But you know how most people hold a guitar pick, with the pointed end plucking the strings? Nevertheless, he kept his ties to his chosen profession when he became an avid amateur radio operator and took the handle K4EB, short for Known 4 Electric Bass., When Junstrom died this past Sunday, October 6, his passing was announced on .38 Specials Facebook page. [9], In 2014 longtime bassist Larry Junstrom was replaced by Barry Dunaway (a veteran of many classic rock outfits, including Pat Travers Band, Yngwie Malmsteen and Survivor). 38 Special Overview 38 Special is a southern rock band with their roots firmly based in Jacksonville Florida. [citation needed], In 1984 38 Special toured with the up-and-coming Huey Lewis and the News, who were just breaking huge with their Sports album, and in 1986 they shared the bill with the soon-to-be-platinum-selling hard rock band, Bon Jovi. They again got together in 1998 to record two albums for CMC International. Why was that city such a hotbed for Southern rock? Hearing loss is the silent destroyer of rock. They are two different rounds and are not interchangeable. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The . That album had a lot of great rock songs. Donnie Van Zant is a founding member of .38 Special and retired from live performances in 2013. In the meantime, the group moved on, bringing in guitarist Danny Chauncey, after drummer Steve Brookins also decided to leave, and singer/keyboardist Max Carl, from West Coast rhythm and blues unit Jack Mack & the Heart Attack.[4]. According to one of the groups backup singers in an interview for a documentary aired on Showtime If I Leave Here Tomorrow years prior to the crash, Ronnie took to calling himself, This ol Mississippi boy. One day she asked, Why do you call yourself a Mississippi boy? Mel Taylor, a drummer for the surf music group the Ventures, one of rocks most popular and prolific instrumental acts, died on Sunday in a hospital in Tarzana, Calif. Formed by Donnie Van Zant, whose brother Ronnie was a founder of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special pumped out what a Rolling Stone writer called "the prototype of country-fried, down home, Southern style, rock 'n' roll." The band has had gold and platinum albums, top-ten hits, and sold-out stadium tours, and is still touring. Nitro Tour `89, Friday at the Rosemont Horizon: This latest rap package is headed by LL Cool J, whose new album took all of four weeks to go platinum. However, in late 2013 Donnie announced that he wont be able to do either due to his condition, and finally retired from the band. Engineer Rodney Mills, who had worked with Atlanta Rhythm Section and others, assumed the producer's reins from here on and Survivor co-founder Jim Peterik became a frequent songwriting collaborator of the band's from 1979 on, which helped account for this change in sound and subsequent success. If I'd Been the One. Although he left the band to pursue a short lived solo career in 1987, singer songwriter and guitarist Don Barnes has been the voice of . Did Ronnie Van Zant have a son? I dont think Ive ever told anybody that.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 38 Special is associated with the record label A&M. Currently, the band has five members, but some members left the group in the past. Their fathers contribution in their success is huge. Donald Newton "Donnie" Van Zant is an American rock vocalist/guitarist. The resemblance between the two is remarkable. One time after a particularly difficult gig, Jerry told those guys it was like playing with a popcorn machine. The brothers put out a pair of hit country records in 2005 and '07 as Van Zant and are reportedly . He was with the band when it underwent a series of name changes from My Backyard, to The Noble Five to The One Percent before eventually choosing its handle as a mocking tribute to their high school phys ed teacher Leonard Skinner, a man notoriously known for hassling any male student who had long hair. In Larry Junstroms case, he succeeded in doing so twice. Barnes, a cofounder, is the only original member still in the band. And that was the first day we met Jim. And so I had to step away from it. The song reached all the way to No. "Second Chance" (taken from Rock & Roll Strategy) was a No. Rock musician Jimmie Van Zant, the cousin of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Van Zant brothers, including Ronnie and Johnny, died Thursday in hospice care, according to multiple news sources. Is anyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd still alive? Lowell Fulson, Saturday at B.L.U.E.S. The divorce papers were in the briefcase of our road manager on the airplane when we crashed. The papers were never filed. "Rockin' into the Night", the title track from the group's third album (released in October 1979), which Peterik and his bandmates had originally written for Survivor, found its way to 38 Special's manager, Mark Spector, and was given to the band. Is it easy to get an internship at Microsoft? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Over the past 20 years, his work has appeared in dozens of leading music publications. Van Zant has experienced loss in his life, not just from his daughter's passing but also from his brother's death. " Aside from legal problems, though, things couldn't be going better for the Jacksonville sextet, which is finally shedding its "southern boogie, son-of-Lynyrd Skynyrd" image, and enjoying its new success. Today, were celebrating the life of rock legend Ronnie Van Zant, who would be 70 years old today. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. In the bands current setlist, theres a hit from when you were out of the lineup, Second Chance. Whats it like performing a song from a period you werent in the band? But more, .38 Special's early musical style owed much to that of Donnie's brothers band. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved The van Zant brothers all had a solid foundation in music. The current 38 lineup consists of guitarist and co-lead singer Don . Why did Donnie Van Zant leave 38 Special? He was also the lead performer of the band 38 special that he co . What year did second chance by 38 Special come out? But Im a Christian, and Im a true believer that theres a heaven above and I will see her again. The country musician and former lead singer of the rock band 38 Special, Donnie is the brother of Ronald Ronnie Van Zantthe lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who was killed in a plane crash. [6] Also, on September 27, 2008, they filmed a CMT Crossroads special with country singer Trace Adkins, performing both artists' hits from over the years. Sometimes also labeled as .38 Special, Donnie Van Zant formed his own band alongside Don Barnes, Steve Brookins, and Ken Lyons, The name of the band was the result of an incident where the group found themselves locked inside a warehouse while practicing their music. Your email address will not be published. They kept him in there for about three hours, too. Donnie is an avid fan of Jackson Jaguars a football franchise from his hometown of Jacksonville. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In accordance with his doctors strict orders and due to health issues related to inner-ear nerve damage, he will not be able to join 38 Special onstage in the foreseeable future. 38 Special (also stylized as .38 Special or spelled out as Thirty-Eight Special) is an American rock band that was formed by Donnie Van Zant and Don Barnes in 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida. They soldiered on, even after the music business changed, and the hits stopped coming, after even after Donnie Van Zant's retirement from road work, due to progressive hearing loss, in 2013. It claimed a victim in 38 Specials Donnie Van Zant, who was forced to quit music a few years ago because of the damage it was doing to his ears. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. But slicker production, English lyrics and occasional flashes of pop catchiness on the album and this groundbreaking American headline tour make him more likely than most to succeed with U.S. audiences. ''People have said that to us innocently-`Break a leg!`-and everybody in the band just glares at them. steve vai, review It's become tradition with the Florida-based rock 'n' roll band that Van Zant offer a toast to the audience with a bottle of whiskey. Well let this .38 special do the talking, and dispensed with the lock in the most efficient manner possible. It was decided and later, announced that Donnie wont be able to sing for the band, at least for time being, but he would be writing songs for the band. The group's first two albums The Skynyrd comparisons came naturally, since Donnie is the brother of the late Ronnie Van Zant, the singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd who died in a plane crash in 1977. Most of this is generated from his long and successful career as a vocalist, guitarist and musician. Junstrom was then forced to retire due to a hand injury that required surgery. The youngest brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd founder Ronnie Van Zant and .38 Special's Donnie Van Zant, Johnny Van Zant grew up in the shadow of his older siblings, who emerged as major figures in rock & roll during the early and mid-'70s.The death of Ronnie Van Zant and other key members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup in a plane crash on October 20, 1977 eventually put Johnny in the position of being . Thats where we are, this many years later. By 1987, Don Barnes had decided to leave the band to go out on his own. In accordance with his doctor's strict orders and due to health issues related to inner-ear nerve damage, he will not . He recalled the plane crash and the effort afterwards to get help, which included him getting shot by the first person he found. The Young Rascals, Santana, Three Dog Night, all those things. Double kick drumming involves both of your feet (instead of just one) and will allow you to play faster, more complicated beats, fills, and solos. In addition to being contagious and propulsive tunes, they just sound better on radio than they do on vinyl or CD. They cover as many as 100 cities a year to perform their songs. Just before the record's release, bassist Ken Lyons decided to leave the band. We dont pluck with the point. Carl`s fresh perspective on the South, reflected in songs the native Nebraskan wrote for the last album, also helped the band find new inspiration in its old musical roots. However, they disbanded for a while. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Donnie's older brother Ronnie was lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, a position now held by their youngest brother Johnny Van Zant. Formed in Jacksonville, Fla. around 1974, 38 Special hit their stride in the late 70s/early 80s, by updating anthemic Southern-rock with hard-rock heat. Not something Id highly recommend. However, they again took a break after 2001. dokken, review [8], In 2012 original bassist Ken Lyons died at age 59. He rocked arenas all over the world and succeeded in living his dream. Donnie wrote "Take Me Back" as a tribute to his brother, which appeared on the band's second album, Special Delivery (March 1978), also produced by Hartman.[4]. We played all covers, radio hits of the day. Whats it like performing Second Chance, a hit 38 Special recorded during the time you werent in the lineup, live now with the band? I had a notebook of titles. Guitarist Hughie Thomasson died from a heart attack in 2007. Because of its popularity, it was bound to be in demand, and prices shot up from the early pandemic levels when it could be found for around $0.25 per round to as much as $2.88 for each bullet in early January of this year, a more than 10-fold increase. Around the 80s, Donnie and his younger brother, Johnny, decided to become a musical duo Van Zant. In accordance with his doctor's strict orders and due to health issues related to inner-ear nerve damage, he will not be able to join 38 Special onstage in the foreseeable future. So thats a little frustrating. Launch Radio Networks has issued the following report from Bruce Simon. You can`t erase that. But it really is hit the ground running, go out and play the clubs and get a following, just like we did. [4] The band's name was thought up after an incident which found the boys practicing in a warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. 1 : involved in (a difficult or confusing situation) Several members of Congress were caught up in the scandal. Donnie and Johnny also perform together from time to time as the group Van Zant. Van Halen, we were big fans of them. .38 Special, which had formed three years before, drew its name from an early incident in which the original members of the band were rehearsing in a warehouse and drawing the ire of some nearby residents who subsequently called the police to complain about the noise. College Lifestyle . There are rock stations that will play you. [4], This paved the way for their platinum-selling fourth record, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys (January 1981), and its bigger hit "Hold On Loosely" (which reached No. lonesome_blue. One of the cops said, "That's all right. 38 Special. 38 Special. We get to talking about why 38 Special's signature hits, "Hold On Loosely, "Caught Up In You" and "Rockin' Into The Night," just seem to pop a little extra on FM radio. [4] That same year, Bobby Capps came aboard as keyboardist/co-singer and drummer Scott Meeder replaced Jack Grondin after the latter decided to leave the music business. His older brother, Ronnie, the original frontman of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in a plane crash 40 years ago. The group is scheduled to appear tonight at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman with Van Zant, free on $1,000 bond. Is Stevie Van Zandt related to Ronnie Van Zandt? [citation needed], In 2009, .38 Special opened for REO Speedwagon and Styx as part of the "Can't Stop Rockin' Tour". Briefly, Van Zant was considering a higher-paying position for the railroad at which he worked, but was finally convinced by brother Ronnie to stick with music since it was "in his blood". But southern rock, never the monolith many thought it was, means something different today than it did a decade ago, as the polished, mainstream sound of ''Rock & Roll Strategy'' suggests. 38 Special broke through in 1979 with the bands third album, Rockin Into The Night. There were a lot of notable rock albums released that year, including Tom Petty Damn the Torpedoes, Fleetwood Mask Tusk, The Clash London Calling, Van Halen II, The Police Regatta de Blanc, AC/DC Highway to Hell. Back then were you into any of those albums and bands? It`s practically genetic. Ron DeSantis, and debuted the song on the . ''There are other influences in (38 Special) now, but there will still be songs culled from experiences in the South,'' Carl said. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. [citation needed]. . Some of the lyrics include: "He stands up for what he believes./So don't come . He can play piano and drums, apart from guitar. When You Breathe In Your Diaphragm Does What. Donnie at that age was singing with the 38 special bands. Donnie was the lead vocalist/ guitarist for the band for 39 years. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. In accordance with his doctor's strict orders and due to health issues related to inner-ear nerve damage, he will not be able to join 38 Special onstage in the foreseeable future. When he was young Steven took the last name of his stepfather. Earlier today . 38 Special. The single hit No. However, they disbanded for a while. 2. Why did Donnie Van Zant retire from 38 Special? (38 Special) is a band with a new sound and a veteran name and that`s an exciting prospect for all involved. arrayan path, review "He turned it up and took a quick sip of it, and then this plainclothes cop came across the stage and took it away from him and arrested him. Alongside legendary bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, . He was truly one of a kind, AUDIO: .38 Special live in concert at Winterland 5/14/77. ''These guys grew up sitting on armory floors watching Duane Allman play. In accordance with his doctors strict orders and due to health issues related to inner-ear nerve damage, he will not be able to join 38 Special onstage in the foreseeable future. The virtues of the . Until 2013, he remained as one of the most loyal members of the band. "Apparently there's this ordinance about drinking in public, but they just didn't make anybody aware of it," Carlisi lamented. The couple had a daughter, Tammy (born 1967), before divorcing in 1969. . so everything is just linear, but it had a great message. The current lineup includes Guitarist/vocalist DON BARNES, keyboardist/vocalist BOBBY CAPPS, drummer GARY MOFFATT, bassist BARRY DUNAWAY and guitarist JERRY RIGGS. Most of their albums have been smashing hits. and then the spotlights gonna shine on somebody else for a while. He was the older brother of the founder and vocalist of 38 Special, Donnie Van Zant, and of current Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant. Who is the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd? I lost my oldest daughter the year before last to cancer. In addition to being. We discuss the compression commercial radio stations often use to juice their signal, a tactic somewhat well known among music fans. Bobby CappsMax Carl Its 95 percent failure, maybe five percent success, so you might publish 100, 200 songs, and maybe have five, six hits or whatever. So when Ronnie was killed, Judy hit the jackpot. We turn it around and pluck with the rounded side youd normally grip, so its really clicking across the strings and the mics really picked that up. But then the classic rock stations, theyll play all the old songs but they wont play new music by the classic rock artists. However, in 2013 it was announced by the members of the band that due to health issues, Van wasn't able to perform for six months, and might not be able to perform with the band in future as well. In its current live incarnation, Modest Mouse has expanded into a septet, with two drummers, a keyboardist, an extra guitar and a violin. The band announced the death in a post on Facebook, where his name was trending early Friday. I asked Duane why he wanted two drummers and he said, Because James Brown has two, said Jaimoe. '', Though not backed by a full tour, 38 Special`s ninth record, ''Rock & Roll Strategy,'' enjoyed what Carl described as ''a nice, long, steady, smooth (chart) ride'' of more than 40 weeks (and counting) and spawned the group`s biggest single to date, ''Second Chance.''. That made it very popular with police departments and civilians. But pretty much all songs played on mainstream radio receive this aural facelift. I lost my oldest daughter the year before last to cancer. According to a message posted to the .38 Special mailing list, "Donnie sends his thanks for your thoughts and prayers, and is already chomping at the bit wanting to get out there and perform for everyone.". When he was seven, the family moved to New Jersey. This leaves Don Barnes as the only original member, although Barnes was absent from the band from 1987 until 1992. 38 Special came up when new rock music was a big part of mainstream culture. 1 What happened to the original members of 38 Special? We wrote it in about two hours. Tom Petty came from down the road (in Gainesville). Donnie agreed to write and record music for the band, but unfortunately his health only deteriorated with time, and finally in late 2013, he decided to bid goodbye to the southern rock band. Weinberg started playing at the age of six. However, in 2013 it was announced by the members of the band that due to health issues, Van wasnt able to perform for six months, and might not be able to perform with the band in future as well. October 20th, 1977. With their come back in 2005, Van Zant started focusing more on country music. admin-June 10, 2021. Oh yeah. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".