Freebirds of Southern Rock

Hey Gene,

My name is Big Jim,and I just finished reading your book about "The Skynyrd Boys". And let me just say it was a great read. I am not one to sit down and read a book but I could not put this one down. I was finished in two weekends.

I have to tell you why I’m writing this note to you. I was reading the passage in the book that told about the time Skynyrd was playing two nights at the Beacon Theater in N.Y.City In 1976 and Leon threw his guitar into the crowd. Well, I was in that crowd… We were in the 2nd row on the right-center isle. I guess that would be stage left. And at the end of Freebird, Leon smashed his guitar a couple times until it broke in two, held together by the strings he wirld it over his head and let it go into the crowd. There were four of us there but only three of us ducked. My friend Bob caught the guitar by the strings, While the rest of the guitar landed in the fourth row. The guys in the fourth row pulled the guitar so hard that my friend had to let go of the strings. And when he did, they got wrapped around a girls neck in the third row. I’ll never forget that. She turned all kinds of colors before her boyfriend got her loose. Her neck was cut up pretty good. And so were my friends fingers….

That was just an incredible night, and I can’t believe I read about that in a book thirty two years later.. I was 17 at that time, Now I’m 49 and I still go to see Skynyrd every time they come to New Jersey.

Please let me know that you get this,
Big Jim