Chords for Interview with Judy Van Zant (Ronnie Van Zant's Widow) - October 2017

Judy, we talked 20 years ago in October of 1997.
Now here it is, October 2017.
Tell me what's been going on in your life for the past 20 years.
Well, me and my daughter were running the Freebird Live at Jacksonville Beach.
We retired two years, well I actually retired seven years ago.
And then two years ago, we closed down the building and [G] sold it.
And now it's served for the bar.
Who are these people?
[B] These are my grandchildren.
So you have grandchildren now?
Well, yeah. _
This is Aria, she's [D] 17.
This is Coden, he's 11.
These are Melody's kids.
[Ab] And then I have another granddaughter who lives in New Orleans,
she's four years old.
And this is a big night for you, Aria.
Yes, this is my first time ever seeing them [B] live.
And I actually just watched Freebird the movie for
the first time this week to kind of get a feel of it.
And I just felt like it was time that I see them and
how much longer, you never know.
So this is really an important night for me.
Somebody impressed upon you that you're Ronnie Van Zant's granddaughter?
Do people impress that on you?
Does anybody even talk with you about that?
People don't really know about it unless I bring it up or
unless they know who my mom is, but.
_ How are you and the band getting along?
Did you go to many of their concerts?
I haven't in the past few years gone to too many.
We went to Nashville last year, no actually it was this year in April,
April for the Merle Haggard tribute, they did a song.
And I think the time before that was probably in [C] New Orleans during
the Endymion Ball during [A] Mardi Gras.
So I haven't been going to a lot of shows.
I tried to just let the band do their business and stay out of it. _ _
_ _ The world knows about Ronnie Van Zant, the genius, the entertainer, the singer.
They also know about his rowdy side, at least if they believe what it is that they
read, [D] but you really knew him, you [Bb] were married to him for [C] five years.
Tell [B] us what he was really like [A] at home.
Well at home he was totally different.
He liked to come off the road just so that he could _ chill out a bit.
He liked to fish, he liked to hang out.
I would cook and we lived right on Doctor's Inlet, so
he would go fishing a lot with Gary. _
[D] He was a different person at home than on the road.
And he didn't get to see [A] his child, your daughter.
He died before she was born.
No, she was a year old when he died.
She was a year old when he died?
Yeah, [Bb] she turned a year old in September and he died in October.
So she was just a little over a year old.
So he had been home right before the tour started and
spent a lot of time with [A] her.
So, but- That's right, I've seen pictures of him holding her.
Yes, but he never got to see her grow up.
_ Do you have any relationship [B] with Tammy?
_ [C] Not really, she lives in Middleburg.
We still talk every now and then, but no.
_ _ Do you think about the crash or do you only think about the crash when people
like me come along and ask you questions about the crash?
I try not to think about the crash, but there are times when it comes up,
[Db] and of course with the 40th anniversary, which in my opinion,
40 [C] years is no different than 30 years, 10 years, 5 years, whatever.
So, or every day for that matter, but I try not to think [D] about it.
_ [A] It's probably one of the worst days of my life.
And it still is the worst day, isn't it?
Yes.
[B] _ _ _
But you've had a lot of joy that Ronnie's missed out on that you've got to share
with these beautiful grandchildren, with your beautiful daughter.
Where [Cm] is your daughter, by the way?
My [A] daughter's over there.
Come here, Melody.
Come here.
Get in [D] this picture.
Come over here, [Bb] Melody.
Yeah, he missed out on a lot [C] of stuff.
I mean, he missed out on a lot [B] of the good things that have happened to the band,
you know, as far as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, you know, a lot of the
performing with certain, you know, certain people that were his heroes.
_ _ [C] And that's the sad part of it. _
Melody, last time we met you were 19 years old.
Who are these people?
Tell me about these children.
These are my beautiful [G] children, my daughter, Raya, 17, [D] my son, Kodin, [G] 11. _
It's our first time seeing Skinner play.
[N] I wanted them_ Yes, live.
I wanted them to make [E] their own decision.
For [Dm] me, music [N] has always been a part of my life.
It's who I was, [E] you know, I was like born into it.
I had no choice.
I love it, but running the Freebird for as long as I did, [G] kind [E] of, with a few
[D] exceptions of nice musicians overall, it was a forced feeling and I didn't want
that for them.
I wanted them to have that [E] passion and desire themselves.
You've had some great bands on that tour.
Yes, yes, [C] we did.
Do you miss it?
[Gm] For a [G] brief second every now and then, but I really_
I love being in bed at 9 or 10 o'clock [D] at night and watching you [Cm] on the news and
[Am] rolling over and going to sleep.
It's kind of nice, you [A] know.
I'm catching up on a lot of [G] missed years of sleep.
Great.
How do you feel about your first time seeing Leonard Skinner live?
Well, as my sister said earlier, our mom let us watch Freebird the movie [F] a few days ago, right?
Yeah, a few days ago.
[Ab] _ And so we watched it just to get like a feeling of what would happen.
And then now me and Ari are seeing a Leonard Skinner concert for the first time live.
[Eb] And I'm just really excited [N] for it and