Ronnie Van Zant

Sometimes when history is being made, the world tunes in with wide-eyed anticipation. Other times, it just kind of happens when no one is looking. That's how it was with Ronnie Vanzant and a group of young guys he pulled together in the '60s who came to be known as Lynyrd Skynyrd.



VanZant was born on January 15, 1948, in Jacksonville, FL, and was raised on the rough Westside of the city where money was often scarce and street fights were the norm instead of the exception. His father, Lacey -- don't let the name fool you -- was a truck driver who had spent time working as a prizefighter when he was younger. He made sure his boys could fight well enough to hold their own. Ronnie Vanzant was a great baseball player and dreamed of going pro one day, but it seemed his main love was music. He would travel with his father sometimes, listening to the truck radio the whole way. Fortunately, there was a piano and a guitar in the young VanZant's home that he could practice on. Many artists influenced him during those early years, one of them being country singer Merle Haggard. There would be other noteworthy influences later, like The Rolling Stones and Free.

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