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Steve Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his time with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Raised in Miami, Oklahoma, he developed a versatile playing style that drew on blues, country and soul. His early career included spells with Manalive, ILMO Smokehouse and Detroit, followed by his own band, Crawdad. These years also gave him room to develop the singing and songwriting abilities that would become central to his work.
Gaines joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1976 after his sister Cassie, a member of the band’s backing vocal group the Ho ...read more
Steve Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his time with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Raised in Miami, Oklahoma, he developed a versatile playing style that drew on blues, country and soul. His early career included spells with Manalive, ILMO Smokehouse and Detroit, followed by his own band, Crawdad. These years also gave him room to develop the singing and songwriting abilities that would become central to his work.
Gaines joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1976 after his sister Cassie, a member of the band’s backing vocal group the Honkettes, recommended him for the guitar position left vacant by Ed King. Playing alongside Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, he restored the group’s three-guitar lineup and made his recording debut with them on the live album "One More from the Road", released that year.
His contribution expanded considerably on "Street Survivors" (1977), his only studio album with Skynyrd. Gaines wrote "I Know a Little" and “Ain’t No Good Life,” and co-wrote “You Got That Right” and “I Never Dreamed” with Ronnie Van Zant. He also stepped forward as a lead vocalist, bringing another voice to a band previously identified almost exclusively with Van Zant’s singing. His arrival introduced fresh musical ideas and an effective songwriting partnership during the original lineup’s final chapter.
On October 20, 1977, Gaines died at 28 in the plane crash that also killed Cassie, Van Zant and three others, just three days after "Street Survivors" was released. His earlier work reached a wider audience in 1988 through "One in the Sun". Released under his name by MCA, the album consisted of recordings made with Crawdad in 1975, preserving a fuller picture of his talents as a bandleader, vocalist and songwriter. « hide |
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