That time I asked Rickey Medlocke if he and Hughie Thomasson might get to sneak a Blackfoot or Outlaws tune into Skynyrd’s set

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rickey Medlocke in 1997, the year after he’d joined Gary Rossington and Hughie Thomasson in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s three-guitar lineup. While Rossington was a founding Skynyrd guitarist, and Medlocke had played drums for them in their early days, Medlocke and Thomasson had made their names in two of my other fave … Continue reading That time I asked Rickey Medlocke if he and Hughie Thomasson might get to sneak a Blackfoot or Outlaws tune into Skynyrd’s set

That time Rickey Medlocke told me that the rebel flag was just a symbol of where Skynyrd came from

By Steve Newton Lynyrd Skynyrd doesn’t fly the rebel flag in concert anymore, from what I’ve heard. But back in 1997 they sure did. So when I interviewed guitarist Rickey Medlocke before a ’97 show in Vancouver I asked him if, from his Native American perspective, he found there to an intolerance among southern-rock fans … Continue reading That time Rickey Medlocke told me that the rebel flag was just a symbol of where Skynyrd came from

That time Ricky Medlocke told me that he was almost on the plane with Skynyrd when it went down

By Steve Newton Back in August of 1997 I interviewed Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke in advance of a Skynyrd show in Vancouver with openers Paul Rodgers and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. At one point in the conversation I asked Medlocke, who’d also been a band member in the early days, if he’d been following Lynyrd … Continue reading That time Ricky Medlocke told me that he was almost on the plane with Skynyrd when it went down

That time Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Rickey Medlocke told me that Paul Rodgers was one of his big vocal influences

By Steve Newton Back in 1997 I interviewed Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke in advance of a Vancouver show by Skynyrd that also had Paul Rodgers on the bill. I’d been a big fan of Medlocke’s previous band, Blackfoot, back in the seventies, and always loved their version of Free’s “Wishing Well” on the 1979 … Continue reading That time Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Rickey Medlocke told me that Paul Rodgers was one of his big vocal influences

That time I asked guitar legend Gary Rossington if southern rock was still healthy in 1986

By Steve Newton Back in November of 1986 I did my one-and-only interview with Gary Rossington, who I talked to along with his wife (and then-lead vocalist) Dale Krantz-Rossington. At one point in the conversation I asked Gary what he thought of the current state of southern rock, and whether it was healthy where they … Continue reading That time I asked guitar legend Gary Rossington if southern rock was still healthy in 1986

That time Rickey Medlocke told me that he was hired to play Allen Collins’ guitar parts in Skynyrd

By Steve Newton Back in 1997 Lynyrd Skynyrd was headed to Vancouver for a show with Paul Rodgers and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, so you bet your ass I was gonna go. I was also gonna interview Rickey Medlocke, who had rejoined the band to play guitar alongside founding member Gary Rossington and former Outlaws picker … Continue reading That time Rickey Medlocke told me that he was hired to play Allen Collins’ guitar parts in Skynyrd

That time I asked Gary Rossington what happened to Allen Collins

By Steve Newton Back in 1986 I did my one and only interview with Gary Rossington, the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist who passed away yesterday at the age of 71. At the time Rossington was promoting the release of Returned to the Scene of the Crime, the debut album by his band Rossington, which also … Continue reading That time I asked Gary Rossington what happened to Allen Collins

That time I asked Rickey Medlocke about rejoining Lynyrd Skynyrd–and why he’d left in the first place

By Steve Newton Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of my fave bands in the seventies, but I never got to see them live with Ronnie, to my infinite regret. I did get to see them for the first time in Vancouver back in ’97 on the Legends Tour, and that was cool because the lineup at … Continue reading That time I asked Rickey Medlocke about rejoining Lynyrd Skynyrd–and why he’d left in the first place

Gary Rossington’s trusty Les Paul goes silent as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last survivor passes on

photo by the newt By Steve Newton Sad news from the world of southern rock. Gary Rossington, the last surviving member of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup, is a survivor no more. The band has announced on its Facebook page that Rossington passed away today at the age of 71. Although the cause of death … Continue reading Gary Rossington’s trusty Les Paul goes silent as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last survivor passes on

That time Gary Rossington told me that he wasn’t “Workin’ for MCA” anymore

By Steve Newton Way the hell back in 1986 I interviewed Gary Rossington and his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington. The happy couple, with two infant daughters, had just released the debut Rossington album, Returned to the Scene of the Crime, their first recording since the breakup of the Rossington-Collins Band in 1982. Both of Rossington’s previous … Continue reading That time Gary Rossington told me that he wasn’t “Workin’ for MCA” anymore

That time some chick called me “a Skynyrd-loving moron” so I hummed a few bars of “Free Bird”

By Steve Newton Back in June of 2000 the Vancouver newspaper I’m still working at (god willing), the Georgia Straight, introduced a new column called Payback Time, where ticked-off readers could write in and vociferously complain about the music critics’ opinions, before the scribe under attack was allowed to defend himself with a potentially witty … Continue reading That time some chick called me “a Skynyrd-loving moron” so I hummed a few bars of “Free Bird”

36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”

By Steve Newton I’m a little show on the uptake sometimes. For example, just yesterday I was typing up my old interview from 1987 with Rick Richards of the Georgia Satellites, giving the article new life on the internet after being trapped on yellowing newspaper and stashed in a banker’s box for decades. In the … Continue reading 36 years later I finally got turned on to the rockin’ glory of Warren Zevon’s “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands”

God bless Hughie Thomasson’s guitar solo on the Outlaws’ “Hurry Sundown”

By Steve Newton I really, really enjoy guitar solos sometimes. When a geetar player hits just the right notes with just the right feel, it’s almost like a religious experience for me. That’s why I’ve asked God to bless exquisite guitar solos by Scott Gorham on Thin Lizzy’s “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”, Donald “Buck … Continue reading God bless Hughie Thomasson’s guitar solo on the Outlaws’ “Hurry Sundown”