Skynyrd bringing God & Guns to the UK

Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd are set to play the UK for the first time in six years. Guitarist Rickey Medlocke talks to Ian Harvey about triumphs, tragedies and that guitar solo.

Some nights, when he launches into the extended guitar solo of Lynyrd Skynyrd's celebrated epic, Freebird, Rickey Medlocke must feel like he has the best job in the world.

But as the band prepares to play the UK for the first time in six years - including a concert at Birmingham NIA on Thursday May 28 - their tour has had a shadow cast over it following the death in January of keyboard player and founder member Billy Powell.

"It's going to be very difficult this year," says Medlocke. "We're already in to do the new CD and it's been very difficult to be in there without him. Our analogy is you can't ever replace Babe Ruth, you know what I mean?"

Although a session musician will play with them on the tour, Medlocke insists: "We'll never replace Billy. We don't want to think about a replacement."

But if any band can face tragedy and adversity and still move forward it has got to be Lynyrd Skynyrd, who famously lost lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines in a plane crash in 1977 that claimed six lives.

Ten years later Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited, with a line-up including featuring crash survivors Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson and Artimus Pyle, and with Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother, Johnny, as the new lead singer.

It's that 'carry on whatever' spirit that will see them through.

"We're very much looking forward to coming over," insists Medlocke. "You know, it's been a while and we have a new CD coming out in September called God & Guns.

"Once we come over we'll play probably the classic songs plus a couple of new ones in the show to give everybody a taste of it.

"There was no question of Lynyrd Skynyrd calling it a day. Gary is still here along with myself, I was with the original band and Johnny's been here longer than his brother was here.The three of us are still here man, along with everyone else in the band."

Medlocke's association with the southern rockers stretches right back to the very beginning when he was recruited to play not lead guitar, as he was doing with this original band, Blackfoot, but drums.

"I started out as one of the original drummers. I've had a very long history with these guys. I'm into my 14th year back with them. I was with them for three years in the early 70s. You know what, man, my history with these guys goes real deep. I am a big part of this family.

"If you really start to think about it, my association with Lynyrd Skynyrd has been longer than my association was with Blackfoot. If you take the three years in the beginning and the 14 years going in to now, that's 17 years and my time with Blackfoot was 16 years."

Casting his thoughts back to the air crash in 1977, Medlocke reveals that he too might have been on that plane.

"Ironically, I was in Colombia, South Carolina, the day that they took off from Greenville, South Carolina. I was just down the road.

"Ronnie had asked me to travel with those guys before that, if I wanted to go hang with them for a week and I had bookings that all of a sudden came up.

"It was a miracle that I wasn't able to go with the guys. I was right down the road from those guys when they took off.

"That night at the show somebody came up and started talking about 'Hey, did you hear about your buddies in Lynyrd Skynyrd?' One of the crew told me and I kind of laughed it off a little bit, then all of a sudden, 'No'.

"I went back to the hotel and called my ma and dad in Jacksonville and they heard the phone ring and my Dad picked it up and before I even got it out of my mouth he said 'Well, if you're gonna ask me, it's true, the plane went down and one of the victims is Ronnie Van Zant'.

"But you know what man? We've come so far down the line we're trying to we've got to put that all behind us now. It continues as a celebration of the music. The music and the fans are what are the most important things."

Back to the present day, Medlocke says the title track of the God & Guns encapsulates the band's philosophy.

"Most of us are pretty strong believers in both. It doesn't matter who your god is, whether it be a spiritual one or whether you think there is one or whatever. Our country was founded on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and that's what we live by over here.

"We're not violent people but the message is if they ever take our God and guns we're 'done' pretty much, we might as well forget it.

"It's the same over there. If ever anybody comes in and takes your rights away, your freedom to do what you like, to read what you like, your articles and stuff, you guys are done."

While the new material is sure to be well received, it is the classics like Sweet Home Alabama, Working for MCA and, of course, the immortal Freebird that the fans will be really rooting to hear.

"I play Freebird," smiles Medlocke. "I'm the guy that plays the long ending every night and you know what man, it's like the epitome of my career.

"I've come a long way and I pay tribute to (former guitarist) Allen Collins every night. And I just love that. It's a great honour and a great pleasure in my life."

* Lynyrd Skynyrd play Birmingham NIA on Thursday May 28, 2009. Tickets cost £38.50 plus booking fee.

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