Nashville, TN (Top40 Charts/ MCA Records) - It will be a rowdy tour indeed when Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members
Lynyrd Skynyrd and country music icon
Hank Williams Jr. unite for a series of national dates in 2007, appropriately named THE ROWDY FRYNDS TOUR. Vector Management and
William Morris Agency announced today that the tour will feature 20 markets to start, with additions to the tour announced at a later time.
'The tour is scheduled to commence April 11th in Huntsville, Alabama with dates running through June,' says Vector Management's, Ross Schilling. 'This package will offer fans performances by two of the greatest musical legends in one spectacular night.'
'We will be playing on Friday and Saturday nights to ensure all our �Rowdy Frynds' can party with us all night long,' says Gary Rossington.
The conception for the tour came about when Vector artist manager's Ken Levitan and Ross Schilling met with William Morris Sr. VP Greg Oswald following the success of the Double Trouble Tour with 3 Doors Down in 2006. It was evident that the fans attending a Hank Williams Jr. show are the same fans carrying an American flag at the Lynyrd Skynyrd shows. The only question was if the two headliners would be as excited about the package tour as the teams supporting them.
'Hank played with Skynyrd years ago and it was one heck of a show. Since then, we've been looking for the opportunity to tour together,' said Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd, 'because his fans are our fans, and vice versa.'
Clearly, Lynyrd Skynyrd weren't the only ones chomping at the bit to turn the conception into reality.
'Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. on the stage together in the same night,' Hank Williams Jr. commented, 'talk about a show! I can't wait to see what happens in these cities!'
Ranked as one of the best-selling artists of all time by the Recording Industry Association of America and recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee's, Lynyrd Skynyrd is still going strong with almost 65 albums, 30 million albums sold to date, and over 80 performances annually. The band is currently writing the follow-up to Vicious Cycle, the band's May 2003 release on Sanctuary Records that spawned the single 'Red White and Blue,' which was the band's strongest in over 25 years. To date, the Southern anthem 'Sweet Home Alabama' has passed the 1,000,000 mark in downloaded master ringtones, proving that Lynyrd Skynyrd is a major industry icon that appeals to all generations.
With more than 70 albums to his credit, including his latest 'That's How We Do It In Dixie,' and 5 Entertainer of the Year nods, Hank Williams Jr. has a fascinating career to reflect upon for a legend still in his prime. In fact, 2007 celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the No 1 single 'Country Boy Can Survive,' proving his music is timeless. His discography chronicles a bold profile of growth from adored offspring of a legendary father, to titan of the modern country rock movement in his own right. For more than a decade, America has come to its collective feet each fall when this larger than life superman of a musician looks into the camera and unleashes the national anthem for viewers of Monday Night Football - �Are you ready for some football?' Those simple words have won Williams, Jr. an entirely new generation of fans and given him the distinction of being the first country performer to ever win an Emmy.
The Rowdy Frynds Tour Dates:
April 11 - Huntsville, AL @ VBCC Arena - on sale Feb 10
April 13 - Tampa, FL @ St Petersburg Times Forum - on sale Feb 17
April 20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse - on sale Feb 10
April 21 - Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center - on sale Feb 17
April 27 - Baltimore, MD @ First Mariner Arena - on sale Feb 10
April 28 - Raleigh, NC @ RBC Center - on sale Feb 17
May 4 - Nashville, TN @ GEC - on sale Feb 10
May 5 - Charleston, WV @ Charleston Civic Center - on sale March 3
May 11 - Dayton, OH @ Nutter Center - on sale March 3
May 12 - Auburn Hill, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills - on sale March 3
May 18 - Sioux City, IA @ Tyson Events Center Gateway Arena - on sale March 24
May 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center - on sale Feb 17
May 25 - TBD
May 26 - Orange Beach, FL @ The Wharf Amphitheater - on sale March 24
June 1 - Atlanta, GA @ The Arena at Gwinnett Center - on sale March 10
June 2 - Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center - on sale April 7
June 8 - University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center - on sale March 23
June 9 - Albany, NY @ Times Union Center - on sale April 7
June 15 - Louisville, KY @ Freedom Hall - on sale March 16
June 16 - St. Charles, MO @ Family Arena - on sale March 16
