View source for Ronnie Van Zant

{{short description|American singer (1948–1977)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Ronnie Van Zant
| image             = Ronnie Van Zant 1976 press photo.jpg
| caption           = Van Zant in 1976
| birth_name        = Ronald Wayne Van Zant
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1948|1|15}}
| birth_place       = [[Jacksonville, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1977|10|20|1948|1|15}}
| death_place       = [[Gillsburg, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_cause       = Aviation accident
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Southern rock]]|[[hard rock]]|[[blues rock]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}
| years_active      = 1964–1977
| past_member_of    = [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]
| spouse            = * {{marriage|Nadine Inscoe|January 2, 1967|1969|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Judy Seymour|1972}}
| website           = 
}}

'''Ronald Wayne Van Zant''' (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977)<ref name="Charlotte Dillon">{{cite web|author=Charlotte Dillon |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ronnie-van-zant-mn0000846514 |title=Ronnie Van Zant &#124; Biography & History |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref> was an American singer, best known as the founding lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the [[southern rock]] band [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]. He was the older brother of [[Johnny Van Zant]], the current  lead vocalist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and [[Donnie Van Zant]], the founder and vocalist of the rock band [[38 Special (band)|.38 Special]].

== Early life ==
Ronnie Van Zant was born and raised in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[North Florida|northeastern Florida]]. His father was Lacy Austin Van Zant (1915–2004)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/26/magazine/southern-man.html|title=Southern Man|newspaper=New York Times|date=December 26, 2004}}</ref> and his mother Marion Virginia (née Hicks) Van Zant (1929–2000). He was of paternal Dutch heritage. A fan of boxer [[Muhammad Ali]], Ronnie considered a career in boxing, and while playing [[American Legion baseball]] considered a career in professional baseball.<ref name="lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com" />

== Career ==
{{Main|Lynyrd Skynyrd}}

=== Lynyrd Skynyrd ===
Van Zant formed a band called My Backyard<ref name="lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/less2.html|title=The Official Lynyrd Skynyrd History Website – History Lessons|author=Wailer Website Services|publisher=Lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com|access-date=2014-07-12}}</ref> late in the summer of 1964 with friends and schoolmates [[Allen Collins]] (guitar), [[Gary Rossington]] (guitar), [[Larry Junstrom]] (bass), and [[Bob Burns (drummer)|Bob Burns]] (drums). The quintet went through several names before deciding on Lynyrd Skynyrd, as a mock tribute to their high school gym teacher [[Leonard Skinner]] at [[Robert E. Lee High School (Jacksonville, Florida)|Robert E. Lee High School]], which all band members had attended except Collins. Skinner's strict enforcement against long hair inspired the members to name their band after him.

The band's rise to prominence began in 1973 with the release of their debut album, ''[[(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)]]'', which had a string of hits that included "I Ain't the One", "[[Tuesday's Gone]]", "[[Gimme Three Steps]]", "[[Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd song)|Simple Man]]", and what became their signature song, "[[Free Bird]]", later dedicated to the late [[Duane Allman]] of [[The Allman Brothers Band]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}}

The band also gained exposure when they were selected as the opening act for the US portion of [[The Who]]'s [[Quadrophenia]] tour.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's biggest hit single was "[[Sweet Home Alabama (song)|Sweet Home Alabama]]" from their follow-up album ''[[Second Helping]]'' (1974)'','' an answer to [[Neil Young]]'s songs "Alabama" and "[[Southern Man (song)|Southern Man]]".  Young's song "[[Powderfinger (song)|Powderfinger]]" on the 1979 album ''[[Rust Never Sleeps]]'' was reportedly written for Skynyrd, and Van Zant is pictured on the cover of ''[[Street Survivors]]'' wearing a T-shirt of Young's ''[[Tonight's the Night (Neil Young album)|Tonight's the Night]]''<ref>{{cite web | publisher = Thrasher's Wheat | title = Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young: Friends or Foes? An Analysis of ''Sweet Home Alabama'' and ''Southern Man'' | url = http://www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lynyrd.htm | access-date = 2012-06-02}}</ref> and in the 2 July 1977 [[Oakland Coliseum]] concert (excerpted in ''[[Freebird... The Movie]]'').<ref>{{youTube|QxIWDmmqZzY|Lynyrd Skynyrd – Freebird – 7/2/1977 – Oakland Coliseum Stadium}}</ref> According to legend, Van Zant was buried in his Tonight's the Night shirt.<ref>Shakey: Neil Young's Biography, 336</ref>

== Death ==
{{Main|Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash}}
[[File:Lynyrd Skynyrd (1977).jpg|thumb|Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977 (from left to right): [[Leon Wilkeson]], [[Allen Collins]], Ronnie Van Zant, [[Gary Rossington]], [[Steve Gaines]], [[Artimus Pyle]] and [[Billy Powell]]]]

On October 20, 1977, a plane carrying the band between shows from [[Greenville, South Carolina]], to [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], ran out of fuel outside [[Gillsburg, Mississippi]]. The passengers had been informed about potential problems with the [[Convair CV-240 family|Convair CV-240]] and were told to brace for a crash.<ref>US National Transportation Safety Board 1978, p6.</ref> Van Zant died on impact from head injuries suffered after the [[Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash|aircraft struck a tree]]. Bandmates [[Steve Gaines]] and [[Cassie Gaines]], along with assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray, were also killed.  The rest of the band were seriously injured.<ref>Check-Six 2007.</ref> Van Zant was 29 years old.

According to former bandmate [[Artimus Pyle]] and family members, Van Zant had frequently discussed his mortality. Pyle recalls a moment when Lynyrd Skynyrd was in Japan: "Ronnie and I were in Tokyo, Japan, and Ronnie told me that he would never live to see thirty and that he would go out with his boots on, in other words, on the road. I said, 'Ronnie, don't talk like that,' but the man knew his destiny."<ref name="vh1">{{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/video/behind-the-music-remastered/full-episodes/behind-the-music-remastered-lynyrd-skynyrd/1653537/playlist.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208034714/http://www.vh1.com/video/behind-the-music-remastered/full-episodes/behind-the-music-remastered-lynyrd-skynyrd/1653537/playlist.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 8, 2011 |title="Behind the Music Remastered: Lynyrd Skynyrd" ( Ep. 207 ) from Behind The Music Remastered &#124; Full Episode |publisher=VH1.com |access-date=2011-12-30}}</ref> Van Zant's father, Lacy, said, "He said to me many times, 'Daddy, I'll never be 30 years old.' I said, 'Why are you talking this junk? You will never be 30 years old?' and he said, 'Daddy, that's my limit.' " Van Zant's father later noted that, "God was a jealous god. Taking him for reasons I don't know."<ref name="vh1" /> Ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist [[Ed King]] also reported hearing Van Zant saying he would never live to be 30, saying Van Zant said it so often that he "had gotten sick of hearing it".<ref name="shasho">The Ray Shasho Show, BBS Radio 1 Network, 2016</ref> Lynyrd Skynyrd backup singer [[JoJo Billingsley]] recalled that Van Zant had begun referring to himself as "The Mississippi Kid" in the months before his death, despite having been born and raised in Florida. She noted that, eerily, Van Zant's only connection to Mississippi was that he would ultimately die there.<ref name="kijak-documentary">If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, Passion Pictures, Directed by Stephen Kijak, 2018</ref>

Ronnie's younger brother, [[Johnny Van Zant|Johnny]], took over as the new lead singer when the band reunited in 1987, 10 years after the plane crash.

The aforementioned Ed King recalled the intense sadness of Van Zant's funeral, noting that people in attendance were so overcome with grief that they were literally falling down.<ref name="shasho" /> Van Zant was buried in [[Orange Park, Florida]], in 1977. His body was relocated after vandals broke into his tomb and that of bandmate [[Steve Gaines]] on June 29, 2000. Van Zant's casket was pulled out and dropped on the ground. The bag containing Gaines' remains was torn open and some scattered onto the grass.<ref>Anderson 2000.</ref> Their [[mausoleum]]s at Orange Park remain as memorials for fans to visit.

Around 2012, the new location of their interment was accidentally revealed by a Craigslist ad. A family selling two plots they decided not to retain, ran a Craigslist ad and stated the plots were in the Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery in Orange Park, Florida, adjacent to Ronnie Van Zant's tomb.<ref>[https://www.clickorlando.com/pets/2012/04/19/craigslist-posting-reveals-ronnie-van-zants-burial-site/ Craigslist posting reveals Ronnie Van Zant's burial site] WKMG, April 19, 2012</ref>

In 2022, his widow announced that his body was moved to a new plot and that a new site was under construction.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/01/28/widow-of-ronnie-van-zant-says-his-final-resting-place-has-been-moved/ | title=Widow of Ronnie van Zant says his final resting place has been moved | date=January 28, 2022 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Van Zant married Nadine Inscoe on January 2, 1967. Around this time, Van Zant also worked at his brother-in-law's auto parts store, Morris Auto Parts in Jacksonville. It was said that Van Zant was a virtual catalog of automotive parts, and had a near photographic memory for them. The couple had a daughter, Tammy, before divorcing in 1969. Tammy would become a musician before her death in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.effinghamradio.com/2022/07/13/ronnie-van-zants-daughter-dies/|title=Ronnie Van Zant's Daughter Dies|website=Effingham Radio|date=July 13, 2022}}</ref> Ronnie married Judy Seymour<!--She took the surname Van Zant after her marriage, thus, per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Biography#People_with_the_same_surname, is referred to by name as "Judy" to distinguish her from "Ronnie".--> in 1972 after meeting her at The Comic Book Club through Gary Rossington in 1969.<ref name="lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com" /> (The club closed in 1975 and is now a parking garage.)<ref name="jacksonville">{{cite web|url=http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/070598/dss_0705Plac.html|title=Jacksonville.com: Many of the area's music landmarks no longer exist 07/05/98 &#124; Jacksonville.com|publisher=jacksonville.com|access-date=2014-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009220559/http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/070598/dss_0705Plac.html|archive-date=October 9, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> They had one daughter, Melody, born in 1976, and remained married until his death in 1977. Judy founded [[Freebird Live]] in 1999, a music venue located in [[Jacksonville Beach, Florida]]. It featured Lynyrd Skynyrd memorabilia and was co-owned by Melody Van Zant. Judy married Jim Jenness and founded and ran The Freebird Foundation until its dissolution in 2001.

Van Zant was an avid fisherman and enjoyed [[baseball]]; he was a fan of the [[Chicago White Sox]] and [[New York Yankees]]. In high school, he played [[American Legion]] baseball in the summer and aspired to play professionally, as he recalled in a 1975 interview.<ref name="lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com" />

Van Zant had several run-ins with the law, most notably in 1975, when he was arrested for hurling a table out of a second-story hotel room window.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/lynyrd-skynyrd-biography |title=What did the band Lynyrd Skynyrd contribute to music? |website=Enotes.com |access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kline|first=Jeff|title=Lynyrd Skynyrd Known For Fights As Well As Music|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yeNNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7267,7167315&hl=en|newspaper=Lakeland Ledger|date=April 28, 1976}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
The [[Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park]], funded by fans and family of the band, was built on Sandridge Road in [[Lake Asbury, Florida]], nearby his hometown of Jacksonville.

Several members of his family have memorialized Ronnie in their music. His brothers Johnny and Donnie co-wrote the title track of John's 1990 album "Brickyard Road"<ref>{{youTube|rf_7IomySm4|Johnny Van Zant – Brickyard Road}}</ref> with family friend and album producer Robert White Johnson. In the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd's music video for the posthumously-released track "[[What's Your Name (Lynyrd Skynyrd song)|What's Your Name]]" closes with a white hat similar to Ronnie's sitting atop a microphone. Ronnie's daughter Tammy, who was only 10 years old when he died, dedicated the album title track, "Freebird Child" as well as the music video to her father in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freebirdchild.com/ |title=Freebird Child |publisher=Freebirdchild.Com |access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref> Van Zant's cousin [[Jimmie Van Zant]] recorded the tribute track "Ronnie's Song" on the album ''Southern Comfort'' (2000).<ref>{{youTube|Zv07KFaRPhQ|Jimmie Van Zant – Ronnie's Song}}</ref>

[[Alt country]] band [[Drive-By Truckers]] also paid tribute to Ronnie and members of the original band on their ''[[Southern Rock Opera]]'' album.

"The All-Night Bus Ride", the 8th episode of season 1 of the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] series ''[[Roadies (TV series)|Roadies]]'', was made in honor of Van Zant and the band.

In the 1978 song "Reflections"<ref>{{youTube|VCzXIczQXws|Charlie Daniels band-Reflections}}</ref> on the [[Charlie Daniels]] Band album ''[[Million Mile Reflections]]'', the third verse refers to Van Zant, "... and Ronnie, my buddy above all the rest, I miss you the most and loved you the best." A dedication on the back of the original record sleeve includes a poem, the last line of which is "Fly on, proud bird, you're free at last. Signed, Charlie Daniels, 1978."

== Discography ==

{{main|Lynyrd Skynyrd discography}}
* ''[[(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Second Helping]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Nuthin' Fancy]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Gimme Back My Bullets]]'' (1976)
* ''[[One More from the Road]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Street Survivors]]'' (1977)

== See also ==
* {{anl|Lynyrd Skynyrd: I'll Never Forget You|''Lynyrd Skynyrd: I'll Never Forget You''}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite web
|author     = United States Social Security Death Index Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
|date       = July 3, 2015
|title      = Ronald Van Zant Social Security Death Index
|website = [[FamilySearch]]
|url        = https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J14J-42X
|access-date = 2015-07-03
}}
*{{cite web
 |author       = Anderson, R. Michael
 |date         = June 30, 2000
 |title        = Van Zant's tomb defaced
 |url          = http://www.jacksonville.com/special/lynyrdskynyrd/vanzantstombdefaced.html
 |publisher    = The Florida Times-Union
 |access-date   = 2008-07-05
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130402022247/http://jacksonville.com/special/lynyrdskynyrd/vanzantstombdefaced.html
 |archive-date = April 2, 2013
 |url-status     = dead
 |df           = mdy-all
}}
*{{cite web
|author     = Check-Six
|date       = May 2007
|title      = The 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' Crash
|url        = http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/LynyrdSkynyrd-N55VM.htm
|access-date = 2008-07-05
}}
*{{cite web
|title      = SKYNYRD HISTORY LESSONS – Name Changes and Ten Dollar Gigs
|url        = http://www.lynyrdskynyrdhistory.com/less2.html
|publisher  = Official Lynyrd Skynyrd History website
|access-date = 2008-07-05
}}
*{{cite web
|author     = Social Security Death Master Index
|date       = May 2007
|title      = Ronald Van Zant Social Security Death Index (#73220275)
|url        = http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/zsearch.aspx?ix=ssdiall&qt=l&zfn=Ronald&zln=Van+Zant
|access-date = 2008-07-05
}}
*{{cite web
|author     = US National Transportation Safety Board
|date       = June 19, 1978
|title      = Aircraft Accident Report – L & J Company, Convair 240, N55VM, Gillsburg, Mississippi, October 20, 1977
|url        = http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR78-06.pdf
|pages      = 27 pages
|publisher  = National Technical Information Service
|access-date = 2009-03-22
}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{allMusic}}
* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19771020-1&lang=en NTSB Aircraft Accident Report for N55VM]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Van+Zant&GSsr=41&GRid=1057& Original Find-a-Grave entry]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Van+Zant&GSsr=41&GRid=6742069& Current Find-a-Grave entry]

{{Lynyrd Skynyrd}}
{{2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Zant, Ronnie}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Mississippi]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American rock songwriters]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American baritones]]
[[Category:Lynyrd Skynyrd members]]
[[Category:Singers from Jacksonville, Florida]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Florida]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1977]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents]]
[[Category:American blues rock musicians]]