Lynyrd Skynyrd hasn’t released a studio album since Last of a Dyin’ Breed in 2012, but guitarist Rickey Medlocke has revealed that the band has plans to work on a brand-new record in the coming months. In a new interview with New York rock radio station WBAB, Medlocke explained that the album will serve as an homage to founding Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, who died in March 2023.
The veteran rocker also reported that the band intends to focus on the project after wrapping up its 2024 tour commitments.
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“I guess I can go ahead and let it out of the bag,” Medlocke told WBAB DJ Joe Rock. “[Skynyrd frontman] Johnny [Van Zant] and I had spoken going back probably before the end of last year and talked about doing a new Lynyrd Skynyrd record as a tribute to Gary. It’s been about a year and a half now since Gary passed away.” Rossington was the final surviving original member of Skynyrd.
About the Material Skynyrd Plans to Include on the Album
Medlocke then explained that the album will feature a lot of material that the group worked on with Rossington over the years.
“We have all these songs that were written during all those years that he was with us,” Rickey noted. “[W]e have about … maybe two dozen either finished, unfinished, half-finished, whatever, songs laying around that he was part of. It’s kind of interesting to hear these old tapes and stuff with Gary talking in the background and all of us laughing and having a lot of fun.”
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Medlocke also revealed that some of the recordings feature guitarist Hughie Thomasson, who played with Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1996 to 2005, and passed away in 2007.
Rickey then shared about plans for the new album, “I hope that … after this [upcoming] tour, Skynyrd will get busy and we’ll lock into it and see what we get done.”
Medlocke Is Excited About a New Skynyrd Album
Medlocke originally played with Lynyrd Skynyrd briefly during the early 1970s before rejoining the group in 1996. Since he returned to Skynyrd, the band has released six studio albums.
Reflecting on his long tenure with the band, Rickey said, “I think it’s, I guess, needed, wanted, [and] … what we should do is put out new music, like we’ve been doing all these past years since I’ve been back with the band.”
He added, “[H]ere we are today getting ready to do another record, and … I’m excited about it. And it is a tribute, basically, to Gary, because we’re gonna include a lot of these songs that he … co-wrote.”
Medlocke Previously Discussed Skynyrd’s Plans for a New Album
Medlocke previously talked about Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plans to record a new album in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock in February 2024. In that conversation, Rickey also noted that the proposed new project would include material that the group had worked on with Rossington. In addition, he told the website that the band hoped to enlist some guest musicians to contribute to the record.
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Lynyrd Skynyrd is gearing to launch a new leg of The Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour, their co-headlining trek with ZZ Top. The outing is plotted out from an August 9 concert in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, through a September 28 show in Colorado Spring, Colorado.
Skynyrd also has a few headlining shows and festival gigs lined up. They include an August 7 performance at the Musikfest series in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and an October 18 appearance at the Giddy Up Music Festival in Las Vegas.
Tickets for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s concerts are on sale now via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
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