Van Zant (duo)
| Company type | Musical duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Donnie Van Zant, Johnny Van Zant |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Southern rock, country music albums and singles |
Van Zant is a musical duo from the United States consisting of brothers Donnie Van Zant and Johnny Van Zant, who are also the siblings of Ronnie Van Zant, the original frontman of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Johnny took over as Lynyrd Skynyrd's lead singer in 1987, while Donnie was the frontman for .38 Special.
The group began as a Southern rock outfit, recording in the 1980s under Network/Geffen Records before disbanding. They reunited in 1998 and released two albums through CMC International. Later, in 2005, they transitioned into country music, producing two albums for Columbia Records. Their debut album with Columbia, Get Right with the Man, included the country top ten hit "Help Somebody".
History
In the early 1980s, Johnny fronted The Johnny Van Zant Band, which issued albums between 1980 and 1982. The band shortened its name to Van Zant for their 1985 self-titled release on Network/Geffen Records, featuring charting singles such as "You've Got to Believe in Love" and "I'm a Fighter" (written by Jimi Jamison and Mandy Meyer). Donnie was not part of this lineup, which dissolved shortly afterward.
Johnny released a solo album in 1990 but primarily concentrated on reuniting Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 1998, he joined forces with Donnie to revive Van Zant with the album Brother to Brother. Initially intended as a one-time project, it produced the successful single "Rage," leading to a follow-up album in 2001 titled Van Zant II, which featured their fourth rock chart single, "Get What You Got Comin".
Country music career
In 2005, the brothers ventured into country music with Get Right with the Man, released via Columbia Records. This album included the Top 10 country hit "Help Somebody", followed by singles "Nobody Gonna Tell Me What to Do" at No. 16 and "Things I Miss the Most" at No. 59 on the charts. The album was certified gold by the RIAA. Notably, this CD became involved in the Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal during an inquiry into its digital rights management software.
Because of Sony's DRM technology, this CD initially could not be imported into iTunes. The problem was resolved after Sony issued an uninstaller tool that enabled compatibility with iTunes even when using the original copy-protected disc.
Van Zant's second Columbia release, My Kind of Country (2007), featured singles "That Scares Me" and "Goes Down Easy," both of which failed to reach the Top 40 on country charts. Following this, the duo parted ways with Columbia.
Donnie left 38 Special in 2013 due to health concerns. In 2019, Johnny disclosed that they were still working on new material with plans to release it after Lynyrd Skynyrd ceased touring.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications (sales threshold) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | AUS | |||
| No More Dirty Deals (as Johnny Van Zant Band) |
|
— | — | 84 | |
| Van Zant |
|
— | 170 | — | |
| Brother to Brother |
|
— | — | — | |
| Van Zant II |
|
— | — | — | |
| Get Right with the Man |
|
2 | 21 | — |
|
| My Kind of Country |
|
10 | 57 | — | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart | |||||
Live albums
| Title | Album information | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| Red White & Blue (Live) |
|
39 |
Singles
| Year | Single title | Highest chart rankings | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Main Rock | |||||
| 1985 | "You've Got to Believe in Love" | — | 102 | 27 | Van Zant | ||
| "I'm a Fighter" | — | — | 16 | ||||
| 1998 | "Rage" | — | — | 22 | Brother to Brother | ||
| 2001 | "Get What You Got Comin
|
— | — | 33 | Van Zant II | ||
| 2005 | "Help Somebody" | 8 | 66 | — | Get Right with the Man | ||
| "Nobody Gonna Tell Me What to Do" | 16 | 111 | — | ||||
| 2006 | "Things I Miss the Most" | 60 | — | — | |||
| 2007 | "That Scares Me" | 48 | — | — | My Kind of Country | ||
| "Goes Down Easy" | 45 | — | — | ||||
Guest singles
| Year | Single title | Performing artist(s) | Peak chart rankings | Album title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||||
| 2006 | "That's How They Do It in Dixie" | Hank Williams, Jr. (featuring Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson) |
35 | That's How They Do It in Dixie: The Essential Collection |
Music videos
| Year | Video title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "I'm a Fighter" (featuring "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler) |
|
| 2005 | "Help Somebody" | Peter Zavadil |
| "Nobody Gonna Tell Me What to Do" | Trey Fanjoy | |
| 2006 | "Things I Miss the Most" | Peter Zavadil |
| "That's How They Do It in Dixie" (featuring Big & Rich, Hank Williams, Jr., and Gretchen Wilson) |
Deaton-Flanigen | |
| 2007 | "Goes Down Easy" | Roman White |