Song of the day for October 20, 2024

Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd is today’s featured song.
On October 20, 1977, Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered plane after playing a concert at Greenville Memorial Auditorium. The band was headed to Baton Rouge for a concert the following night, but the plane ran out of fuel and the pilots attempted an emergency landing that, tragically, failed. Lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines were killed in the crash, as were backing singer Cassie Gaines (Steve’s older sister), and the band’s assistant road manager, Dean Kilpatrick. The accident took place just three days after the release of the group’s fifth studio album, Street Survivors.