Lynyrd Skynyrd Shorts Episode 18 Leon Wilkeson
Vložit
- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- Leon Wilkeson. The Mad Hatter. The Survivor. The best bass player ever? Ride along as we talk about our favorite bass player and the most colorful member of our favorite band. Journey from his early beginnings to his tragic (and mysterious?) death. Leon lives on!!!!!!
Excellent show on my old friend Leon Wilkeson he was one special human being. What he went through after that horrible plane crash was unbelievable and all the damage on his left side he had to learn to replay the base with three fingers because he couldn’t use his index finger, and they designed a special bar that was attached to all of his bases, so it would be held upright. It was amazing to watch him play and here what he was playing with three fingers. I’m a bass player myself and I try to do some of that stuff and it’s almost impossible, but it can be done but I have all of my extremities and how he did it with just three fingers was just remarkable. Yes, his death is shrouded and controversy and the a hole that wrote that book is a total jack wad like I said it was a friend of mine. I miss him dearly he could crack you up so bad, and he had a lot of crazy stories about the light at the end of the tunnel that used to give me chills when he told them to me, but nevertheless, he was a great bass player and a good human being, and a good Christian man, yes he had his demons. I guess we all do thanks guys.
His playing was more than remarkable, it was absolutely stellar! And in every interview, he is the one with the personality. I wish we could have met him. Left us far too soon.
Loved Leon, learned how to play by lifting the needle, hour after hour, trying to hear the subtle little bass things he'd play just behind the guitars. What a talent!!
Leon was one of my Best friends.... He lived at my house in sevierville tn
You are a lucky guy. I wish I could've known him. He seems like one of the best. Feel free to share stories and if you want to join us on the show..let me know.
Nice show guys. Can't wait for the next episode. Keep it going!
Thanks! Will do!
Ed King was actually the guitar player for Strawberry Alarm Clock before joining Lynyrd Skynyrd to play bass after Leon left the band temporarily. Leon rejoined the band and Ed moved over to guitar and that's when they wrote Sweet Home Alabama.
and Ed always said that he did not get fair writing credit for their only hit Peppermints and INcense and that Sweet Home Alabama was his revenge!
Yes, that video was from 1981. Mr. Wilkeson was a very soft spoken man and actually quite funny and articulate. It was said that when "Gimme Back My Bullets" came out, fans were throwing live ammo on the stage. One time someone threw a record onstage and a record shard almost cut Mr. Wilkeson's neck. During that time, he kept a starter's pistol in his pocket and fired a round into the air to get the crowd back in order.
Of course, the fans were misguided as they thought the song was about gun rights. It wasn't. It was about musical bullets on a chart. The song "Mad Hatter" in 2003 by the band was dedicated to Mr. Wilkeson.
You are stealing so much of our thunder! Now what are we gonna talk about in the Gimme back My bullets episdoe?
With a band like Lynyrd Skynyrd, there’s always something to talk about. LOL.
Jeff Carlucci is a guitar player 38 special) that was almost recruited for lynard.
38 special had childhood ties to Ronnie and band.
This whole community of awesome talent all growing up together is pretty great. Similar to George, Paul and John all hanging out as teenagers. We are so lucky that they got heard!
His name was Jeff Carlisi not Carlucci. Yes, he did grow up in Jacksonville around all the guys, but was never considered for a part in the group.
Who is lynard ??? Dear Gawd
I would love for you to do episode on Ricky Medlock
It is coming....more!
I'm looking forward to it
After The Rossington Collins Band / Allen Collins Band Leon and Billy join the Christian Rock Band Vision with Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad.
Mark Farner was in that band? OMG
@@gtrfletch yes he was briefly.
You should look up Butch Langham in Dalton Georgia. Great guy and was very close to Leon.
Any help in finding him? He would be a great guest on our show.
No Ronnie realized Ed King was a great song writer and guitar 🎸 player why he got Leon back
Both were true. Ed was a bad bass player, Leon was a great bass player and YES Ronnie, as he was always wise and looking ahead, knew what he had in Ed!
Greg T is another piece of work.
Would love to learn more about Greg. Let me know...
Great video and i love leon but i dont think ed king was a bad bass player just listen to the freebird bassline and gimme 3 steps thats all ed,s playing🙂👍
Hmmm. Even Ed said that he was not great but maybe serviceable. I thought Leon re-recorded all those bass lines, no?
@@gtrfletch I love leon dont get me wrong but on the first recordings its ed king playing and i gotta say the bass line he came up with up in gimme me 3 steps is pretty darn good even if he says he was not that great but of course leon was the man later on just listen to his bass line in i know a little 🙂👍
@@clausm2203 thanks for helping to educate me! Just shows how much we all need to learn. Me and Joe have always been big fans of ED, saying that those local guys needed a little seasoning added in, maybe from Cali! And yeah, Leon had some awesome bass lines. I Know A Little is brilliant all the way thru......
@@gtrfletch Agree a 100 pct🙂👍
Leon was a great singer - many times the bass player is the most talented - John Paul Jones - Paul , Steve Harris , Phyl -
Dusty Baker had an incredible vocal - Larry Bourne - this dude plays a bass and there isn't anyone in Louisville who can match his chops - whether it's classical piano or Steely Dan - and he plays a bass -
Any time you mention talent in the same breath with Steely Dan, that is quite a thing!
Leon used to call your type,”Clingons”.
Never know when to stop.
You were not there.
Had no idea Leon was a trekkie...there are a lot of us!
fans that would "cling" on to him.
@@gtrfletch
So Ronnie would have never considered Ed King a few years later? Would have been an expensive mistake.
Who knows? I was just referring to his comments about why Leslie West could not join the band. Basically, only a Southern man would understand! And yeah, expensive mistake.