Lynyrd Skynyrd: Still Living That Rock 'N' Roll Dream

[Zoneboy]

Few rock bands have a history as dramatic as Lynyrd Skynyrd. And Rickey Medlocke (guitarist/songwriter/backing vocalist) has played a major role in that story.

Medlocke first joined Skynyrd in 1970, as a drummer. A childhood friend of the Florida band's founding members, he had been in the New York area, fronting another rock group. But things weren't going well. He phoned Skynyrd's lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant.

"I was needing to make a change at the time. I called up Ronnie and said, 'Do you need a crew guy or somebody to set up equipment or whatever?' And he said, 'Do you still play drums?' I knew how to play drums, but I hadn't messed with them in years. But in order to have a gig, I kind of BS'ed him and said, 'Yeah, I still know how to play," Medlocke told The Daily News, chuckling.

"I sold off some equipment and a week later I was sitting in Jacksonville, actually working up material that would later become 'Lynyrd Skynyrd's First and Last' record. So it was pretty cool, man."

Medlocke knew there was something special about that original lineup. "We had a magic about ourselves. We were young and really hungry. Nothing was going to stop us. We endured a lot, sacrificed a lot. Went through a hell of a lot. But you know what? It was worth it. We paid our dues. And it came out great."

Ronnie Van Zant impressed Medlocke. "He had a magic about himself that was undeniable. There was something very, very special about
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Ronnie. And you knew it, right away. And I think he's one of the most underrated singer-songwriters that there's ever been. He wrote incredible lyrics."

Medlocke's first stint with the band lasted only a year. A childhood illness had left him with only one lung and drumming required a lot of stamina. He decided to leave.

"I didn't think that I was going to be a great enough drummer for the group. I thought that they needed somebody a lot better than me. I wanted to go back and play a guitar again and front a band. But one of the main reasons why I left was that I felt like they really, really needed somebody a lot stronger than me on drums."

As lead vocalist/lead guitarist, Medlocke enjoyed success with another influential Southern rock band, Blackfoot. Leaning more toward hard rock and metal, they proved particularly popular in Europe. Medlocke remained pals with the Skynyrd bunch. He could have been with the band when their plane crashed in 1977, killing three of the musicians, including Ronnie Van Zant.

"I was invited to go travel with the guys for like a week. But I got bookings with my band and I couldn't make it. So therefore, things worked out the way they did. It was too bad that the band was cut down at a time when it was. Who knows how much further that band could have gotten? They were going to headline Madison Square Garden for the first time, which they had always wanted to do. But it was something that just wasn't meant to be."

In 1996, Medlocke received a call from founding member Gary Rossington, inviting him to rejoin Skynyrd as a lead guitarist and a primary songwriter. Medlocke had ended his run with Blackfoot.

"I was wondering what was going to happen in my career," Medlocke said, "because things weren't really working out the way I'd hoped they would. I knew I'd be in the business in some way. I just didn't know in what capacity. I had thought about taking a little bit of time to figure it out.

"Gary came down and sat with me and we played. He said, 'Do you want to do this?' I said, 'No doubt about it. I'm in.' And I've never regretted it one bit."

Several other band members have passed away over the years. But with Ronnie's brother Johnny Van Zant on lead vocals, bolstered by Rossington and Medlocke, Skynyrd perseveres, continuing to record new songs and to fill large venues. They headline Kihncert 2010 at Shoreline on Sunday night. Whatever the band's lineup changes, their spirit never dies.

"A lot of people say, 'Don't you ever feel like you're really a tribute band?' No, I don't. I think that as long as Gary and myself and Johnny are there, it's always going to be Lynyrd Skynyrd. But I do like to think that we're giving tribute to the guys that have gone before us.

"I think that amongst everything that has happened, it brings us together closer," Medlocke said. "And the music brings us closer together. Music is a healing tool."

Medlocke and his bandmates still love performing. "We do it for the fans. The fans mean an awful lot to us. They keep us going. For many, many years. America has claimed us as their own, which is fine with us. We're a blue-collar band. That's how we like to think of ourselves. We come from humble beginnings and still have this attitude of really loving to meet people, shake their hands and talk with them."

Like their audiences, Medlocke, 60, views Lynyrd Skynyrd's music as timeless. "It'll be here long after I'm gone, that's for sure. We're about three generations deep in the fans now. And that's an incredible thing. We get a lot of fans coming out, wishing that we would go on forever. As we all well know, nothing lasts forever. But I don't see it coming to an end anytime soon. We're looking forward to coming out there and playing in the Bay Area again.

"We're just happy with the way everything's going right now. We're a historic band, a legendary band. We're very proud of that and very happy to be part of something called rock 'n' roll. Life is good."


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