Halfway through its second decade, 38 Special also weathered the departure of two veteran players and the addition of Carl and Chauncey to the lineup of original members Van Zant (younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd`s Ronnie Van Zant), Jack Grondin, Jeff Carlisi and Larry Junstrom. Is 38 S&W Special the same as 38 special? When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. His older brother, Ronnie, the original frontman of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in a plane crash 40 years ago. When he was seven, the family moved to New Jersey. 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". And we also understand the spotlights gonna be on you for a while. He is the middle one among three brothers. The group specialized in Southern rock, Country rock, hard rock, and blues-rock. The main thing I remember about that was Ronnie talking with all of them and he brought the drummer, Eddie Van Halen's brother (Alex Van Halen) to our dressing room. Donnie and Johnny also perform together from time to time as the group Van Zant. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. But more, .38 Special's early musical style owed much to that of Donnie's brothers band. In its current live incarnation, Modest Mouse has expanded into a septet, with two drummers, a keyboardist, an extra guitar and a violin. After he joined, Junstrom would play an ongoing role in the bands success, including the recording of such hit singles as Hold On Loosely and Caught Up InYou before he was forced to leave the band in 2014 due to a hand injury that later required surgery. 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. Donnie Van Zant, Soundtrack: Daria. (38 Special) is a band with a new sound and a veteran name and that`s an exciting prospect for all involved. Hearing loss is the silent destroyer of rock. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the band's main songwriter, frontman, and singer. When Junstrom (Born June 22, 1949) made the fateful decision to leave Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band he joined early on and pass on to his eventual successor Leon Wilkeson, the choice likely saved his life. Why did Donnie Van Zant leave 38 Special? Dunaway had previously filled in for Junstrom for a handful of shows in 2011 and a few shows in 2013 as well. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". [citation needed], Larry Junstrom died on October 6, 2019, at age 70. February 26, 2023 | . The Legends of Southern Rock Series. "You Keep Runnin' Away" (August 1982) and "Back Where You Belong" (February 1984) continued the sequence of hit radio favorites. He was also the lead performer of the band 38 special that he co . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. But Im a Christian, and Im a true believer that theres a heaven above and I will see her again. It claimed a victim in 38 Special's Donnie Van Zant, who was forced to quit music a few years ago because of the damage it was doing to his ears. The group's first two albums 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. ''These guys grew up sitting on armory floors watching Duane Allman play. He is best known for being a member of the band 38 Special, from its formation in 1974 until 2013. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/donnie-van-zant-35116.php. Billy (Gibbons, ZZ Top guitarist/singer) would be backstage, really soft spoken: Hey Don, how you doing? And then hed get out on that stage and its [imitating Gibbons vocal on hit boogie La Grange] Haw haw haw haw. And you realize its show business. That made it very popular with police departments and civilians. He married Judy Seymour in 1972 after meeting her at The Comic Book Club through Gary Rossington in 1969. In 2013, Donnie suffered from inner-ear nerve damage, and other health issues. Van Zant is one of three famous singing brothers. The band's first two albums had a strong Southern rock influence. Donny Baldwin (ex-Jefferson Starship) filled in for Hoffman on some 1996 tour dates after Hoffman was down with a broken arm, but Gary "Madman" Moffatt (formerly of Cactus) has been the band's drummer since 1997. I lost my oldest daughter the year before last to cancer. Today, were celebrating the life of rock legend Ronnie Van Zant, who would be 70 years old today. And that was the first day we met Jim. The band, .38 Special, which started as a Southern rock band and switched to a more straight-ahead rock. These two drummers, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, quickly developed a unique musical relationship on and off stage. When police arrived after being notified by locals of the noise, the band members were unable to come out because of a padlock on the door. North American syndicated Rock radio program and website InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands heads south to get the .38 Special story from founding members Jeff Carlisi and Donnie Van Zant on the 35th anniversary of their breakthrough album Rockin' Into The Night. The city of Jacksonville, Florida, serves as the original home base for the Southern-style rock group known as 38 Special. And we loved The Police. These two drummers, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, quickly developed a unique musical relationship on and off stage. And that song has been an anthemic song for us all these years. Honoree Donnie Van Zant of 38 special and family walk the Red Carpet before the 34th Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Concert and Show at. 38 Special/Singers Same look, same attitude, same sound and 38s lead singer Donnie Van Zant was actually the younger brother of Ronnie Van Zant, the enigmatic frontman for the very successful Skynyrd. We get to talking about why 38 Specials signature hits, Hold On Loosely, Caught Up In You and Rockin Into The Night, just seem to pop a little extra on FM radio. He has half siblings all over the world, including the famous Lynyrd Skynyrd singer, Ronnie Van Zant. What happened to the original members of 38 Special? 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. The single hit No. I lost my oldest daughter the year before last to cancer. In Larry Junstroms case, he succeeded in doing so twice. hard rock The divorce papers were in the briefcase of our road manager on the airplane when we crashed. The papers were never filed. 38 Special performs Thursday at the Star Plaza in Merrillville, Ind. 38 Specials current lineup also boasts guitarist Jerry Riggs (a former Pat Travers Band musician whose fretwork also featured in two songs in cult-fave 1981 animated fantasy film Heavy Metal), keyboardist Bobby Capps, bassist Barry Dunaway and drummer Gary Moffatt. Required fields are marked *. 1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, as did the single, "If I'd Been the One" (October 1983), from their November 1983 release Tour de Force. The couple had a daughter, Tammy (born 1967), before divorcing in 1969. . This leaves Don Barnes as the only original member, although Barnes was absent from the band from 1987 until 1992. Why did Donnie Van Zant leave 38 Special? Its like a book publishing thing. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You can get out there. ''It will forever be known as the `Break a Leg Tour,` '' laughed keyboardist, singer and songwriter Max Carl. He was in a chartered plane along with five members of his band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. It claimed a victim in 38 Special's Donnie Van Zant, who was forced to quit music a few years ago because of the damage it was doing to his ears. 38 Special since they formed in 1974. You learn, tweak this and get rid of this part and you see what works with people. And we were lucky to have about 15 over the years - top 40, top 20, top 10. He is the middle of three sons; his older brother Ronnie was the original lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd who died in a 1977 plane crash in Mississippi, and his younger brother Johnny has been the lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd since 1987. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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.". Donald Newton "Donnie" Van Zant is an American rock vocalist/guitarist. His first son, Ronnie, was the leader of Lynyrd Skynyrd until a plane crash killed him in 1977. Its then, Barnes offers what he says is new insight on what makes 38 Special songs, well, special. It`s been nearly a year since 38 Special`s last album came out, and the band did intend to perform here long before now. and then the spotlights gonna shine on somebody else for a while. And, you know, he deserves all respect. The 9mm is ballistically superior to the . Their fathers contribution in their success is huge. VIDEO: .38 Special Hold On Loosely (live). Still, the band soldiered on, and unfortunately, they lost more bandmates. 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The next release, Rock & Roll Strategy (June 1988),[4] saw the group playing down their heavy guitar sound and putting forth a more 1980s pop keyboard-oriented approach, led by Carl's more R&B-style voice. Its 95 percent failure, maybe five percent success, so you might publish 100, 200 songs, and maybe have five, six hits or whatever. The group is scheduled to appear tonight at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman with Van Zant, free on $1,000 bond. The band announced the death in a post on Facebook, where his name was trending early Friday. "Now we're trying for a more contemporary or modern rock 'n' roll. What happens to atoms during chemical reaction? He was 59. I was thinking about people who just cant seem to give each other room to be themselves, they dont tolerate their differences and they try to change each other.