Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Rickey Medlocke on Gary Rossington: “He Was a Phenomenal Soul”

Rickey Medlocke has a specific memory of his late friend and bandmate Gary Rossington. Medlocke first joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1971 as a drummer, spending two formative years in the iconic band playing on songs that eventually landed on their 1978 compilation album, Skynyrd’s First and…Last, which was released one year after the tragic plane crash that killed frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and background singer Cassie Gaines and injured the other band members.

Medlocke left in 1972 and was personally invited by Rossington to return to Lynyrd Skynyrd as a lead guitarist in 1996. “Gary and I had been friends since our mid-teens,” Medlocke tells American Songwriter. “One of my best memories was the very first night that I came back to the band in ’96. We opened the tour in West Palm Beach and I remember standing there getting ready to go on stage. I was standing with [Rossington], he goes, ‘Are you ready?’ I went, ‘Absolutely. Let’s go out there and knock it out.’ He goes, ‘We will. We’re going to.'”

[RELATED: Exclusive: Lynyrd Skynyrd Teases “Great Surprises” at Nashville’s NYE Bash]

True to their word, the new iteration of Lynyrd Skynyrd traveled all around the world on several tours, with Medlocke playing guitar and co-writing tracks on half a dozen studio albums. Medlocke has nothing but admiration for his longtime friend, who was the final founding member of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup to pass away in March 2023 at the age of 71. Rossington made an indelible mark on rock music as both a guitarist and songwriter on such classics as “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man,” and “What’s Your Name,” leading Medlocke to believe that Rossington’s career is worthy of more recognition.

“I think as an all-around musician, his work was great. A lot of those Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, that’s his signature leads and signature guitar in there. So the guy really put his stamp on on the brand name Lynyrd Skynyrd.” Medlocke also says that Rossington “deserves a lot more credit” as a songwriter and guitarist, noting how he was part of a “great writing team” alongside bandmates Van Zant and Allen Collins, citing “Sweet Home Alabama” as “one of the greatest tunes of all-time.”

“He was a great guy, he had a great mind. I always loved him for giving me the opportunity to come back with the band,” Medlocke continues. “I still miss him and probably always am going to. He was such a big part of my life and I’ve never really quite come to settle on it yet that he’s not gonna be there. He was a phenomenal soul.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd will ring in 2024 with a performance on New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash  on CBS on December 31.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story mistakenly labeled the late guitarist Steve Gaines as Skynyrd’s drummer. Thanks to reader @rjktreacy for the catch!