Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant said the band was so far into writing a new album that it was effectively “in the can.”

He added that the Southern rock icons, who are currently on their farewell tour, were also planning a concert movie release, and that he had his own recording projects to pursue when time allowed.

“We have an album in the can really, to be honest,” Van Zant told Madness to Creation in a recent interview. “We have a bunch of songs that we’re all the time writing … probably after this tour we’ll have that album, do a studio thing.”

He added that Skynyrd "actually recorded our last show here in Jacksonville. Did a DVD and actually the CD for it and that’ll come out sometime along the way too.”

In the meantime, he said, the band was enjoying the experience of its final tour, which was most recently extended last month. “The crowds have been just great,” he reported. “It’s been fun and sad at the same time to know that some of these places are the last time we’ll play there. But hey, all good things come to an end, right? … We have a lot of places we still want to hit. We’ll probably make another run sometime through Europe and down to Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.”

He also outlined his own plans for the future. "I’m always making new music – me and my brother Donnie, we’re creating all the time and we live right next door to each other here in Florida," he explained. "I got a little place in the back and we go out there and we bang around and make music. One of my things on my bucket list is to do a gospel album. I lost my oldest daughter last year due to cancer and it kind of got me back to where I should have been at a long time ago with God.”

Van Zant added he'd also like to "maybe make a blues record. I’ve done a couple of country albums. But I’d love to do those things before I go on to the mighty big heaven up in the sky too.”

 

 

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