LYNYRD SKYNYRD
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
When the band members of the legendary Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd signed a multi- album agreement the agreement with CMC International Records last year,a new era began for Skynyrd. For nearly five years Skynyrd had floundered, in part because they couldn't attract any serious interest by the major record labels. The situation was difficult for the members of the group, Johnny Van Zant(vocals),Gary Rossington,Rickey Medlocke and Hughie Thomasson on guitars,Leon Wilkeson on bass,Owen Hale(drums & percussion),Dale Krantz-Rossington(backup vocals), Carol Chase (backup vocals) and pianist Billy Powell. For years Skynyrd has been an extremely successful touring act and the classic material from the Lynyrd Skynyrd catalog, with such albums as"Second Helping","Nuthin'Fancy" and "Gimmie Back My Bullets", are prime examples of country/blues/rock fusion at it's finest. Skynyrd is one of the most played bands on the classic trax radio format, and yet when the group releases new material from current albums, they have yet to make any ground with the newer modern rock format . That is why, according to guitarist/songwriter Rickey Medlocke, who co-wrote a number of the new Skynyrd songs on their latest album "Twenty", the opportunity to work with CMC International is so important. "On last years tour, we saw an influx of younger people coming out to our shows like I've never seen before,"Medlocke said. "Whenever I have the opportunity to meet them, oftentimes they're asking me about our new music. I believe that there are a lot of younger radio listeners who come out to our shows who really like the new Skynyrd music. I really wish that the folks at radio would give the new Skynyrd music a chance." The chance to have Skynyrd's new music played on modern rock radio is not such a tough bet as it might seem on the surface. With grunge rock virtually disappearing from modern rock radio playlists and alternative rock becoming mainstream pop, the so called dinosaur rockers actually stand a chance of dominating rock radio once again. Medlocke agrees that that time is right for Skynyrd's new music to hit the radio airwaves. "We're getting solid feedback from several major markets,"he said. "It's a matter of time before we're back on radio with our new material." The new Skynyrd album "Twenty", is the finest recording the group has released in the past ten years. Hard rocking numbers such as "We Ain't Much Different" and "Bring It On", show the group hasn't lost any of it's edge. The ballad "Home Is Where The Heart Is" is one of the best tracks they've released since 1977. "The new songs on "Twenty,"Medlocke said,"can hold up against anything else out there today. So, even though a lot of today's modern rock radio stations are owned and operated by large corporations, we believe the people want to hear our new music. The radio stations have consultants telling the radio stations what to play because supposedly that way the stations will get the most listeners. Well, we know from many years of recording and touring what the people want. So, you'll get a band like Lynyrd Skynyrd, with a new album like the one we've just released, and we can maybe change things around. After all, I've had young people telling me they want to hear our new songs played more often on radio. So that's all it takes to get things rolling." That's why,according to Medlocke, when Skynyrd signed with the North Carolina based CMC International Records, the group began a new era in their 32 year career. "Lynyrd Skynyrd's music has always touched people,"he said. "The passion that we all feel for making our music and for making it fun carries over onto the records and to our audience whenever we play live. Good time rock and roll for always and for all, has always been and always will be Skynyrd's legacy. And our new album proves that is still the case."
End.
