Billy Powell (born June 3, 1952) is the keyboardist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. ... Southern rock is a style of rock music that was very popular in the 1970s, and retains a fan base to the present. ... Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1973 Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American Southern rock band, described by All Music Guides Stephen Thomas Erlewine as the definitive Southern rock band, fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with a rebellious, Southern image and a hard rock swagger. ...

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Powell began playing piano at a young age. He moved to Jacksonville, Florida with his family as a teenager and enrolled at Bishop Kenny High School, where he met Leon Wilkeson, the future bassist of Skynyrd. Corpus Christi is a coastal city located in Texas. ... The Jacksonville skyline and the Acosta Bridge. ... Leon Wilkeson (02 April 1952 - 27 July 2001) was a founding member and bass guitarist of rock group Lynard Skynard. ...

Powell worked as a roadie for Skynyrd beginning in 1970. While setting up for a show one day in 1972, he began to play his own version of Skynyrd song "Free Bird". Songwriter and vocalist Ronnie Van Zant was impressed and invited him to join the band as the keyboardist. 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Freebird is the signature song of the Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is one of the most requested songs at Skynyrd concerts and on Classic rock radio. ... On stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd Ronnie Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. ...

Lynyrd Skynyrd received national exposure starting in 1973 with the release of their first album and hit single "Free Bird". They disbanded in 1977 when a plane crash killed members Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Powell continued to perform in various bands until Skynyrd's reunion in 1987. 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Steve Gaines was a guitarist for the band Lynyrd Skynyrd before he died in a plane crash while the band was on tour in 1977. ... Cassie Gaines (July 5, 1948-October 20, 1977) was an American musician and member of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Powell and guitarist Gary Rossington are the only two members from the classic lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd who continue to record and perform with the reunited band today. Gary Rossington Gary Rossington (born December 4, 1951 in Jacksonville, Florida) is a founding member and guitarist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. ...