The Rossington-Collins Band
Encyclopedia
The Rossington Collins Band was a southern rock
band founded in 1979 by guitarists Allen Collins
and Gary Rossington
following the 1977 plane crash which killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd
, of which both had been members. The Jacksonville band released two albums, but disbanded in 1982. Their biggest hit, "Don't Misunderstand Me", charted in late 1980.
The earliest recording effort made by former band members were Pyle and Powell's involvement in the studio sessions for musician Leo LeBranche. Soon after, Powell, Pyle, Wilkeson, and Jo Billingsley (former Skynyrd vocalist) formed the band Alias (not to be confused with the 1980s Canadian rock band of the same name
), which only existed for one album and a small round of live shows. The band also featured guitarist Barry Lee Harwood (who had played mandolin on Skynyrd's "Gimme Back My Bullets" record of 1976) and who would later be involved with the RCB.
Charlie Daniels
gave new hope to fans in January 1979, when he announced "Lynyrd Skynyrd is back!" at his Volunteer Jam
V in Nashville, Tennessee
. All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, with the exception of bassist Wilkeson (whose arm was still in a cast) performed an instrumental version of "Free Bird".
From there, plans began to form a new band. However, Collins and Rossington did not wish for this new venture to be another Lynyrd Skynyrd, so they opted for Dale Krantz, who had been a backing singer for .38 Special. Guitarist Barry Harwood was living in Atlanta at the time when he got the call from Collins and Rossington to be in the band.
All seemed set, until Artimus Pyle, who had been slated to start rehearsals with the band, was involved in a car crash that broke his leg. Pyle decided that the RCB should find a new drummer rather than wait for him to recuperate. The suggestion came from Harwood to hire Jacksonville native Derek Hess.
The Rossington-Collins Band, as it was christened, then began rehearsals and writing, which took a little longer than expected because of Krantz's initial anxiety about being in this band. Even while in the studio, RCB would continue to write and revise their songs until they were considered finished. This led to the use of many master reels of recordings.
", which was performed without vocals and was dedicated to Ronnie Van Zant
, Steve and Cassie Gaines, and Dean Kilpatrick.
At one performance in Springfield, Massachusetts
during 1980, guitarist Rossington had to play onstage with a broken leg, which happened the day before.
Following the death of his wife, Kathy, Allen Collins would routinely walk off from gigs or not appear. This led to the cancellation of many performances during 1982. In addition to his Fender Stratocaster
and Gibson Explorer
, guitarist Collins switched between two double-cutaway Gibson Les Paul Special
s during the live shows. Collins had not used a Les Paul since the early 1970s.
Despite the short length of The Rossington-Collins Band's existence, there were many soundboard recordings made of live shows, and studio recordings made by Allen Collins in preparation for their first studio album.
, featuring Allen Collins, Barry Harwood, Leon Wilkeson, Madison Swartz, Billy Powell, and Derek Hess from RCB (also featuring Jacksonville natives Randall Hall and Jimmy Doughtry) was formed, but also soon fell apart. Members of both bands, along with friends and relatives of the deceased, eventually reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987, ten years after the plane crash. As of 2009, Rossington is the only RCB or ACB member involved with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
band founded in 1979 by guitarists Allen Collins
Allen Collins
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...
and Gary Rossington
Gary Rossington
Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...
following the 1977 plane crash which killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, of which both had been members. The Jacksonville band released two albums, but disbanded in 1982. Their biggest hit, "Don't Misunderstand Me", charted in late 1980.
Members
- Dale Krantz (later Dale Krantz-Rossington) - Vocals
- Gary RossingtonGary RossingtonGary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...
- Guitar - Allen CollinsAllen CollinsLarkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...
- Guitar - Barry Lee Harwood - Guitar, Vocals
- Billy PowellBilly PowellWilliam Norris "Billy" Powell was an American musician. He was the longtime keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, from 1970 until his death in 2009.-Biography:...
- Keyboards - Derek HessDerek HessDerek Hess is an American artist based in Cleveland, Ohio. His creative career grew largely out of his ability to express the emotion in the indie, hardcore and hard rock scenes of the mid-1990s...
- Drums / Percussion - Leon WilkesonLeon WilkesonLeon Russell Wilkeson was the bassist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.-Early life:...
- Bass Guitar
Discography
- Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere (1980) (#13, Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums, Gold Record)- Included the hit "Don't Misunderstand Me", along with the lesser hit "One Good Man"
- Most of the songs on this album were composed by Allen Collins.
- The song "Opportunity" features Barry Harwood on all guitars (using Collins' Gibson Explorer) with the exception of Gary Rossington's solos.
- Harwood performed many solos on the album, including all lead guitar on "Prime Time," the final solo on "Don't Misunderstand Me," all solos on "Three Times as Bad," the clean double-tracked solo on "Getaway," the slide guitar on "Winners and Losers," and the final solo on "Sometimes You Can Put it Out."
- Rossington played lead/solo guitar on "Don't Misunderstand Me," "One Good Man," "Opportunity," "Getaway," "Misery Loves Company," and the slide guitar on "Sometimes You Can Put it Out."
- Collins remained mostly in the background on this album, playing rhythms primarily. However, he did play the final solo on "One Good Man," "Getaway," and "Misery Loves Company."
- On "Don't Misunderstand Me," the entire band (with the exception of Leon Wilkeson) tuned their instruments down to D.
- Singles:
- "Don't Misunderstand Me" / "Winners and Losers" (#55, BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100) - "Getaway" / "Sometimes You Can Put It Out"
- "Don't Misunderstand Me" / "Winners and Losers" (#55, Billboard
- "A Conversation With The Rossington Collins Band" (1980)
- Released around the same time as "A,A,A" as a promo LP.
- Contains interviews with the band members as well as some cuts from the album.
- This Is the WayThis Is the Way (album)-Track listing:#"Gotta Get It Straight" – 4:20#"Tashauna" – 4:51#"Gonna Miss It When It's Gone" – 3:28#"Pine Box" – 2:54#"Fancy Ideas" – 5:09#"Don't Stop Me Now" – 4:39#"Seems Like Every Day" – 4:28#"I'm Free Today" – 3:27#"Next Phone Call" – 3:24...
(1981) (#24, Billboard 200 albums)- With the often absence of guitarist Collins, Harwood contributed far more on this album. This can be heard in the many instances of vocal and guitar harmonies, especially "Pine Box," "I'm Free Today," and "Fancy Ideas."
- Harwood performed the solos on "Fancy Ideas" and "Seems Like Everyday" on a Guild Electric guitar.
- The vocal on "Means Nothing to You" was performed originally by Harwood, but was later replaced by Dale Krantz.
- "I'm Free Today" was played in open-A tuning, an inspiration Harwood took from Steve Gaines' slide guitar solo on "I Know a Little."
- The Allen Collins Band song "This Ride's on Me" was originally meant to be on the album, but was replaced with "Fancy Ideas."
- Singles:
- "Tashauna"
- "Don't Stop Me Now"
Formation history
Following the crash of the Skynyrd plane in October 1977, chances for a reunion looked slim. Allen Collins had severe injuries to his arm that almost made it necessary for the arm to be amputated. Leon Wilkeson had suffered internal injuries that initially made doctors declare him dead at the scene of the crash, only to be resuscitated later. He also had a badly broken arm. Gary Rossington had also suffered severe injuries in the crash. Only Artimus Pyle (former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer) and Billy Powell were in good enough condition to be released from the hospital within two weeks of the crash. Even so, Pyle had suffered a compound fracture of his leg, requiring an extended period of time to heal.The earliest recording effort made by former band members were Pyle and Powell's involvement in the studio sessions for musician Leo LeBranche. Soon after, Powell, Pyle, Wilkeson, and Jo Billingsley (former Skynyrd vocalist) formed the band Alias (not to be confused with the 1980s Canadian rock band of the same name
Alias (band)
Alias was a Canadian album-oriented rock/hard rock supergroup band, formed in 1988 by vocalist Freddy Curci and guitarist Steve DeMarchi of the Canadian arena rock band Sheriff , along with Heart founding members Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, and Mike DeRosier.The band released its self-titled debut...
), which only existed for one album and a small round of live shows. The band also featured guitarist Barry Lee Harwood (who had played mandolin on Skynyrd's "Gimme Back My Bullets" record of 1976) and who would later be involved with the RCB.
Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
gave new hope to fans in January 1979, when he announced "Lynyrd Skynyrd is back!" at his Volunteer Jam
Volunteer Jam
The Volunteer Jam was the annual Charlie Daniels Band concert first held on October 4, 1974 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee This was the beginning of a tradition....
V in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, with the exception of bassist Wilkeson (whose arm was still in a cast) performed an instrumental version of "Free Bird".
From there, plans began to form a new band. However, Collins and Rossington did not wish for this new venture to be another Lynyrd Skynyrd, so they opted for Dale Krantz, who had been a backing singer for .38 Special. Guitarist Barry Harwood was living in Atlanta at the time when he got the call from Collins and Rossington to be in the band.
All seemed set, until Artimus Pyle, who had been slated to start rehearsals with the band, was involved in a car crash that broke his leg. Pyle decided that the RCB should find a new drummer rather than wait for him to recuperate. The suggestion came from Harwood to hire Jacksonville native Derek Hess.
The Rossington-Collins Band, as it was christened, then began rehearsals and writing, which took a little longer than expected because of Krantz's initial anxiety about being in this band. Even while in the studio, RCB would continue to write and revise their songs until they were considered finished. This led to the use of many master reels of recordings.
Touring history
The band initially premiered in the summer of 1980 to positive reviews. One highlight of the 1980 tour backing their album Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere was a New Year's Eve performance at the Omni in Atlanta, GA. One permanent feature in the set lists was "Free BirdFree Bird
"Free Bird" is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
", which was performed without vocals and was dedicated to Ronnie Van Zant
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
, Steve and Cassie Gaines, and Dean Kilpatrick.
At one performance in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
during 1980, guitarist Rossington had to play onstage with a broken leg, which happened the day before.
Following the death of his wife, Kathy, Allen Collins would routinely walk off from gigs or not appear. This led to the cancellation of many performances during 1982. In addition to his Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
and Gibson Explorer
Gibson Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
, guitarist Collins switched between two double-cutaway Gibson Les Paul Special
Gibson Les Paul Special
The Gibson Les Paul Special is a variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was introduced in 1955 as a model to be an intermediate between the Gibson Les Paul Junior and the more expensive Gibson Les Paul Standard...
s during the live shows. Collins had not used a Les Paul since the early 1970s.
Despite the short length of The Rossington-Collins Band's existence, there were many soundboard recordings made of live shows, and studio recordings made by Allen Collins in preparation for their first studio album.
Allen Collins Band
In 1983, the Allen Collins BandAllen Collins Band
The Allen Collins Band was a spinoff of Southern Rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Rossington-Collins Band. It existed from 1983 to 1984 and was formed shortly after the dissolution of the Rossington-Collins Band....
, featuring Allen Collins, Barry Harwood, Leon Wilkeson, Madison Swartz, Billy Powell, and Derek Hess from RCB (also featuring Jacksonville natives Randall Hall and Jimmy Doughtry) was formed, but also soon fell apart. Members of both bands, along with friends and relatives of the deceased, eventually reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987, ten years after the plane crash. As of 2009, Rossington is the only RCB or ACB member involved with Lynyrd Skynyrd.