Rickey Medlocke is one of the few members of Lynyrd Skynyrd with roots back to its classic Ronnie Van Zant era, having been with the band in 1971-72. That gives him a unique perspective on where the band has come from, and where it’s going since reconvening after Van Zant’s death.
He says the group, now fronted by Ronnie’s brother Johnny Van Zant, is in the early stages of a follow up to Skynyrd’s 2012 studio effort Last of a Dyin’ Breed. “We plan on putting out new material,” Medlocke tells Palm Springs Life. “I think any band’s history, that’s what they have done their whole life: Write new material, and don’t just rely on what you’ve done. I look forward to it.”
Medlocke rejoined Lynyrd Skynyrd some nine years after Gary Rossington, the band’s only remaining original member, jumpstarted things again — and has been a key contributor ever since.
“I had been a songwriter in my band Blackfoot for many years,” Medlocke says. “Gary and Johnny had already been a songwriting team. Then when Hughy Johnson (of The Outlaws) joined, he came in January, right before me, so all four of us have been writing songs. We just finished our sixth record together just about 2½ years ago, Last of a Dyin’ Breed. It’s gone real well and we’ve had a lot of success with it. I think when you’re a band that’s been around as long as we have, it’s a great thing to be a part of history. I’ve been a part of that, I feel very fortunate and blessed to be a part of rock music history.”
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