Members GuitarPlayerFL Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-01-28/story/lynyrd_skynyrd_keyboard_player_bill_powell_dead_at_56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 I'd just read about it over at the Keyboard Mag forum. What a total bummer! Powell was the MAN of honky-tonk rock piano, and hugely influential. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted January 28, 2009 Moderators Share Posted January 28, 2009 I loved his playing. On the one hand, he was completely traditional is his style... and on the other hand, nobody did what he did. Absolutely integral to Lynyrd Skynyrd's sound and vibe. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Back when I lived in Jacksonville, I used to see him at the Cracker Barrel in Orange Park...really nice dude, and a great keyboardist - such a beautiful touch. Rest in peace!Brian V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Aaaahh, no, that guy was one in a million.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 People have been trying to get me to play like Powell for years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Aaaahh, no, that guy was one in a million.... Seriously. And how deceptively simple is his stuff? You always hear pianists say, "I can do that," but then it's just not... quite... right. You can hit the notes, but Billy had the feel. And piano isn't always a "feel" instrument in rock. But he made it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pink floyd cramer Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 DAMN. Great player and always a role model for me. Because he was musically educated (in the "legit" fashion) but didn't sound like it. Powell was just about the most "down-home" of the "down-home" piano players (IMO) but his stuff could be pretty challenging to play. RIP Mr. Powell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 28, 2009 Members Share Posted January 28, 2009 Now, as anyone who has heard my music knows, I don't play a darn thing like the guy or make music even remotely similar. But no matter, he was a big inspiration for me growing up, and was added so much to the Lynyrd Skynyrd sound. And really, it was such beautiful, beautiful playing. I hope that he's tickling the ivories in the big concert hall in the sky and making everyone's head nod in amazement at the intense talent he has. Thank you, Billy Powell, maximum respect, and RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 Everybody who played in Skynyrd's glory days had taste and style.Think about how many bands you see where there's two guitarists or a guitarist and keyboardist fighting to be heard.Skynyrd had three guitarists and a keyboardist and it never sounded like anybody was out of place. They really were great at choosing their parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 People have been trying to get me to play like Powell for years! This is really sad. I've been trying to find transcriptions of his playing for a long time without any luck. He was younger than I would have expected, a major loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarPlayerFL Posted January 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 One of my good friends (guitarist) who is older than me went to Florida Junior College (now known as FCCJ) with Billy in the early 70s. They were going to start a band...I believe it was going to lean towards the progressive side. One day, Billy came to school and told my friend he couldn't be in his band because he had just joined Lynyrd Skynyrd. My friend related to me that Billy was not just a great Rock/Blues player, he could rip into Chopin and other Classical music pieces like it was nothing. He was easily the best musician in Skynyrd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bp Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 The nail is in. RIP Billy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Taylor Davis Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 Man oh man!I was playing my stratocaster last night tryin' to work the kinks out of my mangled and crippled frethand forefanger and not even thinkin about skynyrd and launched into SMELL THAT SMELL. I had'nt played any of the skinny boys jams in years. LS is one of my all time fave bands. the olde skynyrd, NOT the new band. thanks for lettin me share. TD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cadillacman Posted January 29, 2009 Members Share Posted January 29, 2009 Yeah, thats bummer , My friend Frank, who is a great guitar player ..he's 35 & has been playing all the classics , for 18 so years Anyway he's back in Tenn. right now ..His Dad Produced Lynard Skynard ..way back, Frank had 1 of there gold records hanging in his wall framed , his dad gave him when we were younger . Thats a complete bummer , last time I seen them play , on TV He was looking kind of bad & over weight.. RIP.....thats just sad ..Makes me want to pop in the video I have , My friends girlfriends 1st concert..Okland Ca. colisium...late 70's ,,she always talks about it & the video that they rent ,. or used to , of them in Blockbusters , had some of that footage of the Oakland Concert ... I've got it taped ..its cool....man they jammed hard ! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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