Ronnie Van Zandt
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Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the
southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...
band
Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, 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 ...
. 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.


Early life

Ronnie Van Zant was born and raised in
Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, northeastern Florida. His father was Lacy Austin Van Zant (1915–2004) and his mother Marion Virginia (née Hicks) Van Zant (1929–2000). He was of Paternal Dutch heritage. A fan of boxer
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
, Ronnie considered a career in boxing, and while playing
American Legion baseball American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by 13-to-19-year-olds in fifty states in the U.S. and Canada. More than 3,500 teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1 ...
considered a career in professional baseball.


Career


Lynyrd Skynyrd

Van Zant formed a band called My Backyard late in the summer of 1964 with friends and schoolmates Allen Collins (guitar),
Gary Rossington Gary Robert Rossington (December 4, 1951 – March 5, 2023) was an American musician best known as a founding guitarist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, with whom he performed until his death. Rossington was also a founding member of the ...
(guitar),
Larry Junstrom Lawrence Edward Junstrom (June 22, 1949 – October 5, 2019) was an American bassist who was a member of the rock band .38 Special from 1977 until 2014. He was also one of the founding members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Early ...
(bass), and Bob Burns (drums). The quintet went through several names before deciding on Lynyrd Skynyrd, as a mock tribute to their high school gym teacher Leonard Skinner at Robert E. Lee High School, which all band members had attended except Collins. Skinner's strict enforcement against long hair inspired the members to name their band after him. The band's rise to prominence began in 1973 with the release of their debut album, ''
(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. To This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or all language in a specific dialect—"correct" or "standard" pronunciation—or si ...
'', which had a string of hits that included "I Ain't the One", " Tuesday's Gone", "
Gimme Three Steps "Gimme Three Steps" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released from the band's debut album, ''(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)'' (1973). It was written by bandmates Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant. The single rel ...
", " Simple Man", and what became their signature song, " Free Bird", later dedicated to the late
Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock and blues guitarist and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...
of
The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...
. The band also gained exposure when they were selected as the opening act for the US portion of
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
's
Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the previous two being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While ...
tour. Lynyrd Skynyrd's biggest hit single was " Sweet Home Alabama" from their follow-up album '' Second Helping'' (1974)'','' an answer to
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
's songs "Alabama" and " Southern Man". Young's song "
Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...
" on the 1979 album ''
Rust Never Sleeps ''Rust Never Sleeps'' is the tenth album by Canadian American singer-songwriter Neil Young and his third with American band Crazy Horse. It was released on June 22, 1979, by Reprise Records and features both studio and live tracks. Most of the ...
'' 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'' and in the 2 July 1977
Oakland Coliseum Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, often shortened to the Oakland Coliseum, is a multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It serves as part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, located next to Oakland Arena. In 2 ...
concert (excerpted in '' Freebird... The Movie''). According to legend, Van Zant was buried in his Tonight's the Night shirt.


Death

On October 20, 1977, a plane carrying the band between shows from
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
, to
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, ran out of fuel outside Gillsburg, Mississippi. The passengers had been informed about potential problems with the
Convair CV-240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...
and were told to brace for a crash. Van Zant died on impact from head injuries suffered after the aircraft struck a tree. Bandmates
Steve Gaines Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) 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 claime ...
and Cassie Gaines, along with assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray, were also killed. The rest of the band were seriously injured. Van Zant was 29 years old. 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 junk? You will never be 30 years old?' 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." Ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King also reported hearing Van Zant saying he would never live to be 30, saying Van Zant said it so often that he "had gotten sick of hearing it".The Ray Shasho Show, BBS Radio 1 Network, 2016 Lynyrd Skynyrd backup singer JoJo Billingsley recalled that Van Zant had begun referring to himself as "The Mississippi Kid" in the months before his death, despite having been born and raised in Florida. She noted that, eerily, Van Zant's only connection to Mississippi was that he would ultimately die there.If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, Passion Pictures, Directed by Stephen Kijak, 2018 Ronnie's younger brother,
Johnny Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...
, took over as the new lead singer when the band reunited in 1987, 10 years after the plane crash. The aforementioned Ed King recalled the intense sadness of Van Zant's funeral, noting that people in attendance were so overcome with grief that they were literally falling down. Van Zant was buried in
Orange Park, Florida Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, United States. As a suburb of Jacksonville in neighboring Duval County, it is formally a part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,089 at the 2020 cen ...
, in 1977. His body was relocated after vandals broke into his tomb and that of bandmate
Steve Gaines Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) 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 claime ...
on June 29, 2000. Van Zant's casket was pulled out and dropped on the ground. The bag containing Gaines' remains was torn open and some scattered onto the grass. Their
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
s at Orange Park remain as memorials for fans to visit. Around 2012, the new location of their interment was accidentally revealed by a Craigslist ad. A family selling two plots they decided not to retain, ran a Craigslist ad and stated the plots were in the Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery in Orange Park, Florida, adjacent to Ronnie Van Zant's tomb. In 2022, his widow announced that his body was moved to a new plot and that a new site was under construction.


Personal life

Van Zant married Nadine Inscoe on January 2, 1967. Around this time, Van Zant also worked at his brother-in-law's auto parts store, Morris Auto Parts in Jacksonville. It was said that Van Zant was a virtual catalog of automotive parts, and had a near photographic memory for them. The couple had a daughter, Tammy, before divorcing in 1969. Tammy would become a musician before her death in 2022. Ronnie married Judy Seymour in 1972 after meeting her at The Comic Book Club through Gary Rossington in 1969. (The club closed in 1975 and is now a parking garage.) They had one daughter, Melody, born in 1976, and remained married until his death in 1977. Judy founded Freebird Live in 1999, a music venue located in
Jacksonville Beach, Florida Jacksonville Beach is a coastal resort city in Duval County, Florida, United States. The population was 23,830 at the 2020 census. The city is part of group of communities collectively referred to as the Jacksonville Beaches on the northern ...
. It featured Lynyrd Skynyrd memorabilia and was co-owned by Melody Van Zant. Judy married Jim Jenness and founded and ran The Freebird Foundation until its dissolution in 2001. Van Zant was an avid fisherman and enjoyed
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
; he was a fan of the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
and
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. In high school, he played
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
baseball in the summer and aspired to play professionally, as he recalled in a 1975 interview. Van Zant had several run-ins with the law, most notably in 1975, when he was arrested for hurling a table out of a second-story hotel room window.


Legacy

The Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park, funded by fans and family of the band, was built on Sandridge Road in
Lake Asbury, Florida Lake Asbury is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Clay County, Florida, Clay County, Florida, United States. It is referred to as the Asbury Lake CDP by the United States Census Bur ...
, nearby his hometown of Jacksonville. Several members of his family have memorialized Ronnie in their music. His brothers Johnny and Donnie co-wrote the title track of John's 1990 album "Brickyard Road" with family friend and album producer Robert White Johnson. In the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd's music video for the posthumously-released track " What's Your Name" closes with a white hat similar to Ronnie's sitting atop a microphone. Ronnie's daughter Tammy, who was only 10 years old when he died, dedicated the album title track, "Freebird Child" as well as the music video to her father in 2009. Van Zant's cousin Jimmie Van Zant recorded the tribute track "Ronnie's Song" on the album ''Southern Comfort'' (2000). Alt country band
Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock music, rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members (Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley (American musician), Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as ...
also paid tribute to Ronnie and members of the original band on their '' Southern Rock Opera'' album. "The All-Night Bus Ride", the 8th episode of season 1 of the Showtime series '' Roadies'', was made in honor of Van Zant and the band. In the 1978 song "Reflections" on the
Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, and was a pioneering contribution to Southern rock and progressive country. He was ...
Band album '' Million Mile Reflections'', the third verse refers to Van Zant, "... and Ronnie, my buddy above all the rest, I miss you the most and loved you the best." A dedication on the back of the original record sleeve includes a poem, the last line of which is "Fly on, proud bird, you're free at last. Signed, Charlie Daniels, 1978."


Discography

* ''
(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. To This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or all language in a specific dialect—"correct" or "standard" pronunciation—or si ...
'' (1973) * '' Second Helping'' (1974) * '' Nuthin' Fancy'' (1975) * '' Gimme Back My Bullets'' (1976) * '' One More from the Road'' (1976) * '' Street Survivors'' (1977)


See also

* '' Lynyrd Skynyrd: I'll Never Forget You''


References


Sources

* * * * * *


External links

*
NTSB Aircraft Accident Report for N55VM

Original Find-a-Grave entry

Current Find-a-Grave entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Zant, Ronnie 1948 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American singer-songwriters Accidental deaths in Mississippi American male singer-songwriters American rock songwriters American rock singers American baritones Lynyrd Skynyrd members Singers from Jacksonville, Florida Singer-songwriters from Florida Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1977 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 20th-century American male singers Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents American blues rock musicians