Billy Powell
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Billy Powell | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | William Norris Powell |
Born | Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | June 3, 1952
Died | January 28, 2009 Orange Park, Florida, U.S. | (aged 56)
Genres | Southern rock, hard rock, country rock, blues rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards |
Years active | 1970–2009 |
Formerly of | Lynyrd Skynyrd |
William Norris Powell (June 3, 1952 – January 28, 2009) was an American musician and the keyboardist of southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009.
Biography
Early life
Powell was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He grew up in a military family and spent several of his childhood years in Italy, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Navy. After his father died of cancer in 1960, the Powells returned to the United States to settle in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] In elementary school, Powell met Leon Wilkeson, who became a lifelong friend and the bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Powell took an interest in piano and he began taking piano lessons from a local teacher named Madalyn Brown, who claimed that Billy did not need a teacher as he was a natural and picked things up well on his own. When it was time for high school, his mother enrolled Billy and his brother Ricky at Sanford Naval Academy in Sanford, Florida. Powell returned to Jacksonville, where he enrolled at Bishop Kenny High School. After graduation in 1970, he enrolled at and briefly attended a community college, majoring in music theory.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Around 1970, Powell found work as a
In 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd was signed to
Three days after the release of Street Survivors, Skynyrd's
During the time between the plane crash and the Lynyrd Skynyrd reunion in 1987, Powell joined the Christian rock band Vision in 1984. With Vision he recorded three albums (Mountain in The Sky, Vision, and Streetfighter), and toured extensively. His keyboard performances were spotlighted in Vision concerts. During the concerts, Powell spoke about his newfound Christianity; messages that were also delivered via two bonus tracks included on the album Mountain in the Sky. Powell also worked with 38 Special during this time.
Powell rejoined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987 for a tribute tour, and remained with the band until his death. At the time of his death, he and guitarist Gary Rossington were the only members from the classic lineup who were active in the band.
Death
On January 28, 2009, Powell died at the age of 56 at his home in Orange Park, Florida.[3] It was during a break from Skynyrd's touring schedule that Powell suffered a fatal heart attack. His death inspired countless tributes, in and out of the Southern rock community and extending across the country-music world, where he had many friends and admirers. The music he had recorded with Vision was played exclusively at a private memorial service, and Kid Rock sang a tribute. Many Southern Rock musicians were in attendance, including his Skynyrd and Vision bandmates, their families, Hank Williams Jr. and others. He was survived by his wife Ellen, sons Brandon and Joel, daughters Layla, Ashley, and Maggie, brother Rick, and sister Donna. The song "Gifted Hands" was later written and recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd as a tribute to Powell.[4][5]
References
- ^ "Billy Powell". All Music. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (January 28, 2015). "Six Years Ago: Lynyrd Skynyrd Pianist Billy Powell Dies". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ Soergel, Matt. "Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell dead at 56 Archived December 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine", The Florida Times-Union, January 28, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
- ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Track-by-Track 6 – "Storm & Gifted Hands", LynyrdSkynyrd.com, Retrieved September 14, 2010. Archived March 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Graff, Gary (July 9, 2009). "Lynyrd Skynyrd's latest a tribute to band's past, future". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2015.