Name JoJo Billingsley Role Singer | ||
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Albums Street Survivors, (Pronounced 'Leh‑'nerd 'Skin‑'nerd), Lynyrd Skynyrd, All Time Greatest Hits, One More from the Road Similar People Leslie Hawkins, Artimus Pyle, Leon Wilkeson, Steve Gaines, Billy Powell | ||
Lynyrd skynrd s jojo billingsley back up front unreleased
Deborah Jo Billingsley (May 28, 1952 – June 24, 2010) was an American singer, soloist, songwriter and recording artist. She was best known for her work with The Honkettes, backing vocalists for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Contents
- Lynyrd skynrd s jojo billingsley back up front unreleased
- Sweet Home Alabama with Artimus Pyle JoJo Billingsley Justin McCorkle
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Performances
- Personal life
- References
Sweet Home Alabama with Artimus Pyle, JoJo Billingsley, Justin McCorkle
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Billingsley was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Doc and Hazel Billingsley. The family soon moved to Senatobia, Mississippi from Harmontown, Mississippi, where she was raised. In December 1975 she was hired, along with Cassie Gaines and Leslie Hawkins, as backing singers for the Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose leader, Ronnie Van Zant, dubbed them "The Honkettes".
An October 20, 1977 airplane crash killed several members of the band and road crew, but Billingsley was the only band member not on the flight. She stated that she had a dream two nights before the plane crashed, foreseeing the event. She attempted to warn the other band members not to get on the plane. According to Billingsley, this experience led her to become a born-again Christian.
Performances
Billingsley performed with a re-formed Lynyrd Skynyrd for the first time after the 1977 plane crash at Charlie Daniels' 1979 Volunteer Jam (film of which appears in the VH1 Behind The Music profile of the band. The second was at the opening of Freebird The Movie at Atlanta's Fox Theatre in 1995). The third was singing "Sweet Home Alabama" at Lynyrd Skynyrd's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. She also performed with members of the group at occasional charity or memorial events [1].
In 2005, she performed several times as "The Honkettes" in an alternative version of Lynyrd Skynyrd called "The Saturday Night Special Band" that included former Skynyrd members Ed King, Artimus Pyle and Leslie Hawkins, which helped raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims.
Billingsley also made many television and radio appearances, appeared in several movies and DVDs, and traveled extensively. Her final CD was titled I Will Obey.
Personal life
Billingsley lived with her husband, Tim, and her daughter, Destiny, in Cullman, Alabama where they attended Spirit Life Church. Her son, Justin, is in the US Navy.
Billingsley died in Cullman on June 24, 2010 after a battle with cancer at the age of 58.