Born on this day in 1949 – Steve Gaines, guitarist with Lynyrd Skynyrd who had the 1974 US No. 8 single ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and the 1982 UK No.21 single ‘Freebird’. Gaines was killed in a plane crash on 20th October 1977. The plane carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Gaines died from blunt-force trauma to the head; he was 28 years old. The crash also killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve’s sister Cassie Gaines from the band.