And here’s a band that had a legitimate claim to call themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd and didn’t. Unlike the current cover band that does. Very cool to see this. RIP to the great Allen Collins

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

Even when RCB played free bird they didn't sound as much OG Skynyrd as the AC band playing it, other than it missing gary

@markwarren250

5 ай бұрын

You are absolutely right. How they continued touring under that name without even one original band member is ridiculous. They should just retire the name and the band.

@robert.m4676

5 ай бұрын

@@markwarren250I feel the same but at least it’s Ronnie’s brother. Ronnie said he wanted his little bro to do this. I’m not defending anything but that’s the truth!

@craiglahey3209

5 ай бұрын

At the end of the day its Ronnie's wife who has final say in what the band does, and they still draw and keep this incredible music alive. In the end it's all this amazing music and keeping it alive so new generations can love it as we do. God bless them all, and THANK YOU for giving us the soundtrack to our youth and our lives

@chriszelez7970

5 ай бұрын

Exactly that crap with Johnny and who can't compare.

Allen was one of the best guitar players. Known for his blazing solos but he was one of the best rhythm players too and an epic songwriter

@johnelliott0101

5 ай бұрын

Absolutely agree

@paradoxstudios6639

5 ай бұрын

I think he's responsible for Free Bird,

@kathyrais574

14 күн бұрын

Agree, did you know he never set out to be lead guitarist? Funny to even think abt after the great leads & solos he did but in the beginning he was w/group w/friend Larry Steele & was perfectly happy playin rhythm guitar only. Larry said they really only started band after they saw reaction of girls to the Beatlet, they wanted to get girls! He really wasn't that good according to Larry(it would be great to see from footage of those days when they did the Battle of the Bands etc. Abt that time is when he & Gary started playing together every moment they could. One would learn a line they would teach the other & I believe it was during that time their bond was formed & they encouraged & taught each other. The more they practiced, the more confidence they got & during that time Gary joined up w/Bob & Ronnie & Ronnie liked what he saw w/the two guitarists & that's when Allen quit Mods & went to play with One Percent. The duo of Rossington & Collins are highly under appreciated, the way they were so in sync that at times , you felt like they were 1 guy, it was that smooth

Allen Collins, my favorite guitarist. Man was he Great!

Man, This ts GREAT!!! I was fortunate enough to see The ACB in Cocoa Beach, Probably just before or after this show. Alan was smoking hot! They talk about how wasted and depressed he was at this point in his life, but as you can see here, when hes on stage he"d come alive and TEAR IT UP!!!

@kathyrais574

3 ай бұрын

He was hanging on by a thread, he had times where he could pull himself together & do a show but ultimately ACB fell apart just like RCB did. He & Gary had go much guilt because they were only 2 that lived in that part of plane, everyone around them died. They lost Ronnie who was like a brother, a father,a mentor. They had terrible injuries that took awhile to get better. Then they decided to start RCB, he & Gary were doin so much better then Kathy died & Allen had even more guilt over not being a better husband. He slept w/Dale Krantz but then she & Gary fell in love. That caused some issues btwn the two & then he wouldn't show up half the time. Gary & Dale got married & had to get away from all the drama plus they wanted to start a family. Allen pulled himself together enough to start ACB but I think all the guilt was too much. He was always a crazy man behind the wheel & even though he had a girlfriend, he still missed Kathy & may not have cared if he lived or died but instead the girl died & he was left paralyzed. Such a tragic chain of events. He really was messed up even as far back as Kindergarten. It still breaks my heart to think abt his story & how sadly things ended for him. I hope he is with Kathy & the whole Skynyrd Skynyrd band are rocking. Out & he is whole again. RIP Allen❤❤

I saw him front row for The Rossington-Collins Band. The man was a dynamic performer who would jump 3 feet in the air while playing guitar.

Omg that is so awesome, the one and only MR ALLEN COLLINS. Rip🙏

@jerrygreene1493

5 ай бұрын

Apparently Allen's first wife wrot the line 'If I leave here tomorrow, will you still remember me?'

@ElizabethJohnson-ss4ce

5 ай бұрын

@@jerrygreene1493 First and only wife. It was something she asked Allen when they had an argument when they were dating.

@jerrygreene1493

5 ай бұрын

@@ElizabethJohnson-ss4ce OK, I guess his later relationships were GF. Always liked his personality, so sad that he didn't get some guidance during his hard times.

@robert.m4676

5 ай бұрын

@@jerrygreene1493so sad what happened to her.

@snailracer3773

5 ай бұрын

@@jerrygreene1493She didn't write the line, she actually said the line to Allen in a for real situation.

Holy shit, I was at this show!! Wow, I am freakin out! Didn't know this video existed. I took pictures too! I'll never forget this night. I shot b&w and after the show I went right home and developed the film myself and printed them the next day! Thank you for posting this!!

@Mr.SeymourButts

3 ай бұрын

That's wild! Very rare for that time to see someone recording

@mgcole5586

2 ай бұрын

You gotta be thrilled man!

@PJ-cant-stay-long

2 ай бұрын

Camera man couldn't keep it together. All over the place with that video. I'm thankful for it though.

@sopitabo

Ай бұрын

Get the fuck out. Bro you got to see Allen Collins etc live on stage,he is one of the people you wish you could see,you cant get any better...

@kenairockband

11 күн бұрын

Any idea why he threw tgat mic stand at 9:00-ish in?

This was absolutely fantastic!!! Got the album when it came out, but never saw the Allen Collins band live. Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd twice 75 & 77 and the tribute band 5 or 6 times. Big Allen Collins fan and I wish, like millions of others that things would have turned out differently 🙏

@NathanSmith-xf7rk

5 ай бұрын

👍 me too

@rb343

5 ай бұрын

I had tickets in hand for a show in Nov. of 77 that never happened. RIP Skynyrd. You left a legacy that history can't rewrite!

@bartbucklin7433

5 ай бұрын

That's so cool!!! That must be one of the few last times he played that... Fly on Allen, heaven and all those galaxies to explore.

@robert.m4676

5 ай бұрын

@@rb343I had tickets toOzzy with Randy in Orlando. Randy was killed two days before that concert. I bet you were feeling like I felt not being able to see them. I was crushed. I too grew up loving Skynyrd and it sucks what happened to both!

@rb343

5 ай бұрын

@robert.m4676 Yup, we have the same musical taste. I remember the very first metal album i bought with my paper route was, 33 LP, Black Sabbath Master of Reality. That album changed the direction of music as much as Skynyrd did!

I just discovered this today. It is incredible. May Allen Collins, Leon Wilkerson and Billy Powell rest in peace. Cheers! 🙏✌️🦅

Just loved seeing phenomenal " FREEBIRD " solo played so close and up front by Allen! Absolutely awesome! ❤

@user-fj9vm1yi5u

5 күн бұрын

And barry harwood

Wow, Allen Collins looks really good here. Only a few years later tragic strikes again, what a shame. Looks like Randall Hall playing Gary's part

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

He was great but He gained a lot of weight and he was high as shit clearly , this was the end of his peak

My dad seen this band live and always told me they played freebird without singing it and never understood that until now stumbling across this video! Thank you! Love and Miss you dad!! Rip

Thank you so very much,Mr Allen Collins! Miss you Sir! ❤

This was excellent, thank you for posting, Never seen it. Allen is sure missed. I spoke with Gene Odom recently and agree with him that Allen Collins was the sound of Skynyrd. Fly High Free Birds!

@robert.m4676

5 ай бұрын

Damn right Allen Collins was definitely the sound of Skynyrd. He definitely earned his induction into the R&R HOF but more importantly into the hearts of everyone who evolved Southern Rock! A pure Florida Boy and American!

This stuff is gold man I can’t get enough of this !!!!

Man! This really made my day!!! I didn't know there was any live footage of the Allen Collins Band out there and it's them playing Free Bird!! I love that Gibson with the P-90 pickups Allen is playing. Thank you for uploading this great footage!!

@ColeBeasley

5 ай бұрын

same model, different color. different guitar

@winslowredcross2835

5 ай бұрын

It's a great guitar but you are right. It's not the one in the 1979 footage. Thanks@@ColeBeasley

You never know what might pop up on KZread do you? Never knew this footage existed. Awesome thanks for sharing 👍👍Consider myself lucky enough to have seen them in ‘75

Allen was my favorite. I'm so sad about the drinking and drugs and the way it turned out.😢

I was, still am, a professionally unsuccessful, very talented guitarist, bassist, and drummer. I'm clean & sober now, today. But for the 27 years after my 17th birthday, I was fully and completely wrapped up in heroin addiction, alcohol, in & out of jail. A 138 month stay in the Federal Bureau of Prisons... And another 15 years of full-blown addiction after my release. I always admired and respected Collins, Rossington, Gaines, and Ricky Medlocke. Man, oh man, that band experienced such heart break.

@robertwiesler381

4 ай бұрын

I wish You all the best, bro Greetings from Austria, my friend

@davidh6818

4 ай бұрын

Damn,11 and a half years served in a Federal prison,you must've been moving a lot of weight.Or robbed a bank....

I love how they all emulate Allen's leap at the near end

This was the only time that collins truly felt comfortable in his own skin was up on stage outside of that. I'm sure he was depressed and using a lot.... it's well documented. Too bad man, The airplane tragedy We lost Incredible songwriter and guitarist steve gaines( & sis) and one of the great singers of the seventies, Ronnie VanZant. And then you lose allen and eighty three or eighty four. But imagine if we hadn't lost those 3 guys. How incredible Lynyrd Skynyrd would have been throughout the 80s and into the 90s. I would have truly been a fan of theirs but after streets survivor I just wanted nothing to do with the band anymore other than the music on the Rossington Collins band LP. I've got the first L. P. Is an original copy from when it came out. It was handed down to me by my brother who saw that band tour In Raleigh, North Carolina in 1980 Along with rossington/ Collins band was the Little River. Band and Molly Hatchett what a friggin 3course show.. And of course, the Allen Collins band was bad a** too. But too bad Steve Gaines Allen Collins and rossington Couldn't have stayed together and been a trio of virtuoso players for Lynyrd Skynyrd.. They would have made so much incredible music in the eighties and beyond. And I would have been a much bigger fan of them if those guys would have been able to stand the test of time. The street survivors

@Tom-ok2rh

5 ай бұрын

Yessir…the world definitely missed out on many future great songs for sure with the accident. They were in their prime and hitting stride. RIP to all of the members of this great band.

@user-fj9vm1yi5u

2 ай бұрын

Looks like Barry lee Harwood

@kathyrais574

Ай бұрын

Agree, Allen was hanging on by a thread after his wife died in 1980, he was really a walking dead, she was his rock & he had SO much guilt, 1st over plane crash & fact that he & Gary were right in middle of 4 that died, but when Kathy Collins died Allen suffered incredible guilt, wondering if God took Kathy to punish Allen for being a serial cheater on the road or if he took her to get her away from Allen or both. After RCB, he pulled himself together enough to start ACB but he was drowning in booze & drugs. I am surprised he made it as long as he did. Sad part is his accident was in 1986 that paralyzed him, they had already been planning a reunion of Lynyrd Skynyrd for the 10 yr anniversary of the plane crash, he might have been able to pull himself out of it, who knows. After his accident he was just a shell of a man. So very sad.

Allen n Billy tears in there eyes

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

Time stamp

@tpstrato2270

5 ай бұрын

allen 16:47@@user-kr7jp2dx3m billlie 6:40

@1wickedgroove

5 ай бұрын

Mine too 😢 Awesome video! Had no clue it even existed... thanks to whoever posted it!!

@davidh6818

4 ай бұрын

​@@tpstrato2270 Nonsense,Billy is sweating like he always did playing a gig and Allen can't be seen well enough to tell,although he looks to be doing anything but crying....

Was good to see Billy andLeon in his band

@jimhurlbut3649

5 ай бұрын

Billy is into it, too!!

Outstanding find!

That’s great, I like how Allen throws that Mike stand at Barry, 🤪😂

Great find ! Good job. Hard to find these ole school videos.

So glad this was found. Thank you

Fantastic... I remember getting A. COLLINS BAND album.. Just had a flashback when I went to see Rossington Collins Band at the Mid Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie N.Y.

very rare!! thank you for posting!

Thanks for posting this, awesome musicians !

Absolutely fantastic Thank you so much for this

Wow just wow ❤❤❤❤❤

Omg. Thank you for posting this. What a treat

Thx 4this video ...cool rare live

Thanks for sharing. Had not seen this. Share more please if you can. Appreciate it.

Wow, this is awesome!

I’m not sure but this could be one of the last times Alan Collins is seen able to play the guitar.

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

It is, n the last audio of him is 11/2/83 lone star cafe

@VBForbes

3 ай бұрын

sad but true - thank you Joe Lauro and Historic Films for this nugget of gold

Thanks for sharing this gem!!

Dont ever be sad for Allen. Lived and died like what he was.... Rock and Roll Icon

❤Fly On Freebirds....... To all my Heroes from 904......

Last known footage of allen

@NathanSmith-xf7rk

5 ай бұрын

👍

@slagmaggot

5 ай бұрын

Not sure about that I remember someone rollin him out in a wheelchair at a show.

@NathanSmith-xf7rk

5 ай бұрын

Maybe the last known picture of him before his accident

Wow no words 🙏

Love it..his guitar is singing the vocals.. I'm not a guitarist, a pianist..Allen, you are my favourite..regards Karolyn Melbourne Australia

Amazing

After Allen’s wife died he just couldn’t handle life anymore.😢

@BullseyeForever24

3 ай бұрын

Who could man it’s terrible he was just cursed for the wrong reasons so so sad ik 58 now and I cry everytime I see him on KZread or listening to my old 8 tracks yes I still have 8 tracks !!! His whole like was a sad sad tragedy losing his best friend Ronnie and this would effect him the rest of his life then tragedy 😢of losing his precious wife Kathy was tthr last straw he just couldn’t stand or control his emotions anymore I felt so heart felts and so sad for him and his family now God takes care of him

From what I understand, this is the last recorded version of allen playing freebird, let that sink in- it sucks

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

This is june 1983, there is a recording of them in November at the lone star cafe, but this is the last footage of allen playing n it was better too

Hell Yeah!!!

I would love to have those Slingerland’s!

Hell yeah!

I've never heard this band before...😢😮😂😅😊❤

@Tom-ok2rh

5 ай бұрын

FYI he was a founding member and a lead guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd that survived the plane crash from’77

Gene Odom once said without Allen Collins there would have been no Lynyrd Skynyrd

"WE WANT ALLEN" Good on the crowd giving him some shine

What gets me about this time period is there isn't much footage or info about the remaining band members. Ive herd rumors of allen and gary fighting over dale krantz. Ive heard where billy and leon were homeless. Not too much info on what artimus has been doing. Also heard how the survivors were dealing with survivors guilt. Very tragic and very interesting at the same time.

@chipcruey7757

5 ай бұрын

Check put Craig Reeds podcast, The Stoned Roadie show. lots of insights from a man who was there!

@bigfoot9543

5 ай бұрын

I'll check it out, thankyou

Billy sweating up a storm

Incredible. Is the whole show available? I'm not a fan of the cover/tribute band that call themselves Skynyrd now. All a bit naff. I saw the original band a few times. I'm sure Jonny is a nice man - but I find him a bit cheesy on stage if I'm honest. Nowhere cool as his older bro Ronnie. What a great band the original band was. One of the best. x

Priceless footage but you could tell Allen was about done

@flyingburritobro68

5 ай бұрын

He was a mess at that point sadly

@donjohn2695

5 ай бұрын

Drink drugs and mental health issues had destroyed him by this point

@Tom-ok2rh

5 ай бұрын

Yea but you could still tell it was him

@SimpleManGuitars1973

5 ай бұрын

Yeah this is honestly sad to me. Skynyrd was just a moment in time that could never be recaptured.

@mgcole5586

2 ай бұрын

Yep..you can't top the originals.

Wow what an incredible find ! .. it's my understanding that there isn't much footage of Allen Collins band, this is really amazing. I gotta wonder if Allen was just so heartbroken and that why he practically ran off the stage after. I couldn't really see the guys face, but was that Craig Reed holding a couple guitars at the end ?

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

Footage and audio*

@billyshane3804

5 ай бұрын

Running off to take drugs.

@jimhurlbut3649

5 ай бұрын

​@@billyshane3804Ready for a bump. 😆

@jeffmcguire5701

5 ай бұрын

I saw them in the summer of 1983 outside at the old Memphis Cotton Carnival for 7 bucks. Them and Molly Hatchett. Man poor Allen was stoned out of his mind that day .Those were the days before internet and we had no way to known his wife had just died with their unborn child. Poor guy had just way too much tragedy in his life. Fly on Freebird.

@amilan409

5 ай бұрын

Yeah, it's heartbreaking. And I don't know if he tried to get mental help, or if anyone else tried to get him to , but that was still really stigmatized back then .. and still pretty dangerous too. I sure wish his life had turned out differently @@jeffmcguire5701

Ya gotta love the Beatles. Good job.

@Tom-ok2rh

5 ай бұрын

.???

Allen became Timmy from south park.

Wow never seen Allen play a Les Paul Jr

This is the Rossington Collens band without Gary and Dale.

Well said, these current guys need to give it up. It’s over, go back home. No Gary-No Skynyrd. Plus Billy needs credit as a co-writer of Free Bird. Peace

GOLD!!!

Scary rare find

I always heard a lot of Almand Brothers in this song.

There was also Rossington Collins Band too.

@panheadsforever74

5 ай бұрын

Ya. No shit. What's your point?

I was living in castleberry fla took an hour to get to Daytona to see the band about ten years after plane crash rissinton Collins band had already put out an album but with female singer it didn't catch on. I was early 20,s an 10 feet from Allen Gary all of them an my man in piano seen many bands stones Elton John Elvis my mom took me to see the king I was 11 now I'm 59 don't go to whole lot now but highest I paid for ticket was 100 bucks when your taking ton of people it can kick your wallets ass but no regrets peace

He never regained his full mastery. Still a great video

@Americanspy-hn2kw

5 ай бұрын

Yes but you can't blame him his life was pretty tragic. You can blame him for the car crash though since he was intoxicated.

Right Fuckin On 👍

I think Uncle Allen threw the Mike stand To get one of the guys attention.

@stingylizard

5 ай бұрын

Filling in for Ronnie weren't easy

@panheadsforever74

5 ай бұрын

He's mad that Ronnie isn't Singing

@panheadsforever74

5 ай бұрын

He did the same move with the rossington collins band

RVZ would throw the mic a lot of times.

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

U must be talking about JVZ , I can't find him doing that in Oakland 77 footage

@alvingriggs6932

5 ай бұрын

I seen him do it in 1976 Nashville Tennessee maybe that's what I'm remembering I'm old.Check out live at Fresno 2 short clips of a few songs

@panheadsforever74

5 ай бұрын

He's throwing it because he's mad ronnie isn't there the same

@panheadsforever74

5 ай бұрын

So he's like to hell with this mike stand

Looks like Leon on Bass and Billy on keyboards. Anyone know the names of the drummer and the other two guitarists here?

@chipcruey7757

5 ай бұрын

THe drummer is Derick Hess from the RCB, also Barry Lee Harwood from RCB on guitar and then Randall Hall who Allen picked to play his parts later after his accident and they were going out as the Tribute Band.

@maryfillingim9465

5 ай бұрын

That’s Derek Hess on drums, Barry Lee Harwood on the Firebird and Randall Hall on the strat

@freddielee8500

5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@panheadsforever74

5 ай бұрын

​@@chipcruey7757well said chip

@SimpleManGuitars1973

5 ай бұрын

Barry Harwood is who Ronnie was talking about on Honky Tonk Night Time Man when he says "Ah Barry Play Me Some Dobro!" Barry Harwood almost was the replacement for Ed King but Steve Gaines came along and the rest was history. Barry is a GREAT player and a great dude also. Check out some of his interviews on here. Really interesting dude and played with all the southern rock legends.

Billy Powell on the piano.......

Maybe the audio is bad, but this performance musically isn’t remotely close to the performance they put on in Oakland 6 years earlier. Allen Collins allegedly almost lost his right arm in that plane crash and Leon Wilkeson was so badly injured he had to alter the way he held the base. Their music this night in ‘83 didn’t seem to have the pace, tempo, or crispness of their play pre-crash.

Did his explorer get smashed in the crash?

@knightfall9394

5 ай бұрын

No, his explorer is at the rock n roll hall of fame. The bands equipment (guitars at least) was elsewhere when the plane crashed

to the true lynyrd skynyrd fan they seased on 20 octiber 1977 that joke band whick took up the name and performed sorry but dont regognise them

@MrBreeze18

5 ай бұрын

I'd always heard that the "tribute" band got together for a show (and then a tour) primarily to raise funds for Allen's medical bills. Allen was a big part of it, using the stage to do community service. I don't know if he was still touring with them when that tour continued in 88.

@davidh6818

4 ай бұрын

​@@MrBreeze18That's not true,the tribute was already in the works when Allen had his accident.

I can a lot of "Jack Black" in this group ...

Billy wasted!

nobody rests in peace not even Allen!

@user-kr7jp2dx3m

5 ай бұрын

He didn't live in peace bro, his mark was prob to leave this great solo to everyone like you overlooking that, altho he did kill someone while drunk and probably faced pretty harsh judgement from that

No

WHERES the vocal he did nt have a singer,,it needs a singer

@jpb962

Ай бұрын

Because nobody can ever sing it a good as RONNIE VAN ZANT did!

Co very band suxs.i saw this version of skynrd

Awesome. These guys were loaded with trauma. Allen was spiraling. All this stuff Allen was dealing with…the crash, drugs, death of his friends, wife, the fight with Rossington, groupies…sad. Great clip though…disappointing there isn’t much film/video of these guys around.

Never saw Leon with short hair like that ,also freebird seems slower here.