Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1979, the Rossington Collins Band (RCB) was a Southern rock band founded by former members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the group that had lost several members in a plane crash in 1977. Led by guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the group also featured former Skynyrd members Billy Powell (keyboards), Artimus Pyle (drums), and Leon Wilkeson (bass). In addition to the five former Skynyrd members, the group included vocalist Dale Krantz and guitarist Barry Lee Harwood. Both Rossington and Collins decided to choose a female vocalist - Dale Krantz – instead of a male vocalist in order to avoid comparisons to Lynyrd Skynyrd. After making their live debut in January 1979 at Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam V in Nashville, Tennessee, Artimus Pyle had to bow out of the line-up and was replaced by Derek Hess. The Rossington Collins Band released their debut album, Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, in 1980. The album rose to Number 13 on the Billboard 200 while the single, “Don’t Understand Me,” landed at Number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. After touring to promote the album, the group went back into the studio and began working on their second album. The Rossington Collins Band released their sophomore album, This Is the Way (1981), which climbed to Number 24 on the Billboard 200. The tour to promote the album was cut short when Allen Collins’ wife passed away. The Rossington Collins band broke up in 1982 with each band leader going in separate directions. Gary Rossington married singer Dale Krantz and formed the Rossington Band while the RCB’s other members - Collins, Harwood, Wilkeson, Powell, and Hess - formed the short-lived Allen Collins Band. In 1991, Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited with Gary Rossington, Leon Wilkeson, Artimus Pyle, and Billy Powell playing together again for the first time since the early days of the Rossington Collins Band. Allen Collins died on January 23, 1990. Leon Wilkeson passed away on July 27, 2007. Billy Powell died on January 28, 2009. Gary Rossington died on March 5, 2023.
