Rossington Collins Band

Rossington Collins Band were spawned by one of rock music's most well-known tragedies -- in October of 1979, two years after the plane crash that killed Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, new guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines, surviving members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins (guitars), Leon Wilkeson (bass), and keyboardist Bill Powell decided to try working together again, this time fronted by singer Dale Krantz. They were trying to be something other than a Lynyrd Skynyrd clone, although as the latter group had expressed the musical leanings of all concerned quite honestly, they also weren't moving far from the tree that had spawned them. Krantz had previously been a backup singer behind Donnie Van Zant, Ronnie's brother, in .38 Special, which itself owed something to Skynyrd's sound. With Barry Harwood bringing a third guitar to the table and Derek Hess taking the drummer spot, they pulled their sound together fast, and waiting in the wings was MCA Records. The latter company was still reaping gold and platinum record awards from the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd outtakes and compilations, and was very interested in any viable performing group that could tap into that audience, and there was no one better suited at the time. Rossington Collins Band, as they came to be called, were more than a cash-in effort. With three powerful guitarists and a rhythm section the envy of anyone in rock, a strong singer fronting them, and the combined talents of several good in-house songwriters, they were a solid hard rock outfit with a soulful edge. Fans flocked to them in the second half of 1980 when they issued their first LP, Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, which made it to the Top 20 and earned a gold record award with help from the single...