Lynyrd Skynyrd members have revealed plans for a potential new album featuring unreleased material from late guitarist Gary Rossington. The plans were discussed in an exclusive interview with RIFFX.
The band discovered a significant collection of unreleased songs following Rossington’s passing. The collection includes approximately 30 tracks featuring his contributions.
“We discovered [these songs] shortly after Gary’s passing. They brought us a load of tapes and all this stuff — [Gary’s] wife did — and we discovered we had about 30 songs that Gary had taken part with Johnny and myself and whomever,” guitarist Rickey Medlocke said. “And you could hear him talking on the tapes and talking about lyrics and all that stuff. And Johnny and I started talking about doing — possibly doing — another Lynyrd Skynyrd record that included Gary’s songs on it and stuff.”
Lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant echoed these sentiments. He emphasized the band’s commitment to honoring their late bandmate’s legacy.
“We have songs that we wrote with Gary [Rossington, late Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist] that we never recorded,” Van Zant said. “We’ll see what the future brings, but we would like to bring that to the forefront and get it to our fans.”
This potential tribute album would continue a tradition of preserving Lynyrd Skynyrd’s musical legacy through posthumous releases and unreleased material.
Rossington’s songwriting contributions have been integral to the band’s success throughout their career. Ultimate Classic Rock reported that Rossington co-wrote enduring hits like “Gimme Back My Bullets” from 1976. The track showcased his signature guitar work despite the album peaking at No. 20 on the charts. His collaborative approach to songwriting helped define the band’s distinctive Southern rock sound.
The band has previously honored departed members through compilation releases. Wikipedia noted that the 1978 compilation “Skynyrd’s First and… Last” included early unreleased tracks such as the original “One More Time” demo co-written by Rossington. This posthumous release demonstrated the band’s commitment to preserving their musical heritage.
The discovery of these 30 unreleased tracks represents a significant find for both the band and their fans. Blabbermouth revealed that the tapes contain not only the musical compositions but also Rossington’s voice discussing lyrics and creative ideas. This provides intimate insight into his songwriting process.
The potential album would serve as a tribute to Rossington’s final musical contributions to the legendary Southern rock band. It would ensure his creative legacy continues to reach new generations of fans.
