Died On This Date (October 20, 1977) Cassie Gaines / Lynyrd Skynyrd
themusicsover Cassie Gaines
January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977
Cassie Gaines was part of gospel trio who, in 1975 were invited to join Lynyrd Skynyrd as back-up singers. Her brother, Steve Gaines, joined shortly thereafter. On October 20, 1977, while flying between shows in Greenville, South Carolina and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, their small chartered plane experienced engine trouble causing it to crash outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Dead on impact were band members, Ronnie Van Zant (29), Cassie Gaines (29), Steve Gaines (28), road manager, Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot and co-pilot.
Merle Travis was a country singer, songwriter and guitarist who was just as renowned for his picking as he was for his songwriting. Born in the coal country of Kentucky, Travis struck a chord with his lyrics about the horrible conditions that coal miners worked and lived in. Travis moved to Hollywood in the mid ’40s and found work as a studio musician. Within a few years, he was signed to Capitol Records where he began to release a string of country albums that are considered some of the best of the genre. His songs were recorded by the likes of 
Rudy Ray Moore was a singer, comedian and actor who is best remembered for his character, Dolemite, the pimp from the film of the same name. After performing as an R&B singer, Moore switched to stand-up and released several “blue” albums during the ’60s and ’70s. During the ’90s he appeared on albums by Big Daddy Kane and 2 Live Crew. In 2000, Moore revived his Dolemite character in the Insane Clown Posse’s film, Big Money Hustlas. Rudy Ray Moore died of complications from diabetes at the age of 81.
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