At the height of their fame in the 1970s, the band popularized the Southern rock genre with songs such as Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird. With an audience of approximately 150,000 and 200,000 people, Lynyrd Skynyrd delivered a performance that took the southern rock artiststo new heights. "At least preliminarily it looks like a very small amount of the cremains may have spilled out of the bag when they pulled it from the urn.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Members of the band party with friends in 1975. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. . She was buried near her children. Go get yourself a six-pack, kick back, and start reading. Where is Steve Gaines buried at? Van Zant openly disclosed his awe and admiration for Steve Gaines, even predicting that the other band members would all be in his shadow one day.. On February 15, 1979, the mother of Steve and Cassie, also named Cassie LaRue Gaines, was killed in an automobile accident near the cemetery where Steve and Cassie are buried. Recorded in the renowned Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Gaines contributed four original compositions, two singles of his own, and two in collaboration with Van Zant. And, as one might guess, the lake where Ronnie kept his fishing boat is just to the left. In 2000, their graves were vandalized and opened, some say in order to prove whether or not Van Zant had been wearing a Neil Young shirt when he was buried. This is that day. Originally, he was buried at Jacksonville Memory Gardens in Orange Park, but due to vandalism, was moved from there to Riverside Memorial Park on Normandy Boulevard. This store was the inspiration for The Ballad of Curtis Lowe.. This was reflected in his sole studio album with the band, Street Survivors (1977). Apart from this, Gaines had a compilation album of live recordings with Manalive and Crawdad released on CD in 2001 called I Know A Little Live. Two weeks later, Steve Gaines received a phone call from Ronnie Van Zant inviting him to join the band. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The remains of Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, two founding members of the '70s Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, will be relocated to unmarked graves in the aftermath of the recent . Pat Fitzhugh is best known for his extensive research and books about the history, legends, and lore of the American South, and his epic investigations of the paranormal. "We're really bummed," Carpenter said. The Van Zant family plot at Riverside Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Ronnie Van Zant Ronnie was the lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material without explicit, written permission from this blog/sites owner is strictly prohibited. What reasoning is from general to specific? Rocks Off Magazine is reader-supported. Their mausoleums remain as memorials for fans to visit. Gaines was cremated and his ashes were buried in Orange Park, Florida in 1977, but were relocated to an undisclosed location after vandals broke into his and bandmate Ronnie Van Zants tombs on June 29, 2000. After the break-in was discovered, additional deputies, investigators and evidence technicians, including a team from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, were called to the scene. Winehouse had her grandmother's name tattooed on her arm, and her ashes were mixed in with Cynthia's after cremation. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. Some very odd things have occurred with famous ashes, so being the resident morbid person on staff, I've gathered those stories to present them to you. Bandmates Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines, along with assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray, . Copyright 2012 by ClickOrlando.com. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. Cassie and Steve Gaines were buried in Orange Park, Florida. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Following her death in the 1977 plane crash, Gaines was buried just behind her brother Steves grave in Jacksonville Memory Gardens. Brooks & Dunn Boot Scoot Through 21st RodeoHouston Performance, Apes of the State Is Here to Defend Folk Punk, Opening Night RodeoHouston 2023: Parker McCollum, Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston Gaines headstone stands just in front of the graves of his sister and parents, and nearby other members of the Gaines family and the former tomb of Ronnie Van Zant. "The family is extremely upset," Justino said. Born (Birthday) Sep 14, 1949. 8. John Lennon: After he was shot in 1980, there was no funeral for the legendary Beatle. Van Zant's family decided to relocate his remains to Riverside Memorial Park cemetery in Jacksonville. Its where part of the 1970s Pepsi Cola Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute video was shot. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". On October 20, 1977, three days after the albumStreet Survivorswas released (and five dates into the band's most successful tour yet), a plane carrying the band between shows fromGreenville, South CarolinatoBaton Rouge, Louisiana, crashed outside ofGillsburg, Mississippi. The Jug. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, The Alice Cooper Fact Sheet 5 Things You Need To Know. Three kids by the name of Van Zant grew up here. Family members gathered at the cemetery yesterday morning but declined to discuss the incident with reporters. What is meant by the competitive environment? We cannot record everything. Ronnie grabbed a pillow from the back of the plane, walked back to his seat, and smiled at Pyle. Musician. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000. Amy Winehouse: Winehouse is another member of the 27 club who was cremated after her death. While Van Zants casket was not opened, the urn containing Gainess ashes was, and his ashes were spilled. We would be grateful if you would support our work by recording your loved ones, preserving their memory for future generations. He was the lead vocal in the song Aint No Good Life. But its songs like That Smell, I Know A Little (written before he joined Skynyrd), and Honky Tonk Night Time Man where he displays his remarkable guitar playing. Their father worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and retired in 1976 as a track supervisor. This place is more than 50 years old, and figures prominently into Lynyrd Skynyrd history, both past and present. Other successful bands to emerge from Jacksonvilles fertile scene at this time included Cowboy, Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet, and 38 Special. Also, several of the band interviews in Freebird: The Movie were filmed on the dock. Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. "I had never seen it," said Marsh, who was trying to snap pictures of the tomb as deputies shooed her and Carpenter away. Rossington, Van Zandt, and Collins were the only founding members left in the band. Some have told me that Derek Trucks, formerly of the Allman Brothers Band and a Jacksonville resident, has also been spotted there a few times with is wife, Susan, and others from their musical camp. Steve Gaines/Spouse. Excerpts and links may be used in the interests of education and fair use, and in a non-defamatory manner, provided full and clear credit is given to Pat Fitzhugh and www.patfitzhugh.com, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. The site. How were Steve and Cassie Gaines related? The rest is history. It does not store any personal data. Steve Gaines, the 28-year-old guitarist so full of promise that Van Zant once claimed the band would "all be in his shadow one day," was buried along with his sister Cassie on October 23rd . This is the tiny dock behind the former Hell House. The original, older dock is underneath this oneyou can see it from the edge of the creek. It has some of my favorite things in life. Lynyrd Skynyrd was on tour when the accident happened, and in an interview with Orlando Sentinel, guitarist Gary Rossington recalled Allen Collins' concerns about the flames he saw coming from the plane's engine on their previous flight. Gaines and Van Zant were 29 years old when they died in the 1977 plane crash. Five years later, the Strawberry Fields Memorial was dedicated on the approximate spot, and more or less serves as Lennon's official gravesite. Their mausoleums remain as memorials for fans to visit. To open the vault would . In 1988, MCA Records released the recordings Steve Gaines had made with John Ryan (producer) in the album titled One in the . He also appeared in the 2006 motion picture DVD, An American Haunting, starring Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland. Steve's contributions included his co-lead vocal with Ronnie on the co-written "You've Got That Right" (a solid hit single released after the plane crash) and the rousing guitar boogie "I Know A Little" which he had written before he joined Skynyrd. To me, this was the most somber, heart-wrenching site on my entire trip. Southern rock was born in Jacksonville in the 1960s as a new fusion of rock, blues progressions, and a heavy dose of Southern grit. "I hope the Lord will forgive them for what they have done.". MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP)-Even in the face of death, friends say, Adrian Rogers exemplified the Christian faith he spent a lifetime sharing. On October 19, they performed a concert in Greenville, the last song they performed being Free Bird.. Johnny's widow Linda has his actual remains in her keeping. His family requested supporters to make contributions to the Musician's Assistance Program instead of giving flowers. Ronnie Van Zant often proclaimed that Whiteys Fish Camp was his favorite restaurant. Bassist Leon Wilkeson is shown wearing his bull horns hat while driving a souped-up dune buggy across the bridge and into the sunset while Freebird is played in the background.This stretch of the highway leads from I-95, and west to Green Cove Springs, FL. According to his story, Van Zant had told him to get himself out of there as it was not his time yet. Musician. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A listing name reads: "Two plots with vaults adjacent to the late Ronnie Van Zant.". . When the tampering was discovered, investigators found Van Zant's coffin on the ground amid broken pieces of marble from the rear wall of a mausoleum. Portions of the Nirvana front man were scattered in a dozen places, including the muddy banks of the Wishkah River, in various ceremonies. He was the oldest son of six children (3 sisters and 2 brothers - musicians Donnie and Johnny). Following her death in the 1977 plane crash, Gaines was buried just behind her brother Steve's grave in Jacksonville Memory Gardens. (The two musicians were killed in a 1977 plane crash.) I really wish I lived next door to this place. 4. Lacy and Marion Van Zant (Ronnie, Johnny, and Donnies parents) graves at Riverside Memorial Park. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. During this time, the band was in the midst of searching for a guitarist to replaceEd King, who left the band in mid-1975. However, Kevin Elson, the sound technician, had been listening intently through headphones. "We are saddened that we had to do this, but we have been left no choice," Jenness said in the statement. The Jaxson Cassie Gaines, the bands backup vocalist, was his older sister. On October 20, 1977, the band and the crew members were flying from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when their plane crashed outside of Gillsburg in Mississippi. Authorities did not speculate on a motive, nor whether the intruders may have been deranged fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd seeking a bizarre memento or simply vandals out for a night of destruction. Steve Gaines (1949 1977) joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in May 1976. Steve Gaines was born on September 14, 1949 in Miami, Oklahoma, USA. ", The new burial sites, Justino said, "will not be disclosed for security reasons.". local news and culture. The band had been looking for a new third guitar player to replace departed member Ed King, and gave Gaines an audition at the suggestion of his older sister Cassie. "The family has said they need a day or two to decide whether or not they want to put the casket back in [the original mausoleum], with additional security, bury it somewhere else on the property, marked or unmarked, or move it to another burial site," Justino said. Cause of Death. As his family returned back home, he pleaded with his father until he bought him his own guitar. He is widely known as the vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 to October 1977. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Meanwhile, she said, auxiliary deputies will be assigned to guard the mausoleum grounds for the next two weeks from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. "should anybody get any ideas to do a copycat vandalism or anything like that.". (1964) and Surfari (1967). Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. Ms visi esam niecga sastvdaa cilvces vstur, kuru aicinm rakstt kop. A plastic bag containing Gaines' cremated ashes and an urn also were found nearby, said Mary Justino of the Sheriff's Office. Van Zant was passionate about fishing, and he used it to relax and escape his busy life as a rock star. The first of the three shows recorded for the album was only Gaines third time playing with the band. Born to parents Edgar and Dorothy Gaines, Steve and his only sibling, Ed, spent most of their youth in the small town of Dyersburg, Tennessee. His first band, The Ravens (a local High School rock band that Steve's friends formed), made its first recording at the famousSun RecordsStudio inMemphis, Tennessee. In 2000, nearly 23 years after Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines were laid to rest at Jacksonville Memory Gardens in Orange Park, vandals broke in and disturbed their remains.