England and Van Zant go to the Limits

One of them was Garth Brooks' college roommate before becoming his lead guitarist.

The other one grew up watching his cousins sculpt Lynyrd Skynyrd, arguably the quintessential southern rock band.

And both of them are doing just fine on their own, and they'll prove it next week when they get up on a Midland stage.

The Museum of the Southwest is set to kick off this year's Midland City Limits festival, its one-day concert fundraiser scheduled to begin at about 6 p.m. June 6 on the museum's grounds.

Now in its 11th year at the museum, this year's show offers a double dose of headliners who will try their darnedest to give local fans their fix of both country and rock 'n' roll when musician Ty England lights a tune torch that will be carried during a later show by southern rocker Jimmie Van Zant - cousin of Johnny and the late Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd fame.

"It's Jimmie Van Zant of the famous Van Zant family," Museum of the Southwest Executive Director Thomas Jones said. "If ‘Freebird' is proprietary for anybody, they can certainly do it. I think that's pretty exciting that they'll be doing ‘Freebird' right there on the grounds of the museum."

Of course that's not to say England isn't bringing his own ace in the hole.

His single, "Should Have Asked Her Faster," peaked at the No. 3 position on Billboard's country charts in 1995 after the release of his first album.

England also rose to stardom as Garth Brooks' lead guitarist during the height of the country music superstar's fame in the 1990s.

Brooks and England met when they were students at Oklahoma State University, quickly hit it off with music as their shared passion, and the duo eventually became roommates before England left school and returned home.

His old college buddy, however, called him one day and asked him to come to Nashville to play guitar for him.    

Of course, England's yester years and experiences with musical legends may strike a cord with Jimmie Van Zant, who grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., as the bright-eyed younger cousin of brothers Ronnie Van Zant - the Lynyrd Skynyrd front man who died in a plane crash in 1977 - and Donnie Van Zant, front man for the southern rock group .38 Special.

"I've just been fortunate to come up in a good family that had a big impact on the music business, and I just kind of followed suit with it," Jimmie Van Zant said.

"Of course, me and Johnny were considerably younger than Ronnie and Donnie," he continued. "We were just these 10- and 11-year-olds starting out as teenagers when they became Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special. We were just the little brats running around while they were playing music, and they'd thump us behind the ear and stuff like that."

This will be the first time for Jimmie Van Zant to co-headline a show with England and Van Zant said he looks forward to meeting him. 

"I've heard a lot of great things," he said. "I've heard a little bit of his music, and it's going to be a good opportunity."  

Jones said the festival has drawn crowds of about 800 people in the past and has been a fundraising-oriented event.

This year, he said, organizers hoped to draw another good crowd by bringing in both country and southern rock musicians.  

"We're hoping a lot of folks are going to come out for this year's concert because of the double headliners and the variety," Jones said.

And, Van Zant said, if nothing else, it's all for a noble cause - raising money for a museum that appeals to the young and old alike.

"There are a few places like that around the country," he said, "but I think we need a lot more of that for educational reasons and the arts and all that good stuff, so we're really excited about it and looking forward to a good show."

IF YOU GO
>> What: Midland City Limits with Jimmie Van Zant and Ty England.
>> Where: Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave., Midland.
>> When: Gates open at 6 p.m. June 6. England takes the stage at 7 p.m. Auction begins at 8:30. Van Zant begins playing at 9 p.m.
>> Tickets: $25.00 general admission in advance; $30 at the gate.