This is a very lengthy, detailed post. The ashes of her partner, Maria Desiderio, and their dog Ember were later interred with her. Following her death in the 1977 plane crash, Gaines was buried just behind her brother Steves grave in Jacksonville Memory Gardens. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Due to the June 29th, 2000, vandalizing of this gravesite, his casket was moved to Riverside Memorial Park and buried in a massive underground concrete burial vault. Steve Gaines - IMDb Present-day Skynyrd band members, including Johnny Van Zant, have been spotted there, as have former members of .38 Special, Molly Hatchet, and all those other famous Jacksonville bands. I really wish I lived next door to this place. What is meant by the competitive environment? "We were lucky that they were not able to pry open the casket. Steve Gaines was born on September 14, 1949 in Miami, Oklahoma, USA. Three days after the release of Street Survivors and five dates into their highest selling tour, a tragedy happened. Ever since, the site has served as a shrine for fans, who often leave flowers, guitar picks, an other tokens in tribute to the band members. Steve's contributions included his co-lead vocal with Ronnie on the co-written "You've Got That Right" (a solid hit single released after the plane crash) and the rousing guitar boogie "I Know A Little" which he had written before he joined Skynyrd. Can a leprechaun get away if you look at him? These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Gaines was born inSeneca, Missouri, and raised inMiami, Oklahoma. His girlfriend Caroline followed Bators' wishes to be cremated and spread over the grave of Jim Morrison -- except, according to filmmaker John Waters, for the small amount she snorted. Its on Doctors Lake, a tributary of the St. Johns River and where Ronnie and Gary were fishing during the 1970s Pepsi Cola Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd videos opening shots. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For more than 10 years, people have wondered where Jacksonville's own Lynyrd Skynyrd front man Ronnie Van Zant was buried. Register here, by continue you accept our When not researching cases and sharing his findings on radio and TV, Pat Fitzhugh can be found speaking at paranormal conferences, teaching classes on paranormal research, and leading live, professional investigations of Americas most haunted locations. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Cassie and Steve Gaines were buried in Orange Park, Florida. It was hard for the band to hear Gaines playing onstage amid the distortions and sounds. Burial. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I have placed it behind the read more link (but like most things WordPress, its probably not working right). A story that the remaining ashes had been stolen from Courtney Love and were to be smoked in a spliff by Australian artist Natascha Stellmach turned out later to be a hoax. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. However, he had his own vision and in 1974 formed his own band, Crawdad. At the time, the band was in need of a new guitarist to replace the position of Ed King who departed from the band in the middle of 1975. The group ended up recording at the well-known Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Death Date. They soon formed what would become Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ronnie Van Zant often proclaimed that Whiteys Fish Camp was his favorite restaurant. Ronnie Van Zant, the lead singer of Jacksonville rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd,is buried at Riverside Memorial Park on the Westside. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Ronnie Van Zant, one of his sisters, and his parents, are now buried here. Drummer Artimus Pyle said that it seemed Ronnie was aware of his imminent death when they were about to go down. His grave was vandalized on June 29, 2000, which prompted his family to move his remains to an unknown location. Arguably the first true Southern rock group, the Allman Brothers Band, formed following a jam at a Riverside home known as the Gray House. Whiteys Fish Camp. A lonesome railroad track runs through a rural area between Middleburg, Florida, and Doctors lake, in the Brickyard community, where Ronnie Van Zant started a family and spent his last years. Cochran said he's been trying to see the lot for a couple of months now. The site. Steve and Cassie Gaines to be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For more than 10 years, people have wondered where Lynyrd Skynyrd front man Ronnie Van Zant was buried. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. When the plane crashed, Ronnie Van Zant instantly died due to blunt force trauma to his head. Sept. 14, 1949 - Oct. 20, 1977. Ronnie Van Zant Ronnie was the lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd. King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976. The Van Zant family plot at Riverside Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida. A plastic bag containing Gaines' cremated ashes and an urn also were found nearby, said Mary Justino of the Sheriff's Office. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The first of three shows recorded for the album was Gaines' third gig with the band. Its where part of the 1970s Pepsi Cola Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute video was shot. "And at the family's request, the cemetery will pay off-duty officers to provide additional security as well for the next couple of weeks," she said. In December 1975, Steve's older sister,Cassie, became a member ofLynyrd Skynyrd's female backup singers,The Honkettes. It happens. Rossington, Van Zandt, and Collins were the only founding members left in the band. In 1988, MCA Records released the recordings Steve Gaines had made with John Ryan (producer) in the album titled One in the Sun. Ronnie attended Lee High School in Jacksonville with fellow band members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. Bassist Leon Wilkeson is shown wearing his bull horns hat while driving a souped-up dune buggy across the bridge and into the sunset while Freebird is played in the background.This stretch of the highway leads from I-95, and west to Green Cove Springs, FL. He was an actor, known for A Way Back In (2010), Locked in! After he was hit by a car in 1990, he left the hospital without being seen because he was bored. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. ORANGE PARK -- Nearly 23 years after Lynyrd Skynyrd rock singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines were laid to rest at Jacksonville Memory Gardens, vandals broke into a tomb and disturbed their remains yesterday morning. He died in his sleep later than night. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". But for the year and a half he played with Lynyrd Skynyrd, they were simply untouchable. Steve Gaines - Biography - IMDb Due to the June 29th, 2000, vandalizing of his original grave site, his casket was moved here and buried in a massive underground concrete burial vault. The band ended up recording a single for Stax Records in 1971. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Finally, on May 11, 1976, they gave Steve Gaines a chance. Assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot, and co-pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray also died. Widow of Ronnie Van Zant says his final resting place has been moved - WJXT October 20, 1977. Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. Rocks Off Magazine is reader-supported. The Jug. It was here that Ronnie and the band stopped in one afternoon early in their career to have some beer before playing a local dance. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Muse, Evanescence Bring Big Goth Energy to Toyota Center, Jason Roberts Keeps the Music of Bob Wills Swinging. Steve Gaines. Though they shipped out for Macon, Georgia just a few weeks later, their impact was immense in their city of origin, with a number of bands following in their footsteps over the next decade. Authorities did not speculate on a motive, nor whether the intruders may have been deranged fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd seeking a bizarre memento or simply vandals out for a night of destruction. "I hope they [the vandals] get help, because they have to be twisted to do what they did," Morris said. It has some of my favorite things in life. A remarkable singer and guitarist, Gaines may have had his initial inspiration from the Beatles. On February 15, 1979, the mother of Steve and Cassie, also named Cassie LaRue Gaines, was killed in an automobile accident near the cemetery where Steve and Cassie are buried. When he was 15 years old, he saw the Beatles performing live in Kansas City. Grant Gaines Lindsey Wingo Allison Hill Bethany Golding. In June 2000, the graves of Van Zant and Steve Gaines were vandalized. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Their mausoleums remain as memorials for fans to visit. Security manager Gene Odom was seriously burned on his arm and face and lost the sight in one eye as a result of an emergency flare on board the plane that was activated during the crash. Kurt Cobain: Visiting the final resting place of Kurt Cobain's ashes involves several trips. He obtained his first guitar at about age 14. Steve Gaines/Spouse. With a focus on the 60s, 70s, and 80s, we aim to grow into the modern age as we grow ourselves. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. Only three days later on October 20, tragedy struck when the plane carrying the band crashed in a Mississippi countryside, leaving vocalists Ronnie Van Zant and Cassie Gaines, as well as guitarist Steve Gaines, dead. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Musician. A listing name reads: "Two plots with vaults adjacent to the late Ronnie Van Zant.". As his family returned back home, he pleaded with his father until he bought him his own guitar. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The relocation was prompted by a June 29 break-in at the crypts for Van Zant and Gaines at Jacksonville Memory Gardens in Orange Park, where fans had gathered to pay tribute to the band for more than 22 years. His two brothers also became notable Southern rock musicians: Donnie Van Zant was a member of fellow Jacksonville band 38 Special, while Johnny became lead singer for the reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987. The bands bassist, Leon Wilkeson, was one of the survivors of the plane crash. Clay County Sheriff's deputies found Van Zant's unopened casket on the ground about 3 a.m. at the rear of a marble mausoleum on the northern edge of the cemetery grounds next to the Orange Park Mall on Blanding Boulevard. I always felt that Ronnie belonged to his fans but I never thought anyone would do something like this to his resting place.". Members of the band party with friends in 1975. His first band recorded its debut at Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, and later bands included RIO Smokehouse and Rusty Day. His work has been featured in major newspapers and magazines, and he has over 300 radio and TV gigs to his credit, including appearances on The Learning Channel, The Travel Channel, Turner South, and A&E. They jammed with him informally a couple of times more, then invited him into the band just in time for the recording of Skynyrd's live albumOne More From The Road. The remains of Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, lead singer and guitarist for the 1970s rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, have been moved by family members to an undisclosed and private burial site. Everybody Knows The Words, But What Is Hotel California About? On October 17, 1977, Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their fifth studio album titled "Street Survivors." "They are no longer at Jacksonville Memory Gardens," said Mary Justino, sheriff's spokeswoman. Van Zant's family decided to relocate his remains to Riverside Memorial Park cemetery in Jacksonville. Cassie Gaines (1948 1977) joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1975 as a backup singer, one of a trio of gospel vocalists dubbed the Honkettes. 1 What date did Steve Gaines join Lynyrd Skynyrd? He obtained his first guitar at about age 14. There have been a few other minor incidents of vandalism to Van Zant's burial tomb, including the theft in February 1982 of a stone memorial with an inscription by country singer Charlie Daniels. Southern rock was born in Jacksonville in the 1960s as a new fusion of rock, blues progressions, and a heavy dose of Southern grit. Cassie was buried in Orange Park, Florida, together with her brother, Steve Gains. Unlike Kurt Cobain, though, her ashes are all in one place, just not alone. The Highway 16 bridge over the St. Johns River, a good ways south of Jacksonville. And the music was all I played while learning guitar and for the first 25-30 years of my musical life. Winehouse was extremely close with her grandmother Cynthia, who passed away from lung cancer in 2006. For the fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the mystery of Van Zant's gravesite location has been solved. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Publicly and privately,Ronnie VanZantmarveled at the vocal and instrumental skill of Skynyrd's newest member, claiming that the band would "all be in his shadow one day". Her mother, also named Cassie Gaines, and father Earl Gaines are buried in adjacent plots and memorialized on the same headstone. After thirteen long years of lying dormant in the vault, the recordings became a testimony to Gaines talent and short but impactful career. Just beyond the bridge wall and under the power lines is the train trestle where the main photo for the Nuthin Fancy album was made. Following her death in the 1977 plane crash, Gaines was buried just behind her brother Steve's grave in Jacksonville Memory Gardens. Also, several of the band interviews in Freebird: The Movie were filmed on the dock. What date did Steve Gaines join Lynyrd Skynyrd? - Sage-Answers The ash remains of Cassie Gaines, Steve Gaines' sister and a vocalist with the band, were undisturbed. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". 10. Don't have an account yet? A few months later, Gaines was invited to join the band for the production of their live album, One More from the Road. The Surprising Thing Ronnie Van Zant Is Buried With. Vince Neils Daughter Inspired More Than Just A Song, Rudy Sarzos Tragic Detailing of Randy Rhoads Plane Crash, The 10 Best Bob Dylan Songs That Defined His Career. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. She was buried near her children. When Lynyrd Skynyrd wasn't busy with their music, Van Zant's go-to activity was fishing. He has been in the band from day one and his six-string slinging has been featured on every one of the bands releases. A plane that had problems the previous year. "It was broken into about six large pieces found on the ground," she said. Musician. Rocks Off Magazine contains a number of affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission when you click these links, at no additional cost to you. Although the band themselves couldn't hear Steve's playing onstage, soundman Kevin Elson was listening through headphones and told the band that Steve was an outstanding player. It sums up Ronnies life perfectly. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, The Alice Cooper Fact Sheet 5 Things You Need To Know. Excerpts and links may be used in the interests of education and fair use, and in a non-defamatory manner, provided full and clear credit is given to Pat Fitzhugh and www.patfitzhugh.com, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Don't worry! Two weeks later, Steve Gaines received a phone call from Ronnie Van Zant inviting him to join the band. In addition to the Van Zant and Gaines vaults, Justino said, vandals also broke walls of three other small vaults containing cremated remains, but those were not disturbed. In 1988, MCA Records released the recordings Steve Gaines had made with John Ryan (producer) in the album titled One in the . Cassie and Steve Gaines were buried in Orange Park, Florida. Cassie Gaines - Wikipedia Theres no telling what he would have developed cause he kept progressing. The Surprising Thing Ronnie Van Zant Is Buried With - Grunge.com