Ronnie VanZant Interview-Part #1

[@gertrudehumpmire7683]

There will never be anyone else like Ronnie Van Zant. He owned the stage.

[@Joesfosterdogs]

and he never danced around, the anti DLRoth and Mick Jagger...didn't need to, THAT is confidence! That is a man who knows who he is...deep, secure, powerful...southern boys got that

[@billybees3796]

You're right he had a dirty mean scowl, and haunting stage presence

[@TheOnlyRealTanYaisa]

yes and there has never since been anyone even close to him on stage

[@paulrevere2928]

His father was a boxer, Ronnie had a mean streak and didn’t mind fighting, a couple of band members had been hit by Ronnie, one lost a tooth or two! He was a Capricorn and was very businesslike about music.

[@adamheskett6245]

Only L Lin Wood!🇺🇸

[@LezaHWall]

I love to hear Ronnie talk almost as much as I love to hear him sing.

[@zackmccrea4731]

Why is ronnie quiet is he introverted or something?

[@Mysterywhiteboy78]

He was softly spoken, intelligent. That's the way he was.

[@lauraprater9610]

I love his speaking voice.

[@bravo7actual849]

Hard to believe that had he lived he would only be 72 in 2020. SO many years of missed music! RIP RVZ

[@dnews9519]

When I look at whats happened to the world now, I sometimes wonder if Ronnie was actually one of the lucky ones.

[@davidrice3337]

So many songs destined to be written- the fact this was 100% preventable ,is the part i can't get over

[@robmettler2548]

I'm dam sure he'd still be making music with Lynryrd Skynyrd. I'm sure he's been smiling down on baby brother and Gary for keeping the band and his songs going for all these years

[@qua7771]

@@davidrice3337 I'll agree that it could have been prevented. They knew that plain had engine trouble, and ignored it.

[@diegogardner6218]

@@dnews9519 he was he left it when everything was at it's best, shit just started accelerating and changing after late 70s

[@Lilliebird1]

Ronnie and the entire Lynyrd Skynyrd band bring a smile to my face everytime I hear any of their songs

[@LaGrandeBayou]

You right about that! Always did and they always will

[@jakemitchell1671]

Many casual LS fans fail to appreciate the depth and brilliance of Ronnie's songwriting. It's not esoteric mystical poetry like Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen. Rather, it's real life poetry. And it's just as beautiful and so much more accessible.

[@diegogardner6218]

Bc they casual and not die hard, they don't know shit die hard is part of goin out of yo way to learn everything there is to know about him, I can call myself that, but their lyrics all apply to real life

[@mr.breeze8796]

And if they're casual it means they haven't even heard of a lot of really great songs

[@jackson5781]

Diehard Skynyrd fan here. But I will say one thing here. Jim Ladd is probably the only guy among the press that Ronnie actually trusted. And Ronnie hated the press more than I do. And that's alot. And Now we have recently lost Jim Ladd

[@Avxz5]

Truly the greatest Ronnie van Zant!

[@tsb7911]

I know Bob Dylan has Massive Respect for Ronnie.

[@jeffchew48]

I recently took the time to go visit Ronnies grave in Jacksonville. I also visited Leon wilkeson. And Allen Collins. I have been a fan since I can remember. I have recently started listening almost every single day, especially in my truck. I’ve always been a fan but it seems to now be an addiction! What a great band! So much talent, and to think they were acually just starting to really take off with the addition of Steve Gains! We missed out on so much more music, but I,like many cherish the music they left behind! It will live on for many generations to come! What a true gift they left us to enjoy! RIP! You are truly missed!🕊🕊🕊

[@Mr.CoachBeaulieu]

My bass player and a very good friend of mine died in 2019, im looking at his memory pamplet hanging on the wall right by my late fathers picture with me as a baby on his shoulders typing this. The day of my buddy's viewing we pulled into the funeral home in orange park and there was barely any parking left (a very loved man). So me and my guitarist park in the only space along the side of the grass and when i step out the car door i look down and i see In Loving Memory Ronald Wayne Van Zant. I froze and thought to myself no shit. Look across the way and see Leon's grave as well. My dad was hard working blue collar southern man, a loving fan of Skynyrds music and till this day i constantly have their music catalog in rotation. Just thought id share that little story.

[@claychandler3468]

You're really pathetic doing that

[@NathanSmith-xf7rk]

Very well said my friend 😎👍

[@michaelcraig9449]

You dont need to be from the south to love this music. People all over the world love it.

[@sammurray327]

Bristol, England. I can testify to this. Best band in the world, ever.

[@perijetton9275]

True BUT we in the South have a very deep understanding and appreciation for it! ✌️❤️🍑🍄🎶

[@frankrichards3089]

Correct

[@brandoncraig8928]

No but when you are from the south it means just that much more....I will always love the music...never be another Ronnie that's for sure!!

[@thedude8976]

Amen my brother

[@kywyldcatzrool]

Ronnie was a wonderful human being...a great man...I don't idolize him...that only belongs to Jesus...but I think highly of him...Fly High Free Bird...nearly 40 years have now passed...and your Legacy still grows...salt and light...God Bless You Man...we all love you and miss you...God Blessed you not to still be here Ronnie...so you would not have to live through what is going down in the here and now...cause it aint good and it aint pretty...AMEN!!!

[@cameltoeinspector6015]

.........

[@chadhendrixson9840]

Gotta shout a loud Amen!!!

[@buddygraham1486]

Very well said my friend

[@Anabelleandthedesertscrubs]

Amen

[@chance501]

You mention RVZ and you think Original SKYNYRD, and automatically after that you think Best Damn Band we have ever had the pleasure to listen to.Best songwriter of our time. Best Frontman ever, great vocalist, and had the backing of some of the best musicians to ever play. Its an honor to be able to get on youtube pull up a video by LS and listen to the greatest of all times.

[@jamesshaw187]

Damn straight

[@njabbfan]

this guy is really missed. He could write songs like not many can. Ever since his passing Lynyrd Skynyrd struggled with the song writing. Ronnie was a master song writer when he passed it was a tragedy

[@margaretgraham4092]

RVZ WAS the heart and soul of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The present impersonators are a good band and they work very hard. However, they lack that spark and charisma that made RVZ , who , in turn, made LS. No RVZ = No LS. Ronnie, you are so very loved and missed. NEVER FORGOTTEN 😔

[@jccollins1442]

Your absloutley correct. The tribute Skynyrd band can't write a hit... Saddly

[@Nunzi3]

njabbfan and what’s even more amazing is that Ronny never wrote anything down , kept it all upstairs in his genius musical brain!

[@Johnny_Dregs]

@@margaretgraham4092 Ed King was the reason they could finally write a song. All LS could do was covers while touring with Strawberry Alarm Clock. They had 2 original songs at the time... Then King shows up and writes sweet home Alabama and Saturday Night Special.

[@jacobabrownful]

Ronnie never wrote any lyrics, he said if it wasnt worth remembering it wasnt worth keeping.. no shit.

[@pawpawberthiaume4221]

Born in Canada. Raised in Massachusetts. Living in The South Carolina since 1990. Have LOVED Skynyrd since'75

[@cg505able]

Ronnie Van Zant ,as well as the rest of this band, was and still is the best form of Southern Rock there ever has been. The music..guitars are the sweetest, and the vocals ever-lasting in my mind. They take me back and take me forward...how many bands can do that year after year?

[@gtrpkr65]

love the shirt he's wearing....."who the fuck are the rolling stones anyway: classic Ronnie...

[@karinadler2308]

Ronnie just oozed coolness in everything

[@patroll330]

Ronnie was a song writer,singer, and stood 10 foot tall when he sung.Thanks for the one that posted this interveiw. JC from the summer's of early 70s in Jacksonville,FLa.

[@steveng1624]

Absolutely

[@CUDDLES55]

Ronnie - I really enjoyed listening to you. You are truly missed and rightly so.

[@jacksonms212]

Ronnie wrote the sound track to my life many times over. I have all ways thought the best way to know someone is through their passion or through their art. It's where the truth lies about who and how a person really is. I never met the man or the band but I let them in my house, in my living room , in my bed room and my back yard. They where already in my heart thats where the music lives. Favorite tune to this day " Comin Home " ain't we all ... ;)

[@BrainwashedTelevision]

Man I wish he was still alive making that good music still.

[@susanpitts4029]

I was a senior in high school when thIs tragedy happen, never again, will there be a better band . Ronnie's unique amazing voice and Gary and Allens awesome guitar skills can not be beat. In my opinion there will never, ever, be another southern rock and roll band as dedicated and as talented as this band. Kuddos to those who have tried and have accomplished a close call to the legendary Lynyard Skynard Band. BTW, Gary is an always will be by far my favorite❤

[@scottnasta5251]

a genius with a vision, he was in control of it all thank you for the original music,

[@russelledwards6941]

i dont look at videos unless i love them, dont know why people view videos they dont like to trash them. Ronny Van Zant in my opinion one of best songwriters of all time, wish he woulda lived longer, cuz think he would blew us away with song after song. Every one of his songs i can relate to. Just my opinion

[@tonytrout4321]

There's something about Ronnie just speaking in interviews that has always held my fascination. Ronnie is definitely very missed.

[@keithhuotari2571]

Hey Tony! Good to see we have a love of Elvis AND Skynyrd in common....:)

[@f.d.7190]

Had Elvis and Ronnie lived longer, this world would be a MUCH better place. At some point, they would have spoken-out about a lot of the foolishness going on, and people would have listened to them. RIP Elvis and Ronnie.

[@jchis9852]

That's because he was perhaps the most down to earth frontman ever to sit down and do an interview.

[@louskunt2641]

He could be a narrator, a perfectly calm twang

[@ronniebishop2496]

The rest of the band had real respect for Ronnie you can tell by the way they hang on every word he says. He's in total control.

[@NeverAgain1536]

They crashed 5 miles from my house and at 8yrs old I stood on that road that night. We found out the next day in the paper who had crashed.

[@carloseugeniocarlos4287]

43 years that Ronnie's died! Rest in peace,legend!

[@1besieged]

A blend of musical perfection. Lynyrd Skynyrd. All of the members in the band. Real musicians of the heart & soul of USA. Hard workers all of them, their success is a combination of very hard work & God given talents.. brought together to bring beautiful southern rock & roll.. I can listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd every day and night and still love them ! I love seeing their smiles and concerts on youtube! * the BEST!

[@TheFruitloop186]

And the only member with any musical education was Billy Powell. The rest just 'picked it up and went from there. Amazing when you think of it, guitar greats like Collins and Rossington, no music education needed.

[@TheFruitloop186]

Ronnie has such a sweet sounding speaking voice, soft and gentle. I think he kept Gene Odom around, not only because they were best friends, but because Gene was one of the few who could calm Ronnie down if need be.

[@noelleewen2946]

I was just going to post the same comment. I love his sweet speaking voice.

[@5thomasjeffers]

I got to meet gene one time he was all about the money i just walked a way

[@googoo-gjoob]

Gene's an asshole. i dont believe a word he says.

[@patwester1680]

The history between Gene and Ronnie started as kids. whatever you think of him, they backed each other

[@stingylizard]

If Gene was so calm,then why did he spend precious moments arguing with the pilots,over and over,instead of taking time to secure his bro? According to Gene,he didn't think to help Ronnie get secure until the last couple minutes before impact. With friends like that....BS on Gene.

[@dukee3871]

The songs Ronnie wrote gave kids then something to grab on to. I was a teen and liked all sorts of music but only idolized a few bands. Skynyrd was the main one that sang songs that I could feel. The music is timeless as you can see in the band's concerts today. They are still singing Ronnie's songs and people still love the music. I can honestly say I miss him. The wonder I have is what other songs were never written than I would have held onto my entire life. One of the best that ever was.

[@randykennard1091]

I think Ronnie was gonna begin heading toward a more country and blues style

[@johnshields6852]

I was 17 in 1977 and had tickets to an upcoming show in Boston, I was crushed when the radio announced the crash, my favorite band, we spent many nights drinking and cranking Skynyrd on our car stereos. Great music.🙏

[@americanacollectibles3068]

Ronnie didn't like Lynyrd Skynyrd being referred to as "Southern Rock." He said they were a "Rock band from the South."

[@BookClubDisaster]

But they did play it both ways. Using the confederate flag as your stage backdrop isn't going to help people think of you as being a rock band first that just happens to be from the south.

[@dontask6863]

You wouldn’t know why that confederate flag flew in the first place. It was a HERITAGE thing. Not a Southern thing.

[@Sm-nc1fh]

Americana Collectibles “rock band with a country singer”

[@kenduffy5397]

@W Gaston... Even an unbiased Historian can’t disagree with the facts, you’re right.

[@chucklove8709]

@@BookClubDisaster i mean roonie wasnt too into the flag at first it was mostly the record companys idea. But when suddenly people stopped calling them yankees and started callin em rednecks or southeners then they was like well shit this acutally works

[@judithcohn7878]

Ronnie Van Zant from the documentaries I watched interviews too was a good hearted guy. He was known as a mean drunk lol. But sober he was known as one of the best people you could know

[@ustheserfs]

Ronnie was a philosophical kind of guy and as mercurial as they come. Wise Beyond his years with a keen sense of things that we're going to happen.

[@jennifs6868]

apparently prophesied his early death like the visionary he was.

[@nesaa-oh2ti]

It would have been worth it to be a reporter to have had the honor of interviewing this man.

[@Mr.Breeze-1959]

Thank you Ronnie for touching my life with all your music! The music will live on forever and I will always miss you!

[@jamesshaw187]

Yes thank you RVZ

[@freeamerican2313]

Love these interviews with Ronnie you really get a feel of his personality and his genius of his music.

[@tennesseegirl5539]

We loved you, Ronnie! RIP. The Good Lord knew you couldn't change. 💜

[@larryoke2112]

Good to hear Ronnie's voice after all these years,R.I.P. Ronnie...PEACE

[@250txc]

Ronnie seems much like a very intelligent guy here. He seems to have a total grasp on music and life in general, including people around him people in general. And with a sense of humor. He was the original and maybe the only true writer of southern R&R music. This all went with Ronnie in their crash. Skynyrd was copied but never topped in this aspect.

[@maggidon90]

Amen!

[@historysmysteriesunveiled8043]

Some years back I woke up with Mississippi Kid and four walls of Raeford running through my head relentlessly. I told my wife about the plane crash and how the south had lost a great treasure when they had lost the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronald Wayne Van Zant. So I jumped on KZbin intent on educating my wife on the masterpieces performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd for some reason she googled the plane crash and come to find out, It had been exactly 40 years to the day that day,that he had passed away. The south still deeply misses you boys, the best ever do this dang rock and roll thang 🎸🎙️🎶

[@jackson5781]

Now we just recently lost Jim Ladd.

[@jrguitars0011]

u got that right , he was a simple man and now he,s free as a bird

[@rebelman476]

Ronnie was very gifted from the great spirit as well as the rest of the band,not to many out there are now.Ronnie did write his own words to every song there was except the ones written by steve gaines.the rest were written by Ronnie or Ronnie and the help with the band members.they were ALL true southerners that stood up for good ol' Dixie 110% just as i do.i'm 110% southern born and breed.1/2 cherokee and 1/2 irish.

[@carolinawestern3875]

Ronnie was a really good guy and nothing at all like the impression he might give off at first to someone who didn't know him. He was the stability and a lot of the reason behind why the band members were so close and worked together so well, with only having lost one original member before signing with MCA, in all that time! Which was Bob Burns, the original drummer, who left due to mental issues. I don't think even Ronnie himself knew how much he meant to the others, nor did they fully realize just how much he meant until his passing, because his absence nearly ended the band for good, because of how hard and nearly unbearable the thought of performing without him was to the surviving members. I can't imagine how tough it must have been for them to get thru the first performance they did, years later.

[@philipjoseph6432]

It still is hard getting over loseing Ronnie Vanzant

[@slabbusterrtr7690]

We got cheated out of so much great music from him it was a damn shame this man was a gift from God

[@scotwells7573]

Ronnie sounds like a regular Joe who happened to be a musical genius.

[@amynickerson4258]

Ronnie was a regular Joe and a musical genius

[@keithclark486]

The devil's music.

[@ronnie5129]

Thanks for this video here, I love Ronnie's Shirt, We Are Lynyrd Skynyrd, Turn It Up, Now Prince Charming is Back With Ronnie and the rest of the band, I can hear Them writing New Songs in Heaven, This music will live on as long as People Can Hear, Cousin Figel

[@peterbrunettijr9689]

Ronnie van zant was the worlds best southern rock band ever!!!!!

[@TomRock81]

+Peter Brunetti Jr Best rock band, North, South, East, or West.

[@scottbrewer8000]

Peter Brunetti Jr. - You are correct sir!

[@TheFruitloop186]

@ Peter Brunetti Ronnie Van Zant was not a ' southern rock band' In fact, he was not a band at all.A 'band' is comprised of several members. That being said he was the frontman and the driving force of one of the world's best Southern Rock bands.

[@georgegwynn2616]

@1banana2kiwis yeah, pretty much was , moron

[@Stormcloud32]

I remember being in 3rd grade in 77 when I heard what’s your name for the first time. Me and my buddy would always start singing that song whenever we’d walk home from school together. Great times. Of course I didn’t really understand the significance of losing RVZ at the time being so young.

[@Trex1268]

Not only that, but RVZ never wrote any songs down on paper. He was a pure musical genious!

[@AlishaLewis100]

First time Ive heard him speaK. gREAT VOICE!

[@johncarous8503]

today is jan 15th 2015 , started listening to skynyrd at the age of 10 , back in 1975, im a yankee and didnt give a shit'' skynyrd is and always will be my favorite band, I dont know if their songs played out in my life or I played their songs out in my life ''/ non intentional in a few of the instances , like needle and spoon ,and the jail shit, wrecked cars,so on,a trip really'', but maybe that is how the 70s where'' was for me had to be for them also, either way I am moving to jacksonville florida next month and it seems their songs are still being played out in my life..true story noke cleveland.

[@jdrasnake6324]

The greatest ever never be a front man and to write them songs from the heart there never be another do what he done best ever the band died with him RIP

[@joeweaver8538]

If RVZ had survived Skynyrd would have been what the Grateful Dead was in the 90's biggest touring band ever.

[@tuesdaysgone6736]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RONNIE 1/15/19

[@duke_of_destruction]

I remember going to Jackson Street studio in muscle shoals Alabama. You walk in and you knew that you were in a place that made legends!!! It wasn't a big place, practically a hole in the wall but damn !!!

[@howardhammond4551]

I live not far at all from there

[@MrRick37582]

Ronnie and Billy,dont forget Steve Gaines,youll never be able to put that sound together again, Jo Jo will be missed too.Their voice will always stay in my brain and heart till I die .RIP my friends.

[@TheFruitloop186]

@ Rick Higgs Why does Leon get overlooked so often?

[@charliepickard7798]

I was a kid from Indiana, but Skynyrd turned me into a Southern boy by heart. Love Southern Rock, my first concert was Molly Hatchet and The Allman Brothers

[@stephennetherlain6515]

I grew up with Lynyrd Skynyrd, yet it was just in the last year that I've come to love their music. I wish I'd seen them at the Big A in '77 and earlier. Never did. I saw Led Zeppelin, my all-time favorite, and a few other great bands, but today I wish I'd seen Skynyrd, too. I'm fascinated by them, now. Ronnie is very intriguing, but I also love how they blended their 3 guitars, bass and keyboards so well, and Ronnie's singing is just brilliant. I think they far surpassed their idols, the Allmon Bros. That's my opinion, at least. I got a lot of favorite Skynyrd songs, but I love what they did with JJ Cale's Call Me the Breeze - it's definitely a favorite to play on bass. To Skynrd, and thanks for post this Interview of Ronnie and LA's Jim Ladd (KLOS and KMET)

[@michelethompson2159]

Thought this would be a good way for everyone to know the King Ronnie Ban Zant since it is a NationAl Holiday! Want to hear his music on the radio and people giving him the praise he deserves! Long live Ronnie Van Zant and the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band!💞

[@Night_stalkxer]

Might sound weird af but i listen to all 4 parts of this interview to fall asleep i am obsessed with them!!!😫❤

[@LoyalOpposition]

Nothing weird about musical passion..

[@lucy0537]

Ronnie was really a home.. body. .....me to, we share the same birthday. ...Jan the 15th .. ♡♡♡

[@monickalynn4365]

Wow the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Remember as a kid selling cokes with my junior high band. LS before my time but I've def caught up as any Jacksonvillian must lol...RVZ sounded like a laid back chill nice guy. He was so young...this band had suffered many profound tragedies

[@wayneboswell6445]

We miss you buddy . Thanks for 50 years of the best damn rock I have ever heard ! R.I.P.

[@georgewatkins7259]

If Ronnie was still here physically, music in general would be completely different altogether. He'd own the entire music industry, and also be the first trillionaire. lol

[@penelopeeatsyourbrain4510]

And know, and know we have to put up with Nicki Minaj and the whole nine yards, ugh :(

[@MarleneJones-qj2br]

FOR SHOR

[@DariusLawson-n5z]

Ronnie's net worth, after all those years on the road, was $700,000. Musicians have always suffered at the hands of record executives, and bands with the foresight to hire a lawyer present to read everything before the band signs it is no guarantee, because lawyers are thieves too!

[@kdcats4092]

I've came to the notion that a lot of Skynyrd's appeal was along the same lines as sports rivalries They would sing songs teasing and expressing frustration that were melodic enough to be catchy and ornery enough to make you feel like a rebel, but with the human touch of appearing to be good ole boys who would stop to help anyone if they needed it.

[@historysmysteriesunveiled8043]

This IS the definition of the SPIRIT of Lynyrd Skynyrd

[@kylecrawford3455]

Im 21 and have been listening to them since I was born. Dad used to jam them when I was a kid. May sound crazy but I feel like im a reincarnation of one of the band members. Its very weird but I can feel the music. Maybe it is just because I have been listening to them since I was so young, but they truly are my escape from reality when im feeling down. Todays generation with music is soo sad

[@SalGL]

gooch hunter I am a little older, but agree. My daddy and cousins make up the group Alabama. So I grew up with ALL kinds of music. But now? I don't even hardly turn the radio on anymore. It's sad. Love and God Bless hun!

[@ZoSo1973]

I feel the exact same way...their music touches me in a way like no other

[@codybuckins3929]

gooch hunter lmao you dont know how stupid you sound

[@sadiemae9367]

gooch hunter gotta ignore the hateful replies...they just don't get it

[@SalGL]

Stacey Murello I'm used to it honestly. Nasty, jealous people. I pray for them. Love and God Bless

[@jimstone6071]

Just my 2 cents...RonnieVanZant.....best SONGWRITER I EVER HEARS FELT.....SONGSMITH....

[@davidseifert4370]

i was 15 yrs old and just wanted to be just like any of them i loved and IDOLIZED THEM

[@daviemcf]

Great interwiew...rip Ronnie!

[@jamesharper1359]

Ronnie was the man

[@waynegeekins7479]

WayneGeekins I was 17 When the crash happen Today I’m still rocking to there music I saw Led Zep The Rolling Stones But Lynyrd Skynyrd still number one. Hell Yell

[@joesmoe71]

I've really started to get into Skynard lately and it's kind of depressing, knowing what happened, it was so sad, so unnecessary and now we'll never know how far they would have gotten, what Van Zant and the rest of their lives would have been like.

[@Mike-og3xb]

Great picture, Ronnie and Gary, wow.

[@pamelahunter7238]

On this day 43 yrs ago 10~20~77 we lost the greatest front man ever in that plan crash along with Steve and his sister Cassie, may you all soar high Freebirds, I love and miss you all,Amen🗣🎙🎶💕🎸

[@mikewyant4549]

Love me some Ronnie vanzant something about a country boy that speaks his mind loves his country and will stand on his feet for what he believes and loves.

[@hilldwler420]

You can still hear Al Kooper on the right channel singing “southern man” lol. That’s just priceless!

[@snapesnapeseverussnape2015]

Missing you so much Ronnie 😖😞

[@maryledbetter5140]

Ed King =good man.

[@joecephus_3668]

RVZ seems like an amazing person. Gone too soon.

[@slabbusterrtr7690]

29 waaaaay too soon

[@Dietpepsivanilla]

I grew up listening to Jim Ladd in LA. He's the best rock interviewer.

[@michellebutler3467]

Southern Rocks Finest! Ronnie Van Zant and His mules and don’t forget the lovely Honkettes ❤️❤️❤️

[@mrgrits4293]

Look Up The Word Cool in the Dictionary/ and it said See Ronny Van Zant! What a GREAT FIRT CONCERT!

[@Raughwe]

@Savorist: If you're referring to Ronnie's intellect, all the members of Skynyrd, Al Kooper, Neil Young, and nearly everyone who interacted with the band regarded Ronnie as a genius. He was profoundly intelligent and sophisticated. The rocket that propelled Skynyrd to the top of the charts and beyond was Ronnie's writing. No other band, not even his idols The Allmans, had songwriting anywhere near his level. He struggled with demons, particularly alcoholism, and when he was drunk he wanted to fight. However, Ronnie was still very much a kid during the band's heyday and he never had the opportunity to mature.

[@Dagger_323]

He was becoming much more mature though once his second daughter was born; he was cleaning up his act and quitting the drugs and heavy liquor. Unfortunately his life was taken less than two years afterwards, so most people remember him as the wild kid he was throughout the majority of Skynyrd's glory days, when in fact he was becoming a far better man prior to his untimely death.

[@georgemulligan8958]

One of the nicest human beings That Ever Walked on this Earth any never wrote a lyric Down on a sheet of paper

[@TheFruitloop186]

@ Dagger 323 Exactly. That's why I will always think Artimus Pyle is so full of shit when he told the lie about Ronnie leaving Judy. No one heard a hint about problems in their marriage, even family members. So don't you find it strange that Artimus Pyle was the only one who was privy to thiis ? Strange also that Artie waited until after Ronnie's death to spread this rumor. No one believed this shit, but even so, how low can one stoop, who calls someone their 'best friend' to cause their widow more emotional pain and devastation ? No one does that, that is about the lowest of the low, and it shows what sort of moral compass Artimus Pyle has. He's a dog and a pitiful excuse for a human being. No 'gentleman' does this EVER under any circumstances.

[@mcdarkness4779]

Bright.....Clever... Good songwriter... . Interesting character. Without a doubt. A genius? Give me a break.

[@donwebster8328]

Julia S Artemis lied about a lot of shit....including being shot when going for help...

[@buckkidder6435]

Ronnie's Tee Shirt: "Who the fuck are the Rolling Stones anyway?" haahhaaha

[@dondunton3031]

2 left. enjoy em while you can. RIP boys and girl. You are truly missed. All of ya.

[@troyroberts3527]

DOWN TO 1 SS FUCKING SADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@EPstroker]

Don Dunton there's 3 left.....gary, ed, arti.....

[@TheFruitloop186]

@ EPstroker NO..There is only one original member left now, Gary Rossington

[@howardhammond4551]

Down to steve i beleive

[@jeremysmith2516]

Howard Hammond Larry is still alive.

[@scrapiom]

Please do not say Ronnie is dead.Simply cannot accept this.He is in my heart,guess in yours too?

[@wildbill2122]

These guys grew up together and got famous, and then had it taken away. A cruel twist of fate....BUT, they had the ROCK in them, they lived it, not like some phonies I could think of.

[@Savorist]

Ronnie wasn't a genius. He didn't need to be a genius. He was just a good Southern man with good values, a knack for strong melody, and the American Spirit. That's all you need in America. Let Europe call themselves geniuses... in America, we do what we do and are proud of it. Get-r-done

[@henrywinchester9372]

He was a good ole boy born with a talent like no other his music is from above

[@nathanadkins2985]

You are so right Thank you saying it.

[@mcgaheefamily]

Ronnie was a genius.

[@carpenoctem775]

Don’t see too many interviews of him. Thanks for the upload.

[@lsunationalchamps08]

@MIML95 that's cool man..when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter....RVZ carried himself like he was 7 feet tall. Just awesome no matter how tall he truly was

[@smedleybutler8787]

Lyrical genius.

[@abbyroad2465]

💯% The Truth

[@slabbusterrtr7690]

100%

[@TheShiloh00711]

This is one of the rare audio interviews with Ronnie Van Zant...why would anyone want to disparge him or post insults is way beyond my capacity to understand...Enjoy and absorb it for what it is...nothing else...you can't measure the size of a man's heart and soul....Kp

[@deckiedeckie]

Allman bros,. , Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker....The holy trinity of Southern Rock!!.... I give thanks to.....whomever/Whatever for living such times...

[@sevinstorey]

RONNIE VAN ZANT. As Gene Odem says,,,Ronnie WAS Lynyrd Skynyrd. Thank God we had Ronnie Van Zant.

[@rosemarygranat3981]

That's excellent ! We love the South.

[@sandyford2009]

JMXification I appreciate the comments about BP. I yelled him down in the JAX airport embarrassing my wife and kids and he laughed and yelled back for me to meet him after the security check. When I got through he was WAITING for me at Starbucks and we talked for 5 min. A real genuine and humble Southern gentleman. THE Billy Powell! Unreal how someone could call him an a-hole. That's worse than screaming that RVZ was 6'2". LOL!! I think that guy was doing that to drive people crazy.

[@tood.continued3854]

Fuck man I miss skynyrd it was my pawpaws and my favorite band I wish Ronnie was still here it’s apart of my southern culture I guess what a legend

[@gamjammer]

God I love his "Who the Fuck are The Rolling Stones Anyway?"

[@jasason10]

I would love to see a live interview with RVZ

[@uswlab22]

What a different world this would be if Ronnie Van Zant and John Lennon were still with us!

[@lexwilson2730]

Be still my heart 💗