Published at 7:15 AM on January 30, 2009

By Steve LaBate

Billy Powell: 1952 - 2009

Lynyrd Skynyrd—undoubtedly one of the two greatest classic-Southern-rock bands (along with the Allman Brothers)—is always extolled for its mind-blowing triple-guitar attack and complex, harmony-touting riff rockers. But often overlooked is the genius of the band’s piano player, Billy Powell.

Powell—who was one of the survivors of the infamous, tragic 1977 plane crash that took the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, backup vocalist Cassie Gaines—died Wednesday at age 56 in his Orange Park, Fla., home. The keyboardist had a history of heart problems, and though the cause of death has yet to be determined, it is believed to be heart-related.

Powell, a high-school friend of Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson, was originally a roadie for the band, but was asked to join after Van Zant heard him play an impressive version of Skynyrd's signature tune “Free Bird.” This was just before the band recorded its debut album, 1973's (Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd). Powell would go on to play piano on all of Skynyrd's now-legendary ’70s albums. With his unique synthesis of barrelhouse, ragtime, Dixieland, boogie and early-rock ’n’ roll thumping, he became an integral part of the Skynyrd sound, helping shape upbeat classics like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Call Me The Breeze,” “Whiskey Rock-A-Roller” and “I Know a Little.” But while he could cut heads with the best, Powell was also a master of subtle elegance.

“All you have to do is listen to the original demo of ‘Freebird’ and then listen to the more well-known version with Billy on keyboards," says Paste contributor Mark Kemp, author of Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race and New Beginnings in a New South. "That song never would have become the iconic '70s cigarette-lighter anthem had it not been for his classically trained fingers on that opening. The thing about Billy Powell is that he could play with classical grace at one moment and then kick out Jerry Lee Lewis honky-tonk the next." 

Along with Chuck Leavell (Allman Brothers Band, Rolling Stones) and Keith Godchaux (Grateful Dead), Powell formed a holy trinity of ’70s-roots-rock piano greats who shared similar stylistic approaches, equally impressive abilities and, above all, a tastefulness that added significantly to their respective groups. 

Check out these tracks to hear some of Powell’s best piano solos:




The current incarnation of Skynyrd—which featured Van Zant’s younger brother, Johnny, on lead vocals, and original members Gary Rossington on guitar and Powell on keys—has been forced to cancel its upcoming tour dates. With four of the seven original members now dead, one of them estranged (drummer Bob Burns), and one of them too ill to tour (guitarist Ed King), Powell’s passing could mean the end of the band, since a clause in its contract—inserted after a lawsuit by the widows of Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines—requires that, to continue using the Skynyrd name, at least two band members must be from the pre-plane-crash lineup. The only other pre-crash member who could re-join is Skynyrd’s second drummer, Artimus Pyle, who left the band in 1991. This is unlikely, though, because of Pyle’s legal troubles.

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Powell will be missed by his fans, and the countless musicians he influenced. While in recent years he became known for his relatively tame lifestyle, back in Skynyrd's heyday he was just as wild as the rest of the bunch—a far cry from the more heavyset, mild-mannered gentleman planted at the keys during the band's reunion era. 

"There's that classic photo on the back of [1975's] Nuthin' Fancy that has the band members walking together on some path out in the woods,” Kemp recalls fondly. “Billy's out front, thin and sharply dressed, with his head up, all cocky like, flipping the bird to the photographer. In that one shot, Billy Powell perfectly encapsulated Skynyrd's scrappy bad attitude. I remember getting the album when I was 16 and thinking he was just the coolest.”

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