A childhood friend of Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, Gene Odom served as a security manager for the popular 1970s rock group. Read Full Biography. His two brothers also became notable Southern rock musicians: Donnie Van Zant was a member of fellow Jacksonville band 38 Special, while Johnny became lead singer for the reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987. He is a member of famous Soundtrack with the age 29 years old group. Cassie Gaines was an American singer best known for her association with the southern rock band 'Lynyrd Skynyrd' as a backup singer. The elder Van Zant died on August 3, 2004 in Jacksonville, Florida of pulmonary problems. Sometimes when history is being made, the world tunes in with wide-eyed anticipation. One of his biggest sources of support was his father Lacy Van Zant. Wrong username or password. Charles married first name Van zant (born Reddy) on month day 1934, at age 30. He was the older brother of two other rock vocalists: current Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant, and Donnie Van Zant, the founder and vocalist of 38 Special. Philosophy, Fence, Whole. Young's 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. And, I don't know, that's what this country is all about, being free. Van Zant was 29 years old at the time of his death. The Movie). Among the songs he co-wrote with guitarist Allen Collins were the signature hits On 21 Mar 1975, Ronnie Van Zant was appointed to the personal military staff of Gov. We were in Tokyo at some bar and we were drinking lots of sake. They soon formed what would become Lynyrd Skynyrd. They had one daughter, Melody, born in 1976. The following statement was made on the Find-a-Grave entry of his current resting place in Jacksonville: "Due to the June 29th, 2000 vandalization of his original grave site, his casket was moved to this new location and buried in a massive underground concrete burial vault. Ronnie attended Lee High School in Jacksonville with fellow band members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. "Sweet Home Alabama was an answer song to Neil Young's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". Other times, it just kind of happens when no one is looking. Van Zant was buried in Orange Park, Florida, in 1977, but was relocated after vandals broke into bandmate Steve Gaines and Ronnies tombs on June 29, 2000. Asked by: Carissa Marquardt. Lynyrd Skynyrds biggest hit single was "Sweet Home Alabama" from the album Second Helping. Several members of his family have memorialized Ronnie in their music. Categories: Alabama Aides-de-Camp | Jacksonville, Florida | Riverside Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida | Jacksonville Memory Gardens, Orange Park, Florida | Famous Singers of the 20th Century | Rock Musicians | Recording Artists | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Aviation Accidents | Notables | Florida, Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, to Lacy (19152004) and Marion (19292000) Van Zant. I think everyone wants to be a free bird.". His wife, Judy, remembered that Ronnie once said he did not wish to have people "gawking" at his body, so she made it a closed casket funeral. document.write('<\/a>')
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