After the Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute concert in 1987, the band didn't want to see the legacy die.

"We had already lost the band once," said lead singer Johnny Van Zant during a phone call from Omaha, Neb. "And we really felt it wouldn't be right if the band went away again."That was 12 years ago. It just goes to show that you can't keep a stubborn Southern rock band down.

Lynyrd Skynyrd -- Van Zant, guitarist Rickey Medlocke, drummer Michael Cartellone, bassist Leon Wilkeson, pianist Billy Powell, guitarist Gary Rossington and guitarist Hughie Thomasson -- will play the Delta Center tonight, opening for ZZ Top. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Delta Center box office.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's climb to the top and heartbreaking tragedy has been the fodder for many rock music history TV specials and articles.

The core of the band was formed in Jacksonville, Fla., back in 1965 by Van Zant's older brother Ronnie, Rossington and guitarist Allen Collins and had a changing lineup that included drummers Bob Burns, Medlocke and Artimus Pyle. Bassists included, at one point or another, Larry Jungstrom, Greg Walker, Wilkeson and Ed King. And guitarist Steve Gaines and Powell joined later, as did guitarist Randall Hall and drummer Kurt Custer, who eventually replaced Pyle in the 1990s.

The band hit it big in the '70s with a string of platinum and gold albums, and songs such as "Freebird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Saturday Night Special" and "What's Your Name," all staples on classic rock radio today.

Then came the tragedies. On Oct. 20, 1977, a plane crash in Gillsburg, Miss., killed Ronnie Van Zant, Gaines and his sister Cassie, a backup singer.

The surviving members started other bands, such as the Rossington Collins Band and the Artimus Pyle Band. In 1986 -- just before Rossington, Powell and Wilkeson regrouped with Johnny Van Zant for a tribute concert -- Collins was paralyzed in a car accident. Although he was able to introduce the re-formed Lynyrd Skynyrd while sitting in a wheelchair, Collins succumbed to pneumonia four years later.

"The last 12 years have been a healing process for us," Van Zant said. "And the tribute concert actually was the beginning of it. But the healing wasn't just for the band and those close to the band. It was also for the fans."

The success of the tribute concert gave Van Zant and the others the inspiration to carry on the Lynyrd Skynyrd name, which, by the way, was a take on the name Leonard Skinner, a high school gym teacher.

"Skynyrd's music means a lot to the fans," Van Zant explained. "And we didn't want to see it die a second time."

The band re-recruited Medlocke, who had been working with his own band, Blackfoot, and Thomasson, formerly of the Outlaws. "Those two were the logical choice for us. Rickey was Skynyrd's original drummer and Hughie has been a friend of ours since day one."

The newest touring member of the band is Cartellone, who gained recognition as the drummer for Ted Nugent's band Damn Yankees. "On the new album we had Kenny Aronoff playing drums. But we needed a touring drummer, and Michael had been hanging around us for quite some time. He's good. He's a real dedicated player."

Van Zant, himself, had big shoes to fill when he stepped in for big brother Ronnie.

"Actually I don't see it as filling in," Van Zant explained. "I see it more like Ronnie was the quarterback and I'm the receiver.

"I'm blood. It was an honor that the rest of the guys wanted to keep the vocal spot in the family. And it's a great feeling that the guys didn't go to a place like New York City to get a new vocalist. Ha. That kind of reminds me of the Pace Picante Sauce commercial."

The band is touring to support its latest release, "Edge of Forever." And, according to Van Zant, touring is a very important necessity.

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"FM radio isn't what it used to be," Van Zant said. "Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and the Backstreet Boys are on the top. And there isn't a real spot for Skynyrd. Sure, there are classic rock stations that play old Skynyrd songs, but they don't play the new stuff. So, touring is the only way we can get the new music to the people.

"We've been touring, literally, since 1987. This album is our seventh release since the re-group. And we have a loyal fan base. In fact, our fans are so loyal that an insulting remark about the band equals fighting words."

While Lynyrd Skynyrd has a 30-year past to look back on, Van Zant said the future is where the band intends to go. "This tour will keep on until February of next year. We're planning a 'Then and Now' album and even a Christmas album. Maybe we'll write a song about Grandma kickin' Santa Claus.

"But seriously," Van Zant said after a hearty laugh. "We plan to take Lynyrd Skynyrd as far as it can go. And as long as there are fans, and there are many, especially when they introduce their children to the band, we will carry on."

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