Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Johnny Van Zant said it was the late Gary Rossington's wish that they continue on following his death in March.
Van Zant told Rock Candy magazine, "Gary's wife really sealed the deal. Dale Krantz has been singing backing vocals with Skynyrd for years and years, ever since the tribute tour that brought the band back together in 1987. And when Gary died, Dale said to me, 'This is what Gary did and he would want you guys to carry on.' So now more than ever I want to continue. Gary was out there carrying the legacy for the original guys — for [singer] Ronnie [Van Zant] and [guitarist] Allen [Collins], for [piano player] Billy [Powell] and [bassist] Leon [Wilkeson] — for so many years out of respect for what they did. Now I think he deserves the same kind of respect from us."
Guitarist Gary Medlocke added, "I believe it's important to keep Skynyrd's music alive and not let it just fade away. It's important for all of us to honor the memories of all the other guys who went before us in this band. I'm just very proud and very honored to be doing that."
Van Zant went on to say, "The records Skynyrd made were great, but Gary felt that in truth Skynyrd had always been about the live performance. Now we're no young turkeys, no spring chickens. But what I do know is that everyone still loves getting out there and playing the music. We feel like a family when we're out there together, and we all want to go out there again and really give Gary his due."
Skynyrd are currently on the The Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]