“There are eighty-eight keys on a piano and within that, an entire universe.”
- James Rhodes
Recently, friend Jeff brought up the topic of Chuck Leavell's incredible piano solo on the Allman Brothers' masterpiece, Jessica. It is, for sure, a beauty. It got me to thinking about other remarkable piano solos in rock music. There aren't that many, are there? I'm talking about specifically piano and not organ. Rock music is guitar-driven, so most spots for solos go to them. There are artists whose music is piano-centric, Elton John and Billy Joel, I'm thinking of. They have many distinctive piano intros that come to mind, but solos? I'm not that versed in their catalogs so maybe I'm way off.
For me, if I'm picking favorites, I have to go with Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'm partial, of course. I know every note of every song they ever recorded, so Billy's work is foremost in my mind. With Skynyrd's three guitar attack, it's easy to overlook what Billy brought to their sound. Without him, though, they're not them.
It's hard to choose just one solo of his to offer as an example, he has so many. I will go with one that, while not a high-speed dazzler, is mighty delicate and beautiful. The little clip prior to the original below gives an idea of what he's doing in the song. It's pretty not bad for rock and roll.
What are some legendary piano solos that make you smile or nod in appreciation?
R.I.P. Billy Powell.