Van Zant Release Red White & Blue (Live)

There’s something about Southern Rock that brings out my inner redneck. And that’s pretty strange, since I don’t particularly buy into the whole God ‘n’ guns thang. But give me a warm summer evening, some beers, a barbecue and throw in a few friends, there’s only one type of music that’ll do. And with summer (hopefully) fast approaching, Loud & Proud Records have unearthed a gem of a live recording by Van Zant, which they will release on 29 July.

Van Zant, as you may know, consists of brothers Johnny and Donnie Van Zant. Their late older brother Ronnie was of course the lead vocalist and chief songwriter of Lynryd Skynryd. Ronnie had always wanted to record a country record, but his untimely death prevented that from ever happening.  Inspired by this, Johnny and Donnie got together over 20 years ago and delved into the family’s country-tinged roots to do just that.

Here’s the thing. Van Zant only ever toured once, and only one show of that tour was ever recorded – by Donnie’s longtime 38 Special bandmate, bassist Larry Junstrom (LJ). Although the plan was to release it at some point, the recording was somehow forgotten about until recently.  After fans had repeatedly asked for another Van Zant project, LJ reminded the brothers of the recording’s existence and now it finally gets to see the light of day.

“The plan was always to enjoy ourselves and have fun, and this recording captures a moment when we had a great night.”  Donnie Van Zant

Hopefully decibelROGUE can get our hands on an advance copy of Red White & Blue (Live) to review. Then we’ll just need to dust down the bbq and chill the beers. Oh, and wait for the sun to come out…

Tracklist

1  Takin’ Up Space
2  Ain’t Nobody Gonna Tell Me What To Do
3  Sweet Mama
4  Wild Eyed Southern Boys (originally performed by 38 Special)
5  Things I Miss The Most
6  I Know My History
7  Help Somebody
8  Plain Jane
9  I Can’t Help Myself
10  I’m Doin’ Alright
11  Red White & Blue
12  My Kind Of Country
13  Call Me The Breeze (originally performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
14  Sweet Home Alabama (originally performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Links

You can follow Van Zant on Facebook HERE
Visit the Official Van Zant Website HERE