R.I.P. Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant (LYNYRD SKYNYRD): January 15th, 1948 – October 20th, 1977
R.I.P. Cassie LaRue Gaines (LYNYRD SKYNYRD): January 9th, 1948 – October 20th, 1977
R.I.P. Steven Earl "Steve" Gaines (LYNYRD SKYNYRD): September 14th, 1949 – October 20th, 1977

Following a performance at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, on October 20th, 1977 the band boarded a chartered plane with a faulty engine to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After running low on fuel the pilots attempted an emergency landing before crashing in a heavily forested area five miles northeast of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, background singer Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray were killed on impact.

Happy 53rd Birthday Fred Coury (CINDERELLA) - October 20th, 1967

Happy 75th Birthday Ric Lee (born Richard Lee; TEN YEARS AFTER) - October 20th, 1945

Happy 69th Birthday Alan Greenwood (FOREIGNER, JOE LYNN TURNER) - October 20th, 1951

R.I.P. Paul Vincent Raven (KILLING JOKE): January 16th, 1961 – October 20th, 2007

R.I.P. Phil Kennemore (Y&T): October 20th, 1953 - January 7th, 2011

Happy 55th Birthday Tom Naumann (SINNER, PRIMAL FEAR) - October 20th, 1965

Happy 22nd Birthday BLACK SABBATH’s Reunion (live album) - October 20th, 1998

Happy 22nd Birthday AEROSMITH’s A Little South Of Sanity (live album) – October 20th, 1998

Happy 3rd Birthday EUROPE’s Walk The Earth – October 20th, 2017

Happy 3rd Birthday GWAR’s The Blood Of Gods – October 20th, 2017

Happy 3rd Birthday SONS OF APOLLO’s Psychotic Symphony – October 20th, 2017

Happy 3rd Birthday TRIVIUM’s The Sin And The Sentence – October 20th, 2017 

More releases on this day:

Happy 11th Birthday CONVERGE's Axe To Fall - October 20th, 2009

Happy 10th Birthday (October 20th, 2010)
AMBERIAN DAWN - End Of Eden 
ARCKANUM - Sviga Lae 

Happy 3rd Birthday (October 20th, 2017)
AMENRA’s Mass VI 
BLUT AUS NORD’s Deus Salutis Meae 
IRON MONKEY’s 9-13 
NICK OLIVERI’s N.O. Hits At All, Vol. 3 
OZ’s Transition State 
VEIL OF MAYA’s False Idol 
VUUR’s In This Moment We Are Free – Cities 
WE CAME AS ROMANS’ Cold Like War