By Martin Popoff
One of the biggest hot clockin' classic rock tours pounding the floorboards this summer finds Lynyrd Skynyrd teaming up with '70s heavyweights Deep Purple And Ted Nugent, touring, incredibly, through to mid September, with a Toronto date set for June 19th at the Molson Amphitheater.
"I think it's just a natural thing," shrugs Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke on the observation that the band now is a much harder rock outfit than the one that penned 'Sweet Home Alabama'. "First of all Hughie (Thomasson - guitars) and I came into the band almost six years ago. I was in a pretty heavy band, Blackfoot. Johnny (Van Zant - lead vocals) likes to say we were the only original Southern heavy metal band and I've always been into heavier music anyway. But I didn't do anything on purpose. I just bring what my sound is, the way I play, and I think that comes across on record along with Gary (Rossington - also guitars!). I think it fits with Gary and Hughie really well, the way he plays from when he used to be in The Outlaws. And I think the three guitar sound really works together in this band right now, just as it did back in the '70s. Allen (Collins - original guitarist, now deceased) was a much heavier guitar player, along with Gary. Then Ed King had the style that was more of the picking style on the Strat, and it worked really well as it does right now."
LYNYRD SKYNYRD- Rammin' Southern Rock Down Yer Gullet! Page 2