19 Facts About Leon Wilkeson

Leon Wilkeson was the bassist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.

Leon Wilkeson dropped out of his school band in order to focus on learning the bass at the age of 14 and shortly afterward was approached by a fellow student who told him that her brother was searching for a bassist for his band.

Leon Wilkeson's brother turned out to be Ronnie Van Zant, and soon after, Wilkeson signed on with Van Zant's group, the Collegiates.

However, due to plummeting school grades, Leon Wilkeson had to drop out of the group.

Soon Leon Wilkeson found himself in another local group, the King James Version.

Leon Wilkeson began to study the "lead bass style" of bassists such as Cream's Jack Bruce, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady, The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and the Allman Brothers' Berry Oakley.

When Lynyrd Skynyrd's bassist Greg T Walker left the band, Wilkeson was brought in as his replacement.

Leon Wilkeson returned to Jacksonville and his regular job stocking ice cream at Farmbest Dairy Products.

Van Zant subsequently visited Leon Wilkeson and convinced him to rejoin the band, and King moved to co-lead guitar.

Leon Wilkeson can be seen playing this bass in a 1975 Lynyrd Skynyrd performance on the British TV series The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Leon Wilkeson was seated next to Steve Gaines, and both were thrown face first into a bulkhead at high speed while still strapped in their airline seats.

Leon Wilkeson awoke to find Gaines dead from a broken neck and himself severely injured.

Leon Wilkeson's hands had survived intact, but his fretting arm suffered such extensive nerve damage that its amputation was seriously considered.

Leon Wilkeson returned to playing music professionally three years later, but never recovered his original dexterity on the instrument.

Leon Wilkeson managed to record bass parts for the 1979 album Contraband by Jacksonville band "Alias".

Leon Wilkeson opted to remain with Collins in a new venture, The Allen Collins Band, issuing one album in 1983, Here, There and Back.

Leon Wilkeson was pronounced dead by St Johns County Fire Rescue Paramedic, Charlie Galambos.

Leon Wilkeson was in town to address charges of driving under the influence, for which he had been cited earlier that year.

Leon Wilkeson's death put the group in a difficult position since an agreement with Ronnie Van Zant's widow, Judy Jenness, mandated that at least three of Skynyrd's longtime members would have to appear in order for the band to use the name Lynyrd Skynyrd.