Even in Lynyrd Skynyrd, a group noted for being a collection of free spirits, they called him "Wild Man." Drummer Artimus Pyle joined the definitive Southern rock group in 1974, replacing original drummer Bob Burns. Three years later, after a whirlwind run that included a trio of Top Ten albums and upstaging the Rolling Stones on tour, Pyle was staggering through a swamp in rural Mississippi, seeking help after surviving the band's infamous and deadly plane crash.

Pyle, an ex-Marine and a Kentucky native who was friendly with the young Al Gore, got his start in rock 'n' roll with boosts from Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band before being recommended to Skynyrd. By Pyle's own account, singer Ronnie Van Zant authorized his hiring sight unseen, sending a paper bag filled with $5,000 to recruit the new band member.

He missed few chances to sow his wild oats. On tour in the U.K., Pyle and some of his mates got into a brawl at a London hotel. Their opponents turned out to be members of the Metropolitan Police Boxing Team, and Pyle was carried out unconscious. After the plane crash, he missed an opportunity to join the post-Skynyrd Rossington-Collins Band when he suffered a broken leg in a motorcycle accident. Instead, he formed his own group, the Artimus Pyle Band (APB), which helped launch the career of the late Gov't Mule/Allman Brothers bassist Allen Woody.

Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Ean Evans passed away this week after losing "a valiant battle with an aggressive form of cancer," according to a statement issued Wednesday by the band. A southern rocker by birthright (raised in Georgia before moving to Mississippi), Evans joined Skynyrd in 2001, following the death of original bassist Leon Wilkeson.

Evans was a member of the Outlaws before being called up to Skynyrd as the replacement for one of his heroes and greatest influences. In addition to his full-time status in Skynyrd, he had also more recently formed a side-project with Bobby Capps of .38 Special called EVANSCAPPS.

The famous plane crash that took three of his bandmates in 1977 wasn't enough to kill Billy Powell but, sadly, the Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist passed away in his home in the suburbs of Jacksonville, FL, early Wednesday morning. He was 56 years old.

According to local newspaper the Florida-Times Union, Powell called 911 himself, but following CPR from rescue workers, was pronounced dead at 1:52 AM.

Powell took music lessons while attending military boarding school in Florida, and majored in music theory in college, but his true rock 'n' roll education began when he became a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 1972, he graduated when he accepted the position of the band's keyboardist. Quite simply, they heard him play and hired him on the spot.

While the 7th Jammy Awards -- held at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday -- was not quite the Phish reunion that many had predicted, all four members of that band did join together onstage to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was punctuated by a lengthy speech by bandleader Trey Anastasio. The one-time king of jam guitarists thanked fans for twenty "amazing" years, and for being a part of something truly greater than any one person involved.

Indeed, that musical sense of communalism and giving significance to being "in the moment" was the overt theme of the night. Much more than the awards themselves (one of which -- Download of the Year -- yours truly was nominated for), the Jammy's was really, as producer Pete Shapiro said, "all about the music."

• Amy Winehouse was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of drug possession. The embattled singer's spokesperson said the arrest is connected to a video that allegedly showed Winehouse taking drugs at a party in her London home.

• Beck will release an as-yet-untitled album this summer. The 10-track effort was produced by Danger Mouse, and is rumored to feature Cat Power on one of the songs.
  

• Madonna scored her seventh No. 1 album this week with her latest effort, 'Hard Candy,' selling 280,000 copies.
  

• Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd are teaming for a summer tour, dubbed 'Rock and Rebels,' beginning August 8 in Oklahoma City.

The Drive-By Truckers have been known to defy genres, though their musical roots go back to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Spade Cooley. Armed with three guitars and their good friend Jack Daniel's in tow, the Georgia post-country quintet brought a new flavor to the Interface. Delivering unapologetically Southern-fried rock at its best, the often misunderstood Truckers unload four country-fresh tunes from their latest album, 'Brighter Than Creations Dark.'

Founder and frontman Patterson Hood spoke about the band's unlikey nod to Southern hip-hop on their 'Dirty South' album: "Some of the subject matter on that record was pretty parallel to some of the subject matter on some of the hip-hop records, even though we took it in a very different direction and, you know, made a rock 'n' roll record out of it," Hood tells Spinner. Throughout their career, the Truckers have had no lack of critical acclaim but have struggled to find their place in the mainstream. "We've always blazed our own trail and done our own thing, and I think that at any point in time that people out there who are looking for good songs that are played well go out to go out to a club, bar, and throw back a couple of drinks and, you know, have a great time," Hood went on to say. "Our songs are kind of dark and stormy and all that, but our show is really a lot of fun."

Download an exclusive performance and interview from Drive-By Truckers after the jump.

Last week Kid Rock had his moment in the sun, scoring his first No. 1 in his hip-hoppin', classic-rockin', Skynyrd-and-Seger-worshipin', Tommy Lee-slappin' career with his debut of 'Rock n Roll Jesus,' his full-arm embrace of the trailer-trash aesthetic he's been perfecting in both his musical and personal life.

But perhaps it's time for the man known to Grandma as Bob Ritchie to adopt a new role model, and he could do a lot worse than training his considerable mimicry skills on Mr. Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. Now there's a classic rocker who not only has proven chart staying power but also knows how to deport himself in the confines of a Waffle House. And speaking of role models, though a 'Rock n Roll Jesus' may conceivably carry on in such an unseemly fashion, Old Skool Jesus was all "turn the other cheek" and whatnot.