Cassie Gaines | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1948-01-09)January 9, 1948 Miami, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 1977(1977-10-20) (aged 29) Gillsburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Southern rock |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1975–1977 |
| Formerly of | Lynyrd Skynyrd |
Cassie LaRue Gaines (January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known for her work withSouthern rock bandLynyrd Skynyrd.
Gaines was invited byJoJo Billingsley andRonnie Van Zant to join Lynyrd Skynyrd as a backup singer. She had never heard of the band at the time, so Billingsley lent her a copy of the band's first two albums:(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) andSecond Helping. In late 1975, Gaines, Billingsley, and Leslie Hawkins formedThe Honkettes, a femalegospel vocal trio for Skynyrd.[1]
When Lynyrd Skynyrd was in need of a guitar player to replace recently departedEd King, Cassie recommended her younger brother,Steve, who joined the band soon after.
On October 20, 1977, aConvair CV-240 carrying the band between shows fromGreenville, South Carolina toBaton Rouge, Louisianacrashed outside ofGillsburg, Mississippi. The crash killedRonnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray.[2] Though Cassie Gaines initially refused to board the flight, she was — against her better judgment — convinced to do so by other passengers.[3] Her hesitation was due to a small fire in one of the engines the previous day. She intended to travel in the tour trucks but boarded the flight due to Van Zant's persuasion.[4]
Gaines survived the initial accident but bled to death while rescuers attempted to reach the accident site and remove victims for medical treatment.[5] According to controversial claims by survivorBilly Powell, Gaines bled to death after the accident in Powell's arms due to deep lacerations.[6]
