Johnny Van Zant

“Some of the songs on the radio are really outrageous. I listen to the lyric. If the lyric doesn't make sense, I don't like the song.”

“I want to be there for the last note of 'Freebird' when that happens.”

“I don't think you can erase history.”

“If it wasn't for Al Kooper, there might not be a Lynyrd Skynyrd. He's the one who found us at Pinocchio's in Atlanta, Georgia, and signed us to Sounds Of The South through MCA, brought the band to attention.”

“Not every song of Lynyrd Skynyrd's was a single, but songs like 'Tuesday's Gone' and 'The Ballad of Curtis Loew' and 'Made in the Shade,' 'I Need You,' people learned those songs from the radio because radio played albums, not just singles.”

“That's your end goal anyway, is to make the fans happy.”

“My father was a Democrat.”

“I'm a lover of old traditional country - George Jones, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, Marty Roberts.”

“I think people relate to Skynyrd; it's a working class band. They're just songs with messages. To this day, there's never been a song written that didn't have a message.”

“Skynyrd just hasn't gotten its just due.”

“Look at Gretchen Wilson. If she came out in the '70s she'd be the queen of Southern rock.”

“John 5 - he's weird. He's a freak. I'm just kidding. He's a great guy.”

“In my opinion, the only people who should have handguns are the police.”

“When we were kids, we said the Pledge of Allegiance because we were proud of this country, and we said prayer. You know, we thanked the good Lord above.”

“I'm very proud to be from Jacksonville.”

“I think, hey, everybody has a right to change their mind.”

“'Free Bird' is timeless, 'Sweet Home' is timeless. They're just timeless songs.”

“My dad was a truck driver, and from the time I was knee high to a grapevine, I was driving a truck.”

“As Christians, it's our duty to stand up for what we believe - that's called testifying.”

“Hank Junior fans are Skynyrd fans.”