Lynyrd Skynyrd "50 Years Live At The Ryman

The Rock'n'Blues Experience With Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke

A Southern Rock Legacy Captured Forever

“Celebrating 50 Years – Live at the Ryman”: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Rossington, and the Night That Made History

The latest edition of The Rock’n’Blues Experience with Tim Caple delivers a powerful and emotional tribute to one of Southern rock’s most iconic bands—Lynyrd Skynyrd. In this exclusive feature, Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke join Tim to reflect on the band’s extraordinary 50-year journey, culminating in their electrifying anniversary performance at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium.

More than just a concert, "Celebrating 50 Years – Live at the Ryman" captures a pivotal moment in music history: the final live appearance of founding guitarist Gary Rossington, who passed away shortly after the show. With appearances from special guests like Jelly Roll, Brent Smith (Shinedown), Marcus King, and Donnie Van Zant, this release isn't just a live album—it’s a celebration of Skynyrd’s legacy and a heartfelt farewell to one of rock’s greats.

In the upcoming interview, Van Zant and Medlocke open up about that night at the Ryman, the emotions surrounding Rossington’s final performance, and what lies ahead for Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s raw, reflective, and essential listening for any fan of classic rock and American music history.

Tim Caple

So celebrating 50 years then at the Ryman Auditorium, the live album, the DVD. And what we've got here isn't just a live recording, it? This is a moment in...

time, a moment in music history and heritage, a night when a chapter in this amazing story of one of music's most iconic bands that began literally on that little league baseball pitch in Jacksonville, Florida in 64, when Ronnie sent that ball that dropped Bob Burns they all came together and the journey began. But this night,

A chapter concluded when Gary performed for the final time. There is a very different feeling watching and listening to this as there would be to another album. Very different feeling indeed.

Johnny + Rickey

Yeah, little did we know that it was going to be his last performance with us. luckily we had the cameras rolling and, this thing was set out to do a PBS special and we were just, you know, it's just a thing that we wanted to help out and, do it at the beautiful Ryman auditorium there next to mother church in Tennessee. But you're right. There was a very special night. None of us were uptight.

You know, usually when you're doing a, a filming, you're very uptight because you want everything to go right. And it was kind of like, okay, let's go play some songs and hopefully they capture it on video. And, you know, but we had a great time doing it. I'm glad that we had this opportunity, you know, to be able to put it out in our fans. And I think Gary would want that, you know, leading up to this, he was very sick.

And even called me and Ricky and said, Hey, you know, man, I might have to sit down whenever I'm playing. Hell, he stood up the whole time, we had some great guests on this who came in and wanted to be a part of this. We're fans of them. They're fans of the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd and an amazing night.

Tim Caple

As you said, he called you that previous week. Do you think it was the adrenaline mixed with the occasion? when he got there, he turned to you and just said, I ain't sitting down.

Johnny + Rickey Medlocke

No, I think it was his love of the music and his love of the band and not wanting to show us guys and gals and whomever show any kind of weakness. And I think for the love of the band and the music gave him the strength to stand there and play. know, he, this is a guy who survived an airplane crash.

You know, this is a guy who survived multiple car wrecks, all sorts of stuff in his life. And he was one tough bird. And, and, like Ricky said, he was a very proud guy. So no matter what he was going to stand and play those songs that, that he played with us at night. And, we had a great time in the dressing room. We hung out and talked smack and.

and with my brother, me, Ricky, and my brother, and Gary, just a great night overall. And I'm glad that we're getting it out to the fans. I think, like I said before, think Gary would be like, yeah, you better put it out.

Tim Caple

You were talking about backstage before the gig. You said it was really like the old days. The four of you crammed into a tiny dressing room and you got cold pizza.

Rickey Medlock

Yeah.

Johnny V Z

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We had suitcases in there. There was a shower. I was in the shower

it was a lot of fun looking back on it and amazing night. And I think if me and Ricky lived to be a hundred years old. You know, we won't forget that moment in time. and, you know, again, there's a great documentary that we put together with this package that hell I cry at my kids' graduations and things like that. And, you know, but

we grew up on the West side of Jacksonville guys don't cry too much, but at the end of this, actually had tears in my eyes.

Tim Caple

I know you'd like to have what you call a nip and tuck before you get out on stage.What was it like when you got the call, the knock on the door came and like you said, you didn't know it was going to be the last time, but there was a feeling that it could be. So when you all stood up to go, did you have a drink? Did you have a nip and tuck?

Johnny V Z

No, not at all. no. You know what? Really? None of us really drink anymore. I mean, you know, it's not one of those things. You know what? At our age, we did enough for drinking the hell it was a line and give me back my bullets. I've drank enough of whiskey to float a battleship around. That's the God's truth here. And I always have a little nip and tuck. I mean, it helps the throat, but I'm not a drinker. I don't really like the taste of whiskey that much,

anymore now I used to but you know what you said there might be a hint that it could be his last gig there was no hint on that I honestly thought Gary was going to be here today with us and you know because he had survived so many things and such a tough guy and or maybe in my head you know I didn't want to believe that you know but

But at that particular time, I was thinking, okay, we're gonna, he's gonna be on another show. He's gonna do another show with us, you know? And unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Tim Caple

When the show begins the songs, pretty much timeless, classics, each and every one, that bring a smile to your face and all summed up, I think, by Gary, when he said once, the more wild experiences you have, the better the songs you write.

Johnny V Z

That's pretty much true. That is true. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. You know what? I know my brother Ronnie. He took everything in. He soaked it in and wrote about what, what he knew about what was real. And, you know, it's, amazes me these days, you know, we're sitting here getting ready to play a gig tonight. I know when we go into simple man, I'm going to see people crying, singing.

smiling and it's just an amazing thing the words that were written and the music that was written in that time back then when they first started out and it's carried on there's four generations of Skynyrd fans out here now and we're here in Europe and the first three shows have been amazing I mean really really amazing and it's good to feel that the music's still alive and well and these fans you know

I always tell people, I think Ricky had testified to this, know, Skynyrd made great records, but to see it live, to hear those songs live is an amazing There's nothing like it. Yeah, it's an amazing thing.

Tim Caple

What is it, by the way, about these songs that makes them resonate for today's audience? You look around at life, everything available 24-7, social media, everything. And these songs are primarily about simple life, simple times. Do you think that people listen and think, I wish I was back then when life was less complicated?

Rickey Medlock

I think that Ronnie wrote for everybody. It doesn't matter if you're a bricklayer, construction worker, or a doctor or lawyer, or the secretary or school teacher. Everybody could get next to the tunes. They could relate to them. He wrote for the everyday person. Yeah. And I think, you know what, you're talking about modern times and people want to live at.

those old times. I know for myself, I like things simple, you know? Yes. mean, a lot of this computer stuff's all great. I mean, it's awesome. We're talking to you right now because of it. But boy, did I like being able to, you know, pick up a phone and have a little space without a mobile phone. So I think, you know, they're timeless, man. They're timeless.

There's people going through song like that smell. There's people going through drug addiction, you know, it's rampant. And that song is probably helping somebody, you know? And simple man, who don't want to make your mama happy? know, who don't want to be a simple man? The old saying is you can win the world but lose your soul. And that means you can have all the material things in life. But you know what?

Rickey Medlock

being simple is a really good thing.

Tim Caple

Yeah, the simple ideology, Gary's quote again, and he said literally, said, every song should tell a story that people can relate to.

Johnny V Z

Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think that's what keeps Skynyrd still here today is that, you know what? There wasn't many love songs. A lot of bands are, Oh, I love you. I love you. And, you know, 14 love songs, but, uh, every song has a story and people relate to that and music, music is a great killer. You know, it really is. And you know what, when we lost Gary, honestly,

We got a call from Dale and we had a show planned in Florida and we were like, well, we're going to cancel. And she was like, Hey, you know what? He'd be very disappointed in you guys if you don't go play that show. So we went and played that show, went back to Jacksonville and had his celebration of life. And it was a tough show to play, but we knew that he would be going, I'm going to kick your ass if you don't get out there and do this.

Rickey Medlock

You know, and that's just the way he was. That's the way Skynyrd has been and it's the way it's gonna be.

Tim Caple

It's ironic, isn't it? You know, the show obviously always ends with Freebird, one of the earliest compositions of Allen+Ronnie the one that the record company didn't want. They didn't want it on the album. People didn't think anybody would play it due to its length. But it's just one hell of a sign off. There are very few bands that have this conclusion to a show where you finish on such a massive high.

Rickey Medlock

Right.

Rickey Medlock

Well, it goes to show you what record companies know. Nothing. You know what mean? I mean, always got to kick out of

Freebird is really a true love song. That's one of the love songs. It's only about two, I Need You and Freebird. Really as far as lyrics go.

Tim Caple

Wasn't it Al Cooper that insisted you put the organ bit in at the front end?

Johnny V Z

Yeah, I believe so. Al, you know what? Al was great for Skynyrd You know, he came into Atlanta and, but you know what? He never wanted to record Simple Man. They kicked him out of the studio and said, we're recording that with or without you. And, uh, but he was great for Skynyrd and, uh, you know, cause he had the Sounds of the South label, which was distributed through MCA and, uh, gave them their big break, you know? So, and he was great and they loved Al.

Tim Caple

The performances all round on this gig at the Ryman were outstanding from start to finish. When you look at it now, where do you pitch this in terms of your live performances that you've done over many, many years? Was there a feeling that it was one of the best?

Johnny V Z

Yeah, you know, I don't know. We've done so many life things that, but it's the moment in time to me and the guests that came and the, the friendship and the audience, you know, the Ryman's very small and, it was built for an acoustic guitar and somebody singing country music, but, it's not.

for us to come in there as a loud band, we were worried about that and capturing it. But those were our true, true fans that came there. Small audience, great night, the moment in time. And for me personally, I haven't really thought about was it our best live performance or whatever. But I know for me personally, it

probably means more than any that we've ever done. Yeah, absolutely. Just because of what night it was. Yeah. And with Gary being there, it was probably the most magical. And Dale was there, his daughter was there, Mary. You know, it was an interesting night. And when things like that are happening, I don't think you soak it in. But then after the moment, you go.

You know, and that this is one of those wows.

Tim Caple

As we know, Gary passed away months later, but in those last exchanges over that time, he made it clear, I want our music to endure. This is after you suggested packing it in and finishing it. And his message is very simple. It's just, no, you've got to keep playing the songs. Keep the music out there.

Johnny V Z

Yeah. Yes. Yeah. You know, he called me and he told Ricky the same thing and said, you know what? Charlie's gone. Charlie Daniels, the Allman Brothers gone. And he said, hey, I spent my life. Well, but even before the plane crash, Skynyrd was everything to him. But after the plane crash, I think he felt a responsibility to carry on what Ronnie and Alan and him started.

And he said, you know what, I don't want to see this music go away. You know, I, know, and for me, myself, Ricky was there in the early days. I've been here almost 40 years. seems like 40 seconds. And, for him to say that to me, I knew that after he passed and also what Dale said about going and playing that gig, you know, that it was the right thing to do. And,

You know what? seen some fan the other night and he came up and it was, we were in Italy and he said, thank you so much for keeping this going. Cause I've never seen the band live in the night. have my dream come true. What a great thing. What a great thing. Yeah.

Tim Caple

It is. And it is bizarre, it, that you have people not connected to you or to the family telling you to call time. But I like the fact that you came out with a quote from Merle Haggard, who said, honey, I don't need to be doing this, but this is what I do.

Johnny V Z

Yeah. Yeah. That was one of his last interviews. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and, and you know what? us, me and Ricky, you know what? There's always going to be haters, you know, there's always going to be people talking smack. I pray for them. You know what? If you ain't got nothing good to say, why say it? For us, we're family. That's the thing about Skynyrd It's always been a family unit.

And you know what? I never wanted to be Ronnie. I'm not Ronnie. I never even wanted to sing the songs. I keep them in the melody, but I sing them my way. you know, we're going to carry it on until the good Lord comes and gets us. Or either we get too old to put on our boots and we're out of here, you know? We'll go on vacation.

Tim Caple

People do tend to get drawn to the tragedies that befell the band. But again, Gary was quite upfront about this, about his feelings and views on it. He said, I don't think of the band as a tragedy. I think of it as life. The good outweighs the bad. And that leads nicely into your quote, Johnny, when you came out and just said, you know, seems like when bad things happen, great things happen after.

Johnny V Z

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, I'm a very spiritual person. And when bad things happen to you, that's when God comes into your life even more. And especially if you ask him in, you know, because I, again, I'm a spiritual person. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for all of our sins. And, you know, the music has brought people together, not only the fans, but the band

has kept us together all these years and and and Like you said, you know what? mean, there's been a lot of bad things happen. Heck I lost my brother in this you know with this band and That hurts me dearly, but you know what I think that he started this he lived his life his whole 29 years You know what he was focused on this band and writing great songs and God gave him a great gift

We're gonna go out there and give it a left and a right and play it for the people, you know?

Tim Caple

Did Gary actually get to see any of this on tape? Obviously not the package but the live tapes

Johnny V Z

Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Sure did. Sure did He was very proud of it

Tim Caple

Now, tell me in terms of the future, the tour is going well. The reviews everywhere have been fantastic. You're playing around the world. You've got this record deal with Frontiers. Now, you've got two dozen songs written and down on tape, co-written with Gary. So this must be a question of when it's going to be worked on and put it out as opposed to if, isn't it?

Johnny V Z

You know, we recorded a song called Last of the Street Survivors back in 2019, I think it was. it was really about Gary, know, him being the last of the street survivors and really getting ready to start making that move into the studio, but his health got bad. So we couldn't actually do it, you know, this wasn't enough time and he didn't feel good. So we don't want him in the studio not feeling good, you know, and...

so we put it off and, unfortunately passed, but these songs, some of these songs are written and you know what? Never say never. I don't know. You know, there's a lot of different things and they cross wire with Skynyrd and, so we'll see what happens, you know, in the future. If not me and Ricky or record them. What the hell?

Tim Caple

When you two are up there on stage, do you feel a presence there, maybe at a particular point in the show, or just when you look across to where maybe Gary would have been standing, do you feel something at any time?

Rickey Medlock

I do. mean, I look across there and I miss him. I even today, I look over there and we got a great guy, playing with us now, Damon Johnson, and he's doing a phenomenal job, but I do look over there and I do miss seeing Gary's presence and he and I coming together and playing the leads and the songs. And I know that Johnny misses it when he and Gary would come together and

especially on free bird and you know what? You can feel their spirit. All of them. every night you can feel that they're there with us. Yeah. some nights you go out there and you're like, okay, I always ask them to kick me in the rump before I go out. Okay. Boys, knock me in the butt. Let me do a great job for you. And, you know, but certain times, most definitely. And,

some nights, you know, cause when you're on stage, the lights are dim and stuff and you kind of visualize them all there. Hey, I, I was there in 86, 87 and I look over and it's kind of weird because Peter kind of reminds me at times of Billy Powell. mean, it's like, what the heck? You know, and we didn't do that on purpose. I had no clue who Peter was. then whenever we hired him, I mean, I was like, my God, he's like,

Billy's younger kid or something, young kid, you know, over there playing. you know, lot of those, all those guys I started with in 87 are not here now, you know, and I look around sometimes and I go, wow, you know, it's a little bit different. Of course. But, you know what? Ricky's been back into band for a 30 years. Yeah. For a long time. Long enough. We're stuck at the head.

Tim Caple

I know people are obsessed with age, right? But when you get out there, do you feel like you're 30 year olds again playing for 90 minutes because you play because you play like it?

Rickey Medlock

hell yeah, you're 18. you're 18 years old. Yeah.

Tim Caple

I've got to say, usually the first thing that goes in a band is the voice of the front man. Now, your voice is clearly in as good a shape now as it was when you came back in 86, 87. And Ricky's playing with this boundless energy that never ceases from start to finish.

Johnny V Z

huh. Yeah. You know, music keeps you young. You know, I've seen a guy that I went to high school with the other day and I was like, my God, I look that old. But, you know, I think it keeps you young. I really do. think, that, the passion for the love for it. Absolutely. And, it's, it's your bread. You know, I figured it out. Musicians never retire. You just do less shows.

Tim Caple

And I just want to round things off. I was reading about your backstory, your life and growing up. And I never knew this, but your dad was at Pearl Harbor.

Johnny V Z

huh. Yeah, it sure was. I took him back there for his 82nd birthday. We had such a great time. I learned a lot about my Pop. You know what? A lot of times military people don't bring out their awards or their stuff, especially when they've seen horror and they don't want to talk about it once they're away from it. so I learned a lot about his military service to our great country

Tim Caple

Was it first time you'd been to Pearl Harbor? Because I went to Pearl Harbor. I went to Hawaii a few years back and I went. And it is the most incredible place because you stand there and you look at it and you imagine it's going to be 10 times the size of what it actually is. And you do get a chill run down your spine, stood there imagining what actually happened on that day

Rickey Medlock

Yeah. Yeah.

Rickey Medlock

Sure. Yeah.

Johnny V Z

Sure you did. You know, I took him, we went out to the North Shore. He wanted to see the Chinaman's hat. They have a big rock out there. It looks like a Chinaman wearing a hat. And we wanted to see all the Del Monte, pineapple fields and downtown, what is it, Royal Hawaiian Hotels, a pink hotel, an older hotel. That was the one hotel on the island at the time. And we just had an amazing time.

Tim Caple

Yeah.

Rickey Medlock

After he got out of the military, he was transferred to Green cove Springs Naval Station, which is not too far from where I still live at. Now it's abandoned. He was out there for a while, and then he got out of the Navy and went into trucking. He was a truck driver.

Tim Caple

And that's where you used to sit in the truck singing the songs where you got the love of the music.

Yes thats right

Ricky, I just want to mention this. Things that people might not know about you, you have a love of flamenco.

Rickey Medlock

yes, yes. You know, many years ago when I used to be touring with the other band, when we'd come over to like Spain, I'd go to Seville. And I've been a Flamenco fan since like my late teens, early twenties when I got to see Carlos Montoya. And I still listen to a massive amount of it today and just really enjoyed it. It puts me...

on a level that I really love.

Tim Caple

And do you ever pick up the old Gibson J45 and play Louie Louie?

Rickey Medlock

yeah, yeah, I said, you know, I still know the lead

Tim Caple

This was the first song you ever learned on a guitar.

Rickey Medlock

the first song I ever learned to play the lead and I got my I got a gig because I knew the lead.

You can watch the full feature here