Johnny Van Zant & Rickey Medlocke Reveal Their Biggest Heroes

Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer via The Florida Times-Union

Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the most admired bands in the history of music. But just like the rest of us, the members of Skynyrd also have musicians they look up to and cite as their own role models.

While overseas on the Vicious Cycle Tour in 2009, lead singer Johnny Van Zant and guitarist Rickey Medlocke sat down with Finnish television station MTV3 to talk about everything from their God & Guns album to what they thought about The Eagles.

When asked who their biggest heroes were, Johnny didn’t skip a beat when he mentioned a singer who had a big impact on him. “One of my big heroes is Paul Rodgers probably, for Free, now with Queen,” he said. When asked who his biggest heroes were, Rickey was also quick to name Paul Rodgers as one of his favorite rock singers.

However, they couldn’t name just one big hero in their lives. Rickey also mentioned his biggest influences when it comes to guitar playing, naming Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.  Johnny went on to name one extremely important person in his life as one of his main heroes, before going on to mention a few other vocalists who have always inspired him.

“Of course my brother Ronnie,” he said. “Hell I don’t know, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, some of them good soul singers.”

With heroes and influences like that, no wonder Skynyrd is such a talented bunch! Tune in below to check out Johnny and Rickey’s full interview.

Which Skynyrd band members are your personal heroes or musical influences?