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October 20, 1977

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from October 20, 1977

Concorde Lands at Kennedy As Its Proving Flights Begin

By Richard Witkin

Concorde lands at Kennedy Airport on Oct 19 as proving flights begin; Brit Aircraft Corp says engines registered 115.5 effective perceived noise decibels at measuring point about 2 miles from landing, about 2 decibels lower than subsonic Boeing 707 would have produced; landing route takes plane over least populated areas; plane is piloted by Jean Franchi; Brit Airways exec Gordon Davidson expresses delight; illus of Concorde as it prepares to land (L)

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Abducted German Industrialist Found Slain in France

By Paul Hofmann

Body of Schleyer found in trunk of abandoned car in Mulhouse, France; French police are directed to scene by anonymous telephone call saying Schleyer had been slain out of 'pain and anger' over W Ger commando raid; caller also cites officially announced suicides of 3 imprisoned W Ger terrorist leaders; Govt officials reject suggestions that 3 imprisoned terrorists had been slain by others; Schmidt calls emergency crisis team meeting; chief Govt spokesman Klaus Boiling says Govt will pursue murderers; Baden-Wurtemberg Justice Dept head Traugott Bender announces removal of Stuttgart prison dir Hans Nusser from his post; med specialists who performed examination on bodies listed; map; Ensslin atty illus (M)

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U.S. Woman Says Ruse Saved the Hostages

By Henry Tanner

Christine Santiago, Calif woman rescued by W Ger commando raid, says hijackers were tricked into ignoring massacre deadline by false assurance that 11 jailed W Ger terrorists whose release they had demanded were free and on way to Somalia; Wischnewski, who conducted negotiations with hijackers, declines at news conf to deny this account; Santiago describes murder of captain Jurgen Schumann (M)

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of October 19, 1977, covering October 20, 1977.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

    Rumours

    Fleetwood Mac

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    35
  2. 2
    Album cover for Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt

    Simple Dreams

    Linda Ronstadt

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    5
  3. 3
    Album cover for Aja by Steely Dan

    Aja

    Steely Dan

    Last week
    26
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    2
  4. 4
    Album cover for Foreigner by Foreigner

    Foreigner

    Foreigner

    Last week
    5
    Peak
    4
    Weeks
    31
  5. 5
    Album cover for Shaun Cassidy by Shaun Cassidy

    Shaun Cassidy

    Shaun Cassidy

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    18

Notable Births

Matt Jansen

1977Matt Jansen, English footballer and manager[†]

Matthew Brooke Jansen is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.

1977Leila Josefowicz, Canadian-American violinist[†]

Leila Bronia Josefowicz is an American-Canadian classical violinist.

1977Erko Saviauk, Estonian footballer[†]

Erko Saviauk is an Estonian football manager and former professional player.

Sam Witwer

1977Sam Witwer, American actor and musician[†]

Sam Witwer is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in Battlestar Galactica, Davis Bloome in Smallville, Aidan Waite in Being Human, Mr. Hyde in Once Upon a Time, Ben Lockwood in Supergirl, and Rupert Chipping in Riverdale.

Notable Deaths

Steve Gaines

1977Steve Gaines, American guitarist (born 1949)[†]

Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claimed other band members and crew. His older sister Cassie Gaines, a backup vocalist with the band, also died in the crash.

Ronnie Van Zant

1977Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (born 1948)[†]

Ronald Wayne Van Zant was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was the older brother of Johnny Van Zant, the current lead vocalist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Donnie Van Zant, the founder and vocalist of the rock band .38 Special.

Historical Events

Lynyrd Skynyrd

1977A plane carrying the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in woodland in Mississippi, United States. Six people, including three band members, are killed.[†]

Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent four years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1968. The band released its first album, (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), in 1973. By then, they had settled on a lineup that included bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell, and guitarist Ed King. Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976. At the height of their fame in the 1970s, the band popularized the Southern rock genre with songs such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". After releasing five studio albums and one live album, the band's career was abruptly halted on October 20, 1977, when their chartered airplane crashed, killing Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines, and seriously injuring the rest of the band.

Historical Context for October 20, 1977

In 1977, the world population was approximately 4,217,863,796 people[†]