Billy Powell was an American musician and a longtime keyboardist of Southern rock bandLynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2009.
Biography
Early life
Born William Norris Powell in Corpus Christi, Texas, Powell 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. 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.
Musical career
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Crew
Around 1970, Powell found work as a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd and remained a member of the Skynyrd crew for two years, during which the band secured a support role for the band Mountain. In 1972, Skynyrd played a show at the Bolles School prom. During a break at that event, Powell sat down at a piano and launched into his piano-based version of "Free Bird". When the band realized their roadie's ability, he was offered the position of keyboardist. Jimmy Johnson, studio guitarist known for being a member of The Swampers, said Billy played his version of Freebird when the band took a lunch break while recording what would become Skynyrds First...and Last. The band returned from lunch to hear Billy playing and a few weeks later he was offered a full position in the band.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Keyboardist
In 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd was signed to MCA Records and received national exposure following the release of their first album, . The band's popularity soared in 1974 with their follow-up album, Second Helping, which featured their highest-charting single, "Sweet Home Alabama". The band enjoyed increasing popularity over the next three years, culminating in the 1977 release of Street Survivors. Three days after the release of Street Survivors, Skynyrd's chartered Convair CV-240 crashed into a forest near McComb, Mississippi. The crash took the lives of singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and both pilots. The remainder of the band suffered mild to severe injuries. Powell suffered severe facial lacerations, almost losing his nose, but was otherwise relatively uninjured. He was the first to be released from the hospital, and the only member able to attend the funerals of his fallen bandmates.
Vision
During the time between the plane crash and the Lynyrd Skynyrd reunion in 1987, Powell joined a Christian rock band, Vision, in 1984, recorded three albums, 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 albumMountain in The Sky.
Lynyrd Skynyrd (return)
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.
In 2007, two years before his death, Powell played piano on Kid Rock's summer anthem All Summer Long.
Death
On January 28, 2009, Powell died at the age of 56 at his home in Orange Park, Florida. It was during a break from Skynyrd's touring schedule that Powell suffered a fatal heart attack. His passing 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.
