Thomas Delmer "Artimus" Pyle (born July 15, 1948) is an American musician best known for playing drums with Lynyrd Skynyrd, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.Pyle was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Pyle served in the United States Marine Corps in 1967-71 as a sergeant in aviation. He joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1974. He survived the 1977 plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines.
Pyle emerged from the aircraft wreckage with several broken ribs and joined others traveling several hundred yards on foot to a farmhouse to try to get help.
The appearance of Pyle and his companions alarmed the residents of the farmhouse, who greeted them with guns and demanded they leave the premises. Eventually the Gillsburg Volunteer Fire Department arrived and assured the occupants that the men were survivors of a plane crash. Varying accounts have the farmer's son either firing a warning shot into the air or actually shooting Pyle in the shoulder with an air rifle.
In 1982 Pyle began touring with the Artimus Pyle Band (A.P.B.),including Darryl Otis Smith, John Boerstler, and Steve Lockhart. A.P.B.'s albums include A.P.B. (1981), Nightcaller (1983) and Live From Planet Earth (2000).
Pyle took part in the Skynyrd Tribute Tour and joined the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd in recording Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 before departing the band during a show in Toronto in August 1991. Pyle currently plays solo and with various musicians, including previous members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute bands.[9] In 2007, Pyle released a solo album, Artimus Venomus, on Storm Dog Records Group/Cleopatra Records.
In 1993, Pyle was arrested and charged in Jacksonville Beach, Florida with sexual battery against both daughters, ages four and eight.[10] Facing a potential life sentence, Pyle arranged a plea bargain with prosecutors to spare the children a trial. He received eight years of probation, and he was entered into the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's "Sexual Offender" database.
Pyle explains the motive of his former girlfriend's action. "Three days after I was thrown in jail, not one, but two of her boyfriends moved into my house. She gave them all of my cars. I had four beautiful automobiles. She gave them ten sets of drums that I had collected all over the world. And my home. Brand-new television set, brand new vacuum cleaner, 'cause I had gotten a settlement from Skynyrd and I bought everything for my family.
" Pyle also claims that he spent nearly $500,000 on his legal defense but soon ran out of money, thus being forced to plead guilty to "touching his children." Pyle then summarizes the story: "This shouldn't have happened. When I left the band, I lost my star status, and that's when she decided to lower the boom. I put a new band together with my son and I was ready to go on. But to this girl, I wasn't a Rock-and-Roll star anymore." Pyle then added that he would have gladly given his former girlfriend all the material possessions and freedom: "We would've separated.
I would've taken care of my children. But no, she has to charge me with a charge worse than murder."
In 2007, Pyle was touring with the band Deep South.
Little of this subject matter was covered in the press until November 19, 2007, when Pyle was arrested in St. Johns County, Florida for failure to register as a sex offender. Pyle was acquitted after a jury trial of all three charges stemming from this arrest on Aug. 28, 2009. Pyle's name and photograph are featured on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement sexual offender database website.
Pyle currently resides in Asheville, N.C.. He occasionally plays with a southern rock band known as The Floyd County Rangers and also his own namesake project, 'Artimus Venomous'.
Pyle, also plays with his own band. " The Artimus Pyle Band". He does shows with them when he isn't with " The Floyd County Rangers ".
On Nov. 22, 2010 Plyle appeared at the Another One For Woody benefit concert at New York's Roseland Ballroom, performing the Skynyrd song ‘Simple Man’ with Gov't Mule.