Died On This Date (January 23, 1990) Allen Collins / Lynyrd Skynyrd
themusicsover Larkin Allen Collins
July 19, 1952 – January 23, 1990
Allen Collins was a founding guitarist of and sometime co-writer for southern rock giants, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band’s ride to fame was partially due to songs co-written by Collins. That list includes “That Smell,” “Free Bird,” and “Gimme Three Steps.” When Ronnie Van Zant and others from the band were killed in a plane crash in 1977, Collins went on to have success with the Rossington-Collins Band. Their biggest hit was 1980’s “Don’t Misunderstand Me.” Tragedy struck Collins again in 1986 when he caused a car accident that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Since he was under the influence, he was charged with vehicular manslaughter. He accepted a plea which kept him out of jail, but had him, among other penalties, speak out against drunk driving at all future Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts. Collins died of pneumonia, brought on by the paralysis on January 23, 1990. He was 37 years old.
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Terry Kath was the founding lead guitarist for the massively popular jazz/rock fusion band, Chicago. Formed while most of the members were in college, the group went on to sell over 120 million albums while charting the most singles of any act during the ’70s. What separated Chicago from other rock groups of the era was their use of a horn section as a lead instrument. And it could only take a guitarist as talented as Kath to shine through. He was such a guitar wizard, that many of his parts, some of which are instantly recognizable, were recorded in one take. Kath can also be heard singing lead on several Chicago songs, most notably, “Colour My World” and “Make Me Smile.” On January 23, 1978, Kath was with one of the crew members after a party. While at the roadie’s home, Kath grabbed an unloaded pistol and jokingly put it to his head and fired several empty shots. He then grabbed a second pistol, thinking it was also unloaded, and fired a bullet into his head, killing him instantly. He was 31 years old.
Born in Scotland, Billy MacKenzie is best remembered as one-half of the post-punk duo, Associates. Formed with Alan Rankine out of the ashes of the Ascorbic Ones, Associates released a handful of moderately successful records between 1981 and 1990. On January 22, 1997, Billy MacKenzie took his own life by ingesting a lethal dosage of antidepressants and other prescribed medicine. He was 39.
