Although there have been moments of silence over the years, Lynyrd Skynyrd never stopped contributing to music. Influencing artists throughout the decades, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They also placed in the No. 95 spot on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time with hits like “Free Bird.” As the band prepared to perform at the New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash event, guitarist Rickey Medlocke discussed the passing of original member Gary Rossington and the promise he made him before his death.
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Rossington passed away in March at his home in Milton, Georgia at the age of 71 after struggling with health concerns for many years. In 2015, two concerts were canceled after he suffered a heart attack. In 2021, the artist needed emergency heart surgery. Speaking about Rossington’s death, Medlocke admitted, “That really broke my heart. And I don’t think that I’ve quite—still right now, after all this time, I don’t think I’ve quite settled with it, because we were such really good friends ever since we were teenagers.”
With rumors that Lynyrd Skynyrd might end after Rossington’s passing, Medlocke explained how their fans led them to stay focused. “The outcry of the fans were such that they said, ‘Please don’t let this be the end of it.’ And so we decided, along with the former bandmembers’ estates and relatives, that we were gonna go back out and take the great music to the fans.”
Keeping His Promise
Medlocke promised Rossington he would stay until the “final note” was played by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Besides wanting to keep his promise, the musician shared his love for the music the band produces. “It’s all about the music. Those are such iconic and great songs, and I feel very honored and very proud that I’ve been able to be there and play those songs all this time. And God bless Gary for getting me back into this, and I promised him that I would stay in this band till the final note in ‘Free Bird’ was struck.”
New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash airs tonight (December 31) at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for SiriusXM
