‘70s Rock Band Lynyrd Skynyrd Could Release New Music Written Before Beloved Bandmate’s Death
The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd are not ruling out recording new music more than a decade after their last studio album.
In a June 2025 interview with Classic Rock, lead singer Johnny Van Zant revealed that the band has a collection of songs written with late bandmate Gary Rossington. Rossington, who was the last original member of the 1970s southern rock band, died in 2023 at age 71.
“We recorded a song called 'The Last Of The Street Survivors,' and we put it out [in 2020]. You can Google it,” Van Zant told the outlet of the last studio recording with Rossington. “We were headed to doing a new studio album, and then Gary’s health got really bad. There are other songs written with Gary before he died that we could record. We will leave that door open for the future.”
Van Zant added that it would be “a question of time” for the songs to be recorded.
“For me, Skynyrd always made great records, but it was a live band, and that’s still true today,” the singer said. “When I first joined [in 1987], we were all still into drinking and having a party on stage – just like the audience – but nowadays we soak that music up. It’s become more of a spiritual thing, and we never, ever phone it in. That’s something I’m very proud of.”
Skynyrd’s last studio album was Last of a Dyin' Breed in 2012. At the time, Rossington told Music Radar that the band wanted to do things like they did in the old days.
"In the '70s, we kept it simple. We picked the material, everybody came up with their parts, and then we'd play live in the studio. We made sure the band feel was there,” he said of the recording process. "Making [this album] was a lot of fun. We just played.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd originally formed in 1964 with Ronnie Van Zant on vocals, Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). After adding several other musicians to the band, they released their self-titled debut album in 1973.
In 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup vocalist Cassie Gaines died in a tragic plane crash in Mississippi. Rossington and several other band and crew members miraculously survived.
In 1987, the band reformed with Ronnie’s younger brother, Johnny Van Zant, taking the lead as lead vocalist.
Lynyrd Skynyrd signed with Frontiers Music SRL in early 2025 and released a live album and DVD on June 27. Celebrating 50 Years - Live At The Ryman was recorded in 2022 and features the band’s final performance with founding member Rossington.
Related: Iconic ‘70s Rock Band Drops Surprise Music Video Nearly 50 Years After Hit Song’s Release