This is an I-Heart podcast.

Ronnie Van Zant wrote that song after two of the band members in a matter of days

crashed their brand new automobiles under the influence of drugs or alcohol, making the

point, we're not going to have much of a band when you guys all kill yourself,

yourselves living like this. You don't think it'll happen to you, it will.

Oddly enough, they did die shortly thereafter, but when their plane crashed over Gillsburg,

Mississippi on its way to a show in Baton Rouge.

Every time I mention it, it's 48 years ago today, the greatest rock band in history, crashed, leaving the real genius behind it, Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines dead.

What continued on can only be described as their manager at the time who survived, but has since passed since he did the interview with us back in 2013, as the best tribute band

of all time.

But it is a tribute band.

It's not Leonard Skinner any longer. But it was 48 years ago today

when their Conver 240, I think it was, crashed when it ran out of gas and killed half the band

in the process. But I always try to add something every year to the story

because there are so many stories behind this one.

And it's been probably 10 years since I told this story,

so I'll tell it again.

The most remarkable thing to happen on that day

that didn't get much attention is as follows.

So Artemis Pyle, who we've had on the show as a drummer,

escapes from the wreckage.

And he crawls out and he sees his band members around him dead.

...