Johnny Van Zant was born on February 27, 1959, in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a Southern rock vocalist from the United States. He is the younger brother of .38 Special founder and vocalist Donnie Van Zant and Lynyrd Skynyrd founder and vocalist Ronnie Van Zant.
Since the band’s rebirth in 1987, he has served as its lead vocalist. Van Zant’s first band, The Austin Nickels Band, was active in the 1970s. In 1980, the band changed its name to The Johnny Van Zant Band and released its debut album, “No More Dirty Deals.” People stated that the album was a product of amateurs in terms of production.
The original members of The Johnny Van Zant Band consisted of Johnny Van Zant as the lead vocalist, Robbie Gaye on guitar, Danny Clausman on bass, Eric Lundgren on lead guitar, Robbie Morris on drums, and Joan Hecht ( formerly known as Joan Cusumano) and Nancy Henderson on background vocals. You can easily suggest this band to any classic southern hard rock lover and they would not be able to stop themselves from listening to them, ever!
From 1981 and 1985, Johnny Van Zant recorded three additional solo albums before retiring from the music industry. Van Zant underwent immediate emergency surgery to have his appendix removed in May 2006, less than a day before performing at KSAN-FM 107.7 The Bone’s Bone Bash 7.
After reporting the pain to a doctor earlier in the day, he was examined at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. The event led the band to cancel three gigs in the United States.
Early Life
Johnny played drums in various local bands as a teenager. He joined the band Bryndle, which featured his brother, Ronnie, in 1976. Before Ronnie left to establish Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band released one album.
Bryndle carried on without Ronnie, releasing two more albums, although none was commercially successful. Johnny departed the band in 1980 to join the band. His brother Donnie was already a member of the band 38 Special.
Ronnie Van Zant died in an aircraft crash in 1987. Johnny was severely touched by this tragedy, and he took a hiatus from music for several seasons. He ultimately rejoined.38 Special and has since toured and recorded with them. If unstoppable was a person, it’d be Johnny Van Zant.
Johnny has also recorded many solo albums, the latest of which was Brotherhood in 2016.
Personal Life
Ronnie and Donnie requested Johnny to join their new band, the .38 Special, in 1976. He performed background vocals and played rhythm guitar. In 1977, the band published its debut album. Throughout the 1980s, they had multiple singles, including “Caught Up in You” and “Hang On Loosely.”
Johnny has also recorded a number of solo CDs. The Brighter Day album was published in 2016. Johnny and his wife Lisa have two kids, Savannah and Victoria. He is presently residing in Nashville, Tennessee.
Career
Johnny Van had a streak of popular records in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Johnny Van II (1987), Johnny Van III (1989), and Johnny Van IV (1990) were among these albums (1991). Each record was greater than the one before it, helping to solidify Johnny Van’s place in the music industry.
He rose to prominence as a result of his catchy pop tunes and passionate live performances. Johnny Van’s song “She’s Gone” was shortlisted for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1992. Johnny Van’s career started to decline in the mid-1990s. He made a number of albums that were commercially a series of flops. He also had to cope with personal issues, such as substance abuse and alcoholism.
As a consequence, he took a musical break in the late 1990s. After the publication of his album Johnny Van V in the early 2000s, he made a return (2001). The record was a hit, and it improved Johnny Van’s career. He has since published numerous additional albums, although none have been as successful as his early efforts.
Johnny Van has a lengthy and diversified career as a musician. His prominent career during the 1980s and early 1990s, as one of the most popular pop singers in the world, is what he is primarily recognized for. Despite his recent difficulties, Johnny Van remains a musical force to be reckoned with.
Johnny Van Zant’s Net Worth
As of 2023, Johnny Van Zant has a whopping net worth of $10 million. His primary source of income streams from his music career as he is a well-known member of the eponymous band Johnny Van Zant, the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a solo artist with the album Brickyard Road.
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