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No, the very recent death of Billy Powell probably was not as big a loss to American culture as the passing of John Updike, but in a curious way Billy's early exit from stage Earth resonates more with many of us boomers. Updike's Rabbit ran to the halls of academia, while Billy's tight tinkled runs on the piano filled out a thunderous southern sound that reverberated throughout the mainstream.  

Last week I pulled out some Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes, and played a few on the drive to a gathering for my sweetie. She remarked that I was playing the Bakersfield National Anthem when Free Bird came on.  Maybe there are still a bunch of dudes i-podding, boom-boxing, car stereo blasting many of Skynyrd's classics today. Since I don't do bar hopping or a whole lot of partying these days its hard for me to tell.

I can tell you from the moment I heard these guys in the very early 1970s I knew I really liked them. I was even a Neil Young fan, and loved Sweet Home Alabama with the pointed response to Young's blistering Southern Man, "A southern man don't need you around, anyhow!" I was also a big Allman Brothers fan, but thought Skynyrd had a toughness that the brothers Allman lacked. 

No one would have guessed at the outset of their separate careers how closely these two bands would become intertwined through dramatically tragic and random circumstances.  Death has way of sealing the deal.

There is an exceptional documentary on Tom Dowd that is available on DVD. It is called Tom Dowd & The Language Of Music. Some of you may know who Tom Dowd is. Before I watched this amazing documentary of this sound engineer/producer, I remembered his name in the recesses of my memory being a name on a few records I owned. I had no idea how many records until I saw this documentary. I won't ruin the story but this man of humble means and extraordinary talent brought the best in American music to disc and beyond. Billy Powell makes an appearance, as does Greg Allman. Fitting.

Tom Dowd was the man who figured out how to record a live show and make it sound great. He knew how to record music in any setting. There was a reason The Allman Brothers Band/ At Fillmore East, Eat A Peach and Lynyrd Skynyrd's One More For From the Road all became the standard of excellence as recorded live shows. If you're tired of angst on the telly and radio do yourself a favor and check out this DVD. You will definitely learn a lot about American music, a little history, and much about the man who passed away in 2002 who made music sound great in every setting.

Like Tuesday, Billy and John and Tom are gone but will always be with us.