Leon Wilkeson

Born: 1952-04-02

Born on April 2, 1952 in Newport, Rhode Island but raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Wilkeson became a major Beatles fan just as he was becoming a teenager and began learning to play bass guitar in order to emulate his favorite member of the Fab Four, Paul McCartney. Wilkeson dropped out of his school band in order to focus on learning the bass at the age of 14 and, shortly afterwards, was approached by a fellow student, who told him that her brother was searching for a bassist for his band. Her brother turned out to be Ronnie Van Zant, and soon after, Wilkeson signed on with Van Zant's local group, the Collegiates. However, due to plummeting school grades, Wilkeson had to drop out of the group at the behest of his parents. Soon Wilkeson found himself in another local group, the King James Version. He began to study the 'lead bass style' of such accomplished players as Cream's Jack Bruce, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady, The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh, and the Allman Brothers'Berry Oakley. By the early '70s, Wilkeson was becoming one of Jacksonville's top bassists. When Lynyrd Skynyrd's bassist Larry Junstrom moved to Miami, Wilkeson was brought in as his replacement.  Was the bassist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.


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Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live at Knebworth '76

as Self
Released: 2021-04-09

On August 21st, 1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd took the stage at Knebworth Park in England as part of a...

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Lynyrd Skynyrd: Lyve from Steel Town

as Bass
Released: 1999-09-27

Recorded and filmed on July 15, 1997, at Star Lake Coca-Cola Amphitheatre, Burgettstown, PA...

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Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live at Winterland 1976

as himself
Released: 1976-03-04

Lynyrd Skynyrd took to the stage at Winterland Arena in San Francisco, CA on March 7th, 1976,...

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Freebird: The Movie

as Himself
Released: 1996-01-01

See classic live performances, interviews and vintage footage of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Old Grey Whistle Test

as Himself
Released: 1975-01-01

Bob Harris presents a concert by the southern rockers, recorded in Shepherd's Bush, London for...

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Lynyrd Skynyrd : Live at Winterland 1975

as himself
Released: 1975-04-27

By the time Lynyrd Skynyrd played this sold-out show at San Francisco's Winterland ballroom on...

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tribute Tour

as Bass
Released: 1987-10-01

The Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour was a tour that was undertaken to pay tribute to the original...

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Lynyrd Skynyrd: Live at Rockpalast

as Himself
Released: 1996-01-01

A concert shot for the Rockpalast show on the Loreley Festival on June 23, 1996. As a special...

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Behind the Music

as Self
First aired: 1997-08-17

An intimate look into the personal lives of pop music's greatest and most influential artists.

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