Ronnie Van Zant
Encyclopedia
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American
lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock
band Lynyrd Skynyrd
. He was the older brother of the founder and vocalist of 38 Special, Donnie Van Zant
, and of current Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant
.
, to Lacy (1915–2004) and Marion (1929–2000) Van Zant. Van Zant aspired to be many things before finding his love for music. Notably, Ronnie was interested in becoming a boxer (as Muhammad Ali
was one of his idols) and in playing professional baseball. Ronnie also tossed around the idea of becoming a stock-car racer. In fact, he would say that he was going to be the most famous person to come out of Jacksonville since Lee Roy Yarbrough.
(guitar), Gary Rossington
(guitar), Larry Junstrom
(bass), and Bob Burns
(drums). Lynyrd Skynyrd's name is a mock tribute to a gym teacher the boys had in high school, Leonard Skinner
, who disapproved of male students with long hair.
The band's national exposure began in 1973 with the release of their debut album, (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), which has a string of hits and fan favorites including: "I Ain't the One", "Tuesday's Gone
", "Gimme Three Steps
", "Simple Man," and their signature song, "Free Bird
", which he later dedicated to the late Duane Allman
of The Allman Brothers Band
.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's biggest hit single, although "Free Bird" was a close second, was "Sweet Home Alabama" which came off the album Second Helping
. "Sweet Home Alabama
" was an answer song to Neil Young
's "Alabama" and "Southern Man
." The common belief that Van Zant and Young were rivals is incorrect; they were actually fans of each other and considered collaborating on several occasions. Young's song "Powderfinger" on the 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps
was reportedly written for Skynyrd, and Van Zant is pictured on the cover of Street Survivors
wearing a T-shirt of Young's Tonight's the Night.
In his spare time, Van Zant enjoyed baseball
, and was a fan of the New York Yankees
and Chicago White Sox
.
Van Zant had several run ins with the law, especially in 1975, when he was arrested for hurling a table out of a second-story hotel room.
to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi
. The passengers had been informed about problems with one of the plane's engines and told to brace for impact. Van Zant died in the crash on impact, after the aircraft struck a tree. Bandmates Steve Gaines
, Cassie Gaines
, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray were also killed. Remaining band members survived, although all were seriously injured. According to former bandmate Artimus Pyle
and family members, Van Zant frequently discussed his mortality. Pyle recalls a moment when Lynyrd Skynyrd was in Japan: "Ronnie and I were in Tokyo, Japan, and Ronnie told me that he would never live to see thirty and that he would go out with his boots on, in other words, on the road. I said, 'Ronnie, don't talk like that.', but the man knew his destiny." Van Zant's father, Lacy, said, "He said to me many times, 'Daddy, I'll never be 30 years old.' I said, 'Why are you talking this gunk?' and he said, 'Daddy, that's my limit.'" Van Zant's father later noted that, "God was a jealous god. Taking him for reasons I don't know." Van Zant was 29 years old at the time of his death.
Van Zant's younger brother, Johnny
, took over as the new lead singer when the band reunited in 1987.
Van Zant was buried in Orange Park, Florida
in 1977, but was relocated after vandals broke into his and bandmate Steve Gaines'
tombs on June 29, 2000. Van Zant's casket was pulled out and dropped on the ground. The bag containing Gaines' ashes was torn open and some scattered onto the grass. Their mausoleum
s at Orange Park remain as memorials for fans to visit.
According to the cemetery listing website Find-a-Grave, Van Zant was reburied at Riverside Memorial Park in Jacksonville, near the grave of his father Lacy and mother Marion. Both his current resting place and the empty mausoleum in Orange Park are listed. The following statement was made on the Find-a-Grave entry of his current resting place in Jacksonville: "Due to the June 29th, 2000 vandalization of his original grave site, his casket was moved to this new location and buried in a massive underground concrete burial vault. To open the vault would require a tractor with a lift capacity of several tons. It is also patrolled by security."
A memorial park funded by fans and family of the band was built in honor of Van Zant. The Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park
is located on Sandridge Road in Lake Asbury, Florida
, nearby his hometown of Jacksonville.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
band Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
. He was the older brother of the founder and vocalist of 38 Special, Donnie Van Zant
Donnie Van Zant
Donald "Donnie" Van Zant is an American rock vocalist/guitarist. He is best known as a member of the band 38 Special, which he formed in 1975...
, and of current Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant
Johnny Van Zant
John Roy "Johnny" Van Zant is an American musician and the current lead vocalist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder and former lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and .38 Special founder Donnie Van Zant.Van Zant performed during the 1970s with...
.
Early life
He was born and raised in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, to Lacy (1915–2004) and Marion (1929–2000) Van Zant. Van Zant aspired to be many things before finding his love for music. Notably, Ronnie was interested in becoming a boxer (as Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
was one of his idols) and in playing professional baseball. Ronnie also tossed around the idea of becoming a stock-car racer. In fact, he would say that he was going to be the most famous person to come out of Jacksonville since Lee Roy Yarbrough.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Van Zant formed Skynyrd late in the summer of 1964 with friends and schoolmates Allen CollinsAllen Collins
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant...
(guitar), Gary Rossington
Gary Rossington
Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...
(guitar), Larry Junstrom
Larry Junstrom
Larry Junstrom is the bassist of American rock band .38 Special. He was also one of the founding members of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....
(bass), and Bob Burns
Bob Burns (drummer)
Bob Burns is an American drummer who was in the original line-up of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Burns helped to form the band in 1964 with Gary Rossington and Larry Junstrom and remained until 1974, although by some accounts he left the band for a while during the early 1970s...
(drums). Lynyrd Skynyrd's name is a mock tribute to a gym teacher the boys had in high school, Leonard Skinner
Leonard Skinner
Forby Leonard Skinner was an American high school gym teacher, basketball coach, realtor and bar owner from Jacksonville, Florida. He gained fame in the 1970s as the namesake of the influential Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd...
, who disapproved of male students with long hair.
The band's national exposure began in 1973 with the release of their debut album, (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), which has a string of hits and fan favorites including: "I Ain't the One", "Tuesday's Gone
Tuesday's Gone
"Tuesday's Gone" is the second track on Lynyrd Skynyrd's first album, "". One of the band's most popular songs, its relaxing pace and serenading guitars have made it a fan staple. The lyrics, featuring themes of a relationship ending because of extensive touring, are similar in mood to the band's...
", "Gimme Three Steps
Gimme Three Steps
"Gimme Three Steps" is a song by southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released on its 1973 debut album, . The song can often be heard on many classic rock radio stations today...
", "Simple Man," and their signature song, "Free Bird
Free Bird
"Free Bird" is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
", which he later dedicated to the late Duane Allman
Duane Allman
Howard Duane Allman was an American guitarist, session musician and the primary co-founder of the southern rock group The Allman Brothers Band...
of The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's biggest hit single, although "Free Bird" was a close second, was "Sweet Home Alabama" which came off the album Second Helping
Second Helping
Second Helping is a 1974 album by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was the band's second album, and featured its biggest hit single, "Sweet Home Alabama", an answer song to Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974...
. "Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (song)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
" was an answer song to Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's "Alabama" and "Southern Man
Southern Man
"Southern Man" is a song by Neil Young from his album After the Gold Rush. The album was released in 1970.The lyrics of "Southern Man" are vivid, describing the racism towards blacks in the American South. In the song, Young tells the story of a Southern white man and how he mistreated his slaves...
." The common belief that Van Zant and Young were rivals is incorrect; they were actually fans of each other and considered collaborating on several occasions. Young's song "Powderfinger" on the 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps
Rust Never Sleeps
Rust Never Sleeps is an album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse released in 1979. The bulk of the album was recorded live at San Francisco's Cow Palace, with overdubs added. Audience noise is removed as much as possible, although it is clearly audible at certain points, most noticeably on the opening...
was reportedly written for Skynyrd, and Van Zant is pictured on the cover of Street Survivors
Street Survivors
Street Survivors is the fifth studio album by Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on October 17, 1977. The LP is the last Skynyrd album ever recorded by original members Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and is the sole Skynyrd studio recording by guitarist Steve Gaines...
wearing a T-shirt of Young's Tonight's the Night.
Personal life
Van Zant married Nadine Incoe on 2 January 1967. The couple had a daughter, Tammy (born 1968), before divorcing in 1969. He then married Judy Jenness in 1972. They remained married up until his death in 1977. This marriage produced one daughter, Melody, born in 1976.In his spare time, Van Zant enjoyed baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and was a fan of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
Van Zant had several run ins with the law, especially in 1975, when he was arrested for hurling a table out of a second-story hotel room.
Death
On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-300 carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South CarolinaGreenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi
Gillsburg, Mississippi
Gillsburg is an unincorporated community in Amite County, Mississippi, United States. The community is part of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. The passengers had been informed about problems with one of the plane's engines and told to brace for impact. Van Zant died in the crash on impact, after the aircraft struck a tree. Bandmates Steve Gaines
Steve Gaines
Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...
, Cassie Gaines
Cassie Gaines
Cassie LaRue Gaines was an American singer. She was a member of the female gospel vocal trio The Honkettes, who in 1975 became the backup singers for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....
, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray were also killed. Remaining band members survived, although all were seriously injured. According to former bandmate Artimus Pyle
Artimus Pyle
Thomas Delmer "Artimus" Pyle 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.-Early life and career:...
and family members, Van Zant frequently discussed his mortality. Pyle recalls a moment when Lynyrd Skynyrd was in Japan: "Ronnie and I were in Tokyo, Japan, and Ronnie told me that he would never live to see thirty and that he would go out with his boots on, in other words, on the road. I said, 'Ronnie, don't talk like that.', but the man knew his destiny." Van Zant's father, Lacy, said, "He said to me many times, 'Daddy, I'll never be 30 years old.' I said, 'Why are you talking this gunk?' and he said, 'Daddy, that's my limit.'" Van Zant's father later noted that, "God was a jealous god. Taking him for reasons I don't know." Van Zant was 29 years old at the time of his death.
Van Zant's younger brother, Johnny
Johnny Van Zant
John Roy "Johnny" Van Zant is an American musician and the current lead vocalist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder and former lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and .38 Special founder Donnie Van Zant.Van Zant performed during the 1970s with...
, took over as the new lead singer when the band reunited in 1987.
Van Zant was buried in Orange Park, Florida
Orange Park, Florida
Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, USA, and a suburb of Jacksonville. The population was 8,412 at the 2010 census. The name "Orange Park" is additionally applied to a wider area of northern Clay County outside the town limits, covering such communities as Fleming Island, Lakeside, and...
in 1977, but was relocated after vandals broke into his and bandmate Steve Gaines'
Steve Gaines
Steven Earl Gaines was an American musician. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the younger brother of Cassie Gaines, who was also a member of the band...
tombs on June 29, 2000. Van Zant's casket was pulled out and dropped on the ground. The bag containing Gaines' ashes was torn open and some scattered onto the grass. Their mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
s at Orange Park remain as memorials for fans to visit.
According to the cemetery listing website Find-a-Grave, Van Zant was reburied at Riverside Memorial Park in Jacksonville, near the grave of his father Lacy and mother Marion. Both his current resting place and the empty mausoleum in Orange Park are listed. The following statement was made on the Find-a-Grave entry of his current resting place in Jacksonville: "Due to the June 29th, 2000 vandalization of his original grave site, his casket was moved to this new location and buried in a massive underground concrete burial vault. To open the vault would require a tractor with a lift capacity of several tons. It is also patrolled by security."
A memorial park funded by fans and family of the band was built in honor of Van Zant. The Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park
Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park
The Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park is a public memorial park located in Jacksonville Florida. The park was built in memory of Ronnie Van Zant, vocalist of Southern Rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd, who died along with numerous other band members and crew in a 1977 plane crash...
is located on Sandridge Road in Lake Asbury, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, nearby his hometown of Jacksonville.