{"id":6385,"date":"2024-12-31T11:41:49","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T11:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=6385"},"modified":"2024-12-31T11:41:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T11:41:49","slug":"two-powerful-songs-didnt-know-johnny-van-zant-wrote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=6385","title":{"rendered":"Two Powerful Songs You Didn\u2019t Know Johnny Van Zant Wrote"},"content":{"rendered":"
Johnny Van Zant has been a performer since he was fifteen, ultimately settling on vocals as his trade of choice. Accompanied by Robbie Gay and Ribbue Morris, the three formed the Austin Nickels Band under the guidance of Ronnie Van Zant.<\/p>\n
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Lynyrd Skynyrd would form in 1970 and record a few demos\u2014their ticket to a record deal with MCA in 1973. The band was set to make it big, cementing themselves as rock legends early on in their career. But tragedy struck the band, and family, in 1976, when Ronnie Van Zant was among the casualties of a plane crash in 1976, along with guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, Cassie Gaines. The band would go quiet for most of the 1980s, until 1987 when the original members reunited, recruiting Johnny for lead vocals. In part due to Johnny\u2019s will to revitalize Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band has become what it is today.<\/p>\n
His legacy is not strictly tied to Lynyrd Skynyrd, either, as he had a prolific solo career. He released his first record,\u00a0No More Dirty Deals<\/em>, in 1980, followed by\u00a0Round Two\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Last of the Wild Ones\u00a0<\/em>in 1981 and 1982. Though his albums were largely successful, he lost interest in the project. Nevertheless, Johnny Van Zant has remained active in the country-rock scene, frequently seen collaborating with, and inspiring, other artists.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0\u201cAll Summer Long,\u201d Kid Rock (2007)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Written by Waddy Wachtel, Ed King, Uncle Kracker, LeRoy Marinell, Gary Rossington, Johnny Van Zant, Warren Zevon, Kid Rock<\/em><\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that Kid Rock sampled \u201cSweet Home Alabama\u201d on his 2007 smash hit, but it is worth noting how Johnny Van Zant and Lynyrd Skynyrd have embraced the song.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweet Home Alabama\u201d was released in 1974, opening their sophomore album\u00a0Second Helping<\/em>. The song peaked at No. 8 on the\u00a0Billboard<\/em>\u00a0Hot 100, staying on the charts for seventeen weeks.\u00a0Second Helping\u00a0<\/em>rose to No. 12 on the\u00a0Billboard<\/em>\u00a0200, making it one of their highest-performing albums to date. Gary Rossington told\u00a0Garden & Gun<\/em>\u00a0in 2015 that the song was an ode to the state of Alabama, as, \u201cWe had toured there, going all around playing clubs and National Guard armories. Everyone was real nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The song can be heard in between the verses of \u201cAll Summer Long,\u201d and is name-dropped in the hook. Kid Rock intended to pay homage to both \u201cSweet Home Alabama\u201d and \u201cWerewolves of London\u201d by Warren Zevon on \u201cAll Summer Long.\u201d The song details a summer fling between Rock and a girl he knew when he was younger, and the illicit activities they participated in.<\/p>\n
And we were trying different things<\/em> \nWe were smoking funny things \nMaking love out by the lake to our favorite song<\/em> \nSipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking \u2019bout tomorrow<\/em> \nSinging \u201cSweet Home Alabama\u201d all summer long<\/em><\/p>\n
The song peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100 and achieved international popularity as well. Lynyrd Skynyrd has frequently collaborated with Kid Rock, performing both \u201cAll Summer Long\u201d and \u201cSweet Home Alabama\u201d together. The two acts also toured together in 2009.<\/p>\n\n
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2.\u00a0\u201cRed, White And Blue,\u201d Jesse Keith Whitley (2022)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Written by Brett Warren, Brad Warren, Johnny Van Zant, Donald Van Zant<\/em><\/p>\n
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\u201cRed, White And Blue\u201d by Jesse Keith Whitley, son of Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley, is a cover of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song by the same name.<\/p>\n
\u201cRed, White And Blue\u201d was released in 2003, when Johnny Van Zant had fully committed himself to the band. The song rejects pop culture conglomerates, and the limelight Lynyrd Skynyrd has endured for most of their career. The band vowed to stay true to their humble beginnings.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t have no plastic L.A. friends \nWe aren\u2019t on the edge of no popular trends \nHave never seen the inside of that magazine GQ \nWe don\u2019t care if your a lawyer, or a Texas oil man \nOr some waitress busting ass at some liquor stand<\/em> \nBut if you got soul, we hang out with people just like you<\/em><\/p>\n
Whitley\u2019s cover stays true to the tone of the original, paying respect to the song\u2019s soft rock elements with a country twist. During a performance with Country Rebel, though, he offers an acoustic rendition of the song. The cover shows the impact Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to have to this day, and the importance of Johnny Van Zant\u2019s contributions to the band.<\/p>\n
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