VAN ZANT (Nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year.)
Brothers Donnie and Johnny Van Zant are music industry veterans making their first big splash in Country Music with the 2005 Columbia Records album Get Right With The Man. With a hand in writing seven of the 11 cuts, the album is one of the top-selling Country debut discs this year. The two have deep roots as Southern Rockers - Johnny with Lynyrd Skynyrd (taking over for his brother Ronnie, Skynyrd's original lead singer who died in a 1977 plane crash) and Donnie with .38 Special - but the duo is quick to point out that they grew up on Country Music. Influenced by Merle Haggard, Mel Tillis and Hank Williams growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., the Van Zant brothers lived the blue-collar life. Their first Top 10 hit, "Help Somebody," evokes the Golden Rule taught to them by their truck-driver father and hard-working mother. Their new single is the fiercely independent "Nobody Gonna Tell Me What To Do." The Van Zant men each continue to tour with their Southern Rock bands while carving out a new identity together in Country Music.
CMA Nominations:
2005 Vocal Duo of the Year
(Bio and Award Listing courtesy the Country Music Association)