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Before he died, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and founding member Gary Rossington told fellow band members Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke that he wanted the band to continue after he was gone.
“He knew his health was getting bad and he had told me, he said… ‘I’ve spent my life carrying on this legacy, and after I’m gone I don’t want to see this band go away,'” Van Zant told Fox News Digital.
He continued, “So we brought in Damon Johnson to play guitar and Gary kind of mentored him, you know, some and came to rehearsal and, you know, he wanted this music to go on, man. I don’t think me and Rickey would be here if Gary said, ‘Hey, after I’m gone I want this to go away.’ So, we’re carrying out his wishes as long as we can.”
Van Zant explained that Rossington had come off the road as his health began to decline and was just doing special performances, like his last show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in November 2022. Rossington died in March 2023.
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Rickey Medlocke and Johnny Van Zant performing with Gary Rossington in 2019. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)
He said Rossington would generally “come in and play a few songs ’cause his heart was getting bad, and he knew his health was getting bad.”
On Friday, in honor of Rossington, the band released the record “Celebrating 50 Years — Live At The Ryman,” which turned out to be his last show.
“This was never supposed to be a live release,” Van Zant said. “It was done for PBS. And after Gary passed, we were like, you know what? We think all the fans need to have this in their collection… and what they loved about the band. And Gary, you know, loved the fans and I know he’d probably be going, ‘Hell yeah, put it out!’”
Medlocke said he thought Rossington would be “very proud” of the recording.
“He knew his health was getting bad, and he had told me, he said… ‘I’ve spent my life carrying on this legacy, and after I’m gone I don’t want to see this band go away.'”
“It was a great night,” he said. “The band was on it, and I think that he would give a thumbs up and say, ‘Yeah, I love it, man. We did great out there.’ It was real special for us, you know?”
Van Zant said the band felt more at ease that night than a typical recording session.
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“It was a night where it – you know, usually when you’re taping stuff, you know, you’re kind of tight and everything,” he explained. “And that night was just real casual. It was kind of like, ‘OK, let’s go play a show like any other show.’ So, I mean, the difference was that it was at the – they call it the mother church of Nashville there, Ryman – and being on that stage is a pretty amazing thing in itself.”
Van Zant said it doesn’t surprise him that Lynyrd Skynyd is still popular with younger generations because he was a fan before he joined in 1987. The band originally formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, and included Rossington and Van Zant’s brother, Ronnie Van Zant, along with Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns.
Medlocke and Van Zant perform together in 2023 following Rossington’s death. (R. Diamond/Getty Images)
“I loved the music and never thought that I would be a part of it, never wished to be a part of it,” he said. “I wish in 1977 that awful plane crash didn’t happen, and we could all be here together.”
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He said he was asked to join the band in 1987, “and Ronnie was the alpha dog and the father figure and to have all those guys in the room, you know, asking me to be a part [of the band], I really couldn’t turn it down, and you know, warmed my heart, and it still does to the ’til today.”
WATCH: Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member wanted the band to continue after his death
Ronnie Van Zant was killed in a plane crash in October 1977 when the band’s chartered flight bound for Louisiana ran out of fuel. Five others were killed in the crash as well, including band member Steve Gaines. Rossington was injured in the crash.
Van Zant and Medlocke said they want to work hard to honor Rossington and the other members who aren’t around anymore.
Lynyrd Skynyrd members Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins in 1973. The band first formed in 1964. (Tom Hill/WireImage)
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“I don’t want to get off the bus of life one day and have him to whoop my a–,” Medlocke joked of Rossington. “You know what, man? I’ll really be honest. And I think Johnny feels the same way. I look over there and I still to this day, missing him incredibly. And Damon’s doing a great job, no doubt, you know, but there’s a thing that, you know, when you played with somebody that long, you know, you don’t ever get over it. And his spirit is all over that stage, as is the rest of the guys that have gone on before us.”
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He said he takes “that spirit, I put it into energy and I go out here and play for fans 8 to 80 years old, you know what I mean? So, it’s all about those iconic songs that really connect with people” who want the band to “come out there and play them live.”
“Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman” is out now.