I’ll Never Forget You

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The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash has been written about, analyzed, and memorialized over and over. I’ll Never Forget You is one of the closest recollections that we can probably get.

Gene Odom was Ronnie VanZant’s best friend since childhood. They grew up across the street from each other in the “shantytown” section of Jacksonville, FL.

“I’ll Never Forget You” was originally a short book written by Gene Odom, and self-published in 1983. So he was pretty much ahead of the pack when it comes to the remembrance books and videos, as well as the dramatizations and documentaries.

This was followed-up with a book written by Odom and Frank Dorman, “Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock”, published in 2003. It was touted as “The first complete, unvarnished history of Southern rock’s legendary and most popular band…”

…Two nights before the plane crash, in Lakeland, FL, October 18th, we finished the show, and we came back, after the show was over, to the hotel… We talked again because he (VanZant) was a little jittery about what was comin’ down the road, and more concerned about it not getting out. Making sure that nobody knew nothin’. And so then we basically just got ready to fly. Then we got up the next day to go to Greenville, SC. And that’s, uh, when it started. You know, the nightmare on the plane. – Gene Odom, from I’ll Never Forget You

The entire documentary film is now available to view on Youtube. It was originally produced by Concrete Lion Pictures out of Orlando, FL.

The film has been released to the public on the Amplified Youtube Channel. Amplified features documentaries and series about pop culture, including music, film and TV.

In I’ll Never Forget You, three of the survivors, Odom, Leslie Hawkins, and Craig Reed, share their stories of the band, and about that fateful night in 1977.

I’ll Never Forget You: The Last 72 Hours Of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Get Your Own Copy Now!

Lynyrd Skynyrd: I’ll Never Forget You by Gene Odom

Outakes And Online Resurces

Skynyrd fans will definitely want to check out the Concrete Lion Pictures Youtube channel for some outtakes, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes videos.

Amplified has some interesting music documentaries on their YT channel as well.

Gene has a Yotube channel, Just Hangin’ Out With Gene Odom. There’s not a whole lot on it, and nothing has been posted in several months. But you might find something you’ll enjoy watching there.

Craig Reed also has a Youtube channel, and he co-hosts “The Stoned Roadie Show.” Craig and Griff Martin post shows regularly, and talk with some very interesting people related to the world of Southern Rock.

Of course, Craig worked for several other major rock bands after his time with Skynyrd. So he has a lot of other ineteresting roadie stories to tell as well.

Talking With Gene Odom

I lived and played music in Jacksonville, FL for quite a few years. I met, knew, and played with just about all the pickers down there that are related to Southern Rock Music. Including all of the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd that were still alive at the time.

I also met and spent some time with Gene on many occassions. We would end up at the same show, maybe with my band, or at an event. Most of the time we would end up talking for awhile.

And it was always pretty much like it is in the documentary or any of the videos you see with Gene online. Gene’s a pretty simple dude. There’s no pretention about him, and he doesn’t put on any kind of act.

There are some people that say he has changed his story about the plane crash over the years. I think that after a few years, then a few decades, any of us would have memory lapses and some discrepancies in our stories. Especially if we had to tell it as many time as he has.

I personally do not believe there is any premeditation to it.