LYNYRD SKYNYRD keyboardist BILLY POWELL Interview, 1983: Mr. Media's Lost Tapes Series

Summary: The death of former Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell on January 28, 2009, reminded me of an interview I did with him on May 5, 1983. Long before Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed around Johnny Van Zant, Powell was recording and touring with the Allen Collins Band (after the Rossington-Collins Band, of which he also was a member broke up). In this interview, I was actually scheduled to speak with Allen Collins, but he never made it.Instead, the band's manager kept handing the phone to everyone else in the band. I was utterly unprepared for them, but it was actually one of the most enjoyable phone interviews I ever did. I hope you'll enjoy this, the first time this crazy interview has ever been heard outside of my office.