Ronnie Van Zant Quotes

Rock was born in the South, so saying 'Southern rock' is like saying 'rock rock.'

The South just keeps right on playing good time Southern music.

A lot of your rock people, even early, like Elvis, have always come from the South.

The south is very focused on family... the musical heritage of Muscle Shoals especially and the bands from the region.

As corny as it may sound, my true goal was to crack the Americana market.

I love Southern rock; it's because I grew up on it, and no matter where I am, I'll always be a Georgia girl.

I enjoy 'down South' music.

The South Side loves me - I've got a song with Jermaine Dupri - and I've got songs on the East Coast and songs on the West Coast. Now, if I could just find me a rapper from up North.

I believe that, artistically and culturally, the free radio air should be able to support local artists of whatever genre. Play 40 percent of your local artists; don't suck up to major labels to the point where you neglect your own locale.

The fact that you can't base a coffeehouse on any other rock band is the other rock bands' problem, not mine.

Any New York group can come to L.A. and sell out every show, but an L.A. group who goes to New York might not do the same because the audience hasn't been introduced to the group.

There are no record companies in Waikiki.

When I was signed, that was before the punk thing even happened.

There's one place that I've always known I wanted to be, and that is on country radio.

My take on rap is driven by straightforward American southern rock and blues.

If your album sells, that's cool, more people find out about you, more people get turned on to what we're really about-which is a live rock and roll band.

Any album that I ever put out I'm going to send it to country radio first.

I was signed to RCA to be a country singer.

I can't wait to start something up myself that is actually about giving unsigned bands the exposure they deserve, especially when they travel so far to play the smallest gig they've ever played in their lives.

Country artists have advantages all over the place. The radio support is incredible. The fanbase is rabid, all over.

There's a system in place in Nashville, and for a long time, I was trapped in this idea that the only way to do it was to come to town, get a record deal, and do it the way they say. And that system works. But it caters to a specific kind of artist, and I didn't necessarily fit that mold.

I had a whole bunch of bad country songs, so I put 'em all on an album.

Texas is really special in that we have our own music scene, our own music chart. It's almost a genre on its own. It feels like you can make a great living just touring the state because it's so big, but eventually, I wanted a new challenge.

But if you work in the rock industry, you should realize that the most important bands are the troublemakers.

Because we are Nashville-based and predominately a country label, people obviously think of us in that way, and that's fine.