ever.

Today's Lynyrd Skynyrd is, sadly, little more than a tribute act.

[Brother Buzz]

3. Oh, but to have been a fly on the wall in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,

listening to Southern Rock before it was even invented. RIP Bob Burns.

[seveneyes]

4. Iconic ironic smell

[wendylaroux]

6. nice

[seveneyes]

9. Perhaps you don't know the song or its irony in this case

Anytime a band has a song with lyrics about running into a tree and then one of the band member does it and dies, it's noticeable by any aware person.

[Tom Ripley]

26. Gary Rossington had alredy run into a tree when VanZant wrote the lyric...

Ronnie called him "Prince Charming" because he was the pretty boy of the band

[OldRedneck]

7. Think I'll . . .

. . . mix a big ol' Jack and Coke and put on some Skynnyrd.

[catnhatnh]

8. I'm sure this is non-pc...

But c'mon! "Bob Burns in Car Wreck"

[maindawg]

10. Gary is the only one left

Last edited Mon Apr 6, 2015, 07:35 AM - Edit history (1)

Its kind of like the rock and roll final destination. I am sure there is an analogy.
These kids were very dedicated hard working musicians in 1964. They came to practice at 8 am and worked all day. Ronnie made them work and he was the boss.
It was no accident that they were very good. They learned to write songs in that Ga. studio I think it was called the hell house or something, it was 100 degrees in there. They used to go down to the local park on Saturday afternoon and just set up and play a free show. I think the Allman Bros copied their idea later on in the same park. They were a 5 piece group until they added Billy Powell on piano. Billy was a roadie for the group who was a classically trained piano player, Ronnie challenged him to learn how to play honky tonk and the rest is history .They added Ed King, former Strawberry alarm clock guitarist [Incense and peppermint]
joined in 1972.
Artimus Pyle replaced Bob Burns in 1974 and rejoined the group for its initial reunion tour in 1987. Allen Collins died in 1990 after suffering paralysis due to a car wreck in the late 70s. Billie Powell had a heart attack 2008.

[wilt the stilt]

17. I'm sorry

but the Allmans were before Lynard Skynard and were really a more recognized band. They came up from Macon and took New York by storm. They closed the Fillmore East and it was the firstbtime they were lead band there.

[maindawg]

20. oh no

The Allman Bros weaved a very complex web to stardom. Thru fla to cali to Gorgia, where Duane went to work as a professional guitar player at the famous studio, Muscle Shoals.
It was there , that they finally came together after , Greg started writing hit songs.
When they played the Fillmore they were heroin addicts. The reason they were laughing ,on the LP pic, is because they had just scored a moment before that pic.

1964. 1965. what ever

[wilt the stilt]

27. I was at the closing weekend

at the Fillmore East. It was the third time I had seen them that year. The first time it was back up to Chicago then Bonnie and Delaney. in the famous picture you mention they were back up to Johnny Winter. My good friend saw that how.

[brentspeak]

24. Ed King, not Ed Burns

Last edited Sun Apr 5, 2015, 09:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Ricky Medlocke, founder of Blackfoot, was an early member of Skynyrd. He left Lynyrd Skynyrd before they secured a record deal with MCA, but has since returned to be part of today's post-RVZ band.

[Strelnikov_]

28. Rickey Medlocke

Wino

[WhoWoodaKnew]

11. Ronnie VanZant, Steve and Cassie Gaines all died in the plane crash...

Alan Collins had a car wreck that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed (he died a few years later). Bob Burns died in a car wreck.

Leon Wilkeson was found dead in a hotel room. Billy Powell died of a heart attack after missing a doctor's appt the previous day for heart issues. Larry Junstrom had to retire from performing due to a hand injury. Hughie Thomasson died of a heart attack. Ean Evans died of lung cancer.


Some of those guys weren't original members (38 Special, Blackfoot, Outlaws, etc) but all played with Skynard at some point.


Oh, and Gary Rossington (an original member) was the inspiration for "That Smell" since he got drunk and high and survived the crash of his new car into an oak tree. Ironically, he's the only surviving member.

[Blue_In_AK]

16. So much bad luck for one little band.

[AngryDem001]

18. Just in case it needs to be said:

WEAR A DAMN SEAT BELT!!!!

[ripcord]

19. RIP Bob

I remember Skynyrd put on more than just concerts, they were events in the true sense of the word.

[Sunriser13]

21. R.I.P.

Wow. Condolences to his family and friends...

It seems the true artists of what I as an "older woman" consider the best music - old school Southern rock, classic soul, OLD rap (remember the clean positive stuff when the genre first emerged??), even old pop, hard and soft rock and even country - are slowly dying off at a far more rapid pace. It's had me on YouTube an awful lot, creating such eclectic playlists that a casual observer would think I had multiple personality disorder! Last night I was from Freddy Mercury and Queen to Ray Charles to Gordon Lightfoot to Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye as a somewhat small excerpt from the list. Even Will Smith and "Miami" made an appearance (with Will and Gordon being the only ones still alive, although Gordon's getting up there at 76...).

Requiescat in pace, Bob...

[treestar]

22. RIP

Another car crash with someone in Lynyrd Skynyrd. I always wondered if surviving a plane crash could have given them PTSD, but this guy may not have been on the plane if he quit in 1974.

[Miles Archer]

29. He wasn't...the drummer on the plane was Artimus Pyle

He spends a large chunk of VH-1's "Behind The Music" on Skynyrd discussing what happened immediately following the crash.

[Zorra]

23. Here's one his last performances with Skynyrd, right before he left the band in'74.

End of song is cut off

He was the drummer on their best studio stuff, Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd, and Second Helping.

I know it's not cool to like Freebird these days, but I think it's a fuckin' great song.

Ricky Medlocke, the guitarist and vocalist for the band Blackfoot, used to play drums with Skynyrd alongside Bob Burns, back when Skynyrd used two drummers in live shows in the early '70's, before they became famous.

Rock on, Bob.

[Tom Ripley]

25. I have a friend who played in a cover band in the 70s with Burns after he left Skynyrd

They had a 40 song repertoire and almost half of the material was by Skynyrd. Since my friend is a bassist he always shared a motel room with Burns. Burns spent most of his spare tie reading the bible. A very sad situation.