Ronnie Van Zant

My hero isn’t just a hero but a classic rock legend. The one, the only, Ronnie Van Zant.

He was an amazing lyricist. He never wrote anything down. Van Zant is the only artist I know of to walk into the studio and sing something right from the heart. As a vocalist, you will never hear a more soulful and truly Southern voice. He is a hero to me because he always stayed true to his beliefs throughout his career, and his lyrics go way deeper than just words in a song. He would never explain what he meant in his lyrics because he believed that every individual would find their own meaning in it.

He was born the oldest of six on January 15, 1948 in Jacksonville, Florida. Ronnie grew up in one of the toughest households and one of the toughest areas: Jacksonville's westside, known as “shantytown.” Being brought up on Mull Street, he was the undisputed king of all the boys who gathered to play football or baseball. He went on to fall in love with baseball and even went as far as to play American Legion Ball. Another passion that rode with him for the rest of his life was fishing. It provided him with the needed getaway from the piling pressures of the success of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

His musical interest stemmed from playing his father's guitars and piano, but he found that being frontman suited him best. After many years of practicing and changing names, Skynyrd started doing one-night gigs that eventually led to management under Alan Walden and a chance to record a demo album with Jimmy Johnson. Although the demo didn't get much attention, they ended up getting an offer to be signed to Capricorn Records. Ronnie vetoed the deal because he wanted to see the band succeed on its own terms and wouldn’t live in the shadow of the Alleman Brothers.

In ‘73 things finally started coming together for them. During a week long stint in Atlanta, the band was discovered by Al Kooper. It was then that they signed on with MCA subsidiary, Sounds of the South. From there they produced “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” and what is now a classic rock anthem and Van Zant's memorial: “Freebird.” They went on several tours and had a total of five studio albums before the tragedy and sudden death of the legend himself.

On October 20th, 1977, on a flight from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a tragedy that shook the nation occurred. At 6:42 p.m. the pilot of the chartered Convair 240 airplane radioed that they were dangerously low on fuel. Less than ten minutes later they crashed into a dense thicket in the middle of a swamp near Gillsburg, Mississippi.The crash took the lives of guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, road manager Dean Kilpatrrick, and of course Ronnie Van Zant. As Merle Haggards “ I Take A lot of Pride In What I Am” played they laid Ronnie to rest with his signature Texas Hatters black hat and his favorite fishing pole. Standing in front of his rose-covered brass coffin, minister Dave Evans led the people in mourning by saying that Van Zant is not dead. He lives on as a spirit in heaven and through song.   

Ronnie touched the hearts of millions worldwide, including mine. It was through his words that I was able to find comfort in loss, clarity in chaos, and to truly sit back and enjoy every little moment. The most important thing I could have ever learned from him was to never change who I am for anyone or anything other than to better myself. He forever changed Southern rock and is celebrated at the end of every show that Skynyrd plays. He is gone but will be remembered for generations to come. He was just a small town Southern man that sang his truth. His goal was never the fame or fortune but, to quote Ronnie Van Zant himself, “ I just swung for the fences, that's my whole philosophy in life.”

Van Zant's smile https://www.google.ca/search?q=Ronnie+van+zant&rlz=1C1GCEV_enCA853CA853&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii-f-02uTiAhUsuVkKHcJaBAsQ_AUIECgB&biw=1440&bih=789#imgrc=7o_UuBX7vKiSZM: 

Ronnie on stage https://www.google.ca/search?q=Ronnie+van+zant&rlz=1C1GCEV_enCA853CA853&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii-f-02uTiAhUsuVkKHcJaBAsQ_AUIECgB&biw=1440&bih=789#imgrc=fGcElYmqgEFwGM: