Claim: Lynyrd Skynyrd's current lead vocalist is the brother of a former band member.

John Roy `` Johnny '' Van Zant -LRB- born February 27 , 1959 -RRB- is an American musician and the current lead vocalist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd . He is the younger brother of the late Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder and former lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant , and of the .38 Special founder , Donnie Van Zant .   Van Zant performed during the 1970s with his first band , The Austin Nickels Band . They later changed their name to The Johnny Van Zant Band releasing their debut solo album , No More Dirty Deals , in 1980 . Original members of The Johnny Van Zant Band consisted of Van Zant on lead vocals , Robbie Gay on guitar , Danny Clausman , on bass , Erik Lundgren on lead guitar , Robbie Morris , drums and Joan Hecht -LRB- previously Joan Cusumano -RRB- and Nancy Henderson on background vocals . Van Zant released three more solo albums between 1981 and 1985 , before taking a break from the music business .   He became lead vocalist for the reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987 , and continues to record and perform with them today . He released another solo album , Brickyard Road , in 1990 , which featured the popular title track , which was a # 1 hit on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for three weeks . He also records and performs with his brother , Donnie , as Van Zant since 1998 .   In May 2006 , less than one day before he was to perform at KSAN-FM 107.7 The Bone 's Bone Bash 7 , Van Zant underwent emergency surgery to have his appendix removed . Treated at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto , California , after reporting pain to a doctor earlier in the day . The incident forced the band to cancel three U.S. shows .   Van Zant is a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars . He recorded a video , along with remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd , that is played at every Jaguars home game on the Everbank Field video board .   According to Skynyrd 's website , Van Zant was again hospitalized on August 6 , 2011 at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis , Minnesota due to complications from a previous surgery . According to the website , Van Zant had a `` surgical site '' infected with cellulitus which required both hospitalization ad IV/Antibiotic Treatment . He began displaying signs of a staph infection and other symptoms related to the infection . His subsequent illness resulted in a number of scheduled performances being cancelled .