Post by Susan on Mar 8, 2007 1:20:10 GMT -5
The History Behind Van Zant
Born and raised In Jacksonville, Florida, Johnny and Donnie Van Zant were two of three brothers that would become world-famous. Following in the footsteps of their older brother, Ronnie, they both went into the music business. Ronnie was the founder and lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, one of the most loved and famous Southern Rock Bands. Although brought up on Country music by their parents, the brothers all went Rock.
Ronnie's life was short lived: it came to a tragic end on Oct. 20th, 1977. His death, along with three others, shocked the world. However, his legacy lives on.
Donnie Van Zant founded the band .38 Special. They were and still are touring today. Johnny Van Zant had his own band and released a couple cd's. But his true fame came when he was asked to stand center stage in a tribute tour of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987.
The Van Zant name would again come to the attention of the music world and fans when the two released a cd called "Brother To Brother" in 1998. They released a follow up cd, "Van Zant II" in 2001.
With that being said, Donnie and Johnny came out with a Country CD -- a dream of Ronnie's. In March of 2005 they released "Get Right With The Man", It has gone gold and country music lovers want more.
In addition to both brothers performing in their own bands, .38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they find time to do performances as Van Zant. They have toured with Gretchen Wilson. They have also shown up in Hank Williams Jr.'s video.They also have 3 videos out from their own cd.
Susan Snider
January 2007
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(Teri)