Beloved Rocker Rickey Medlocke

Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and vocalist Rickey Medlocke celebrated his 73rd Birthday yesterday, February 17, 2023.  Little did he know, birthday wishes were coming in from all over the world for him.  This article will share some of those greetings for the southern rocker known far and world wide. Read on for more about Rickey Medlocke celebrates birthday with wishes from all over the world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICKEY

BIRTHDAY WISHES FROM LS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM CLASSIC ROCK VIDEOS

ABOUT RICKEY

Rickey Medlocke was born on February 17, 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida and raised by his grandparents.  Rickey was always a natural born musician as he inherited some of his talent from his grandfather Shorty Medlocke.  His grandfather, Shorty Medlocke, was a well-known Delta blues musician and taught his grandson to play a miniature banjo. Medlocke started performing onstage at age three, and his musical abilities increased over the years. He began teaching himself to play guitar at age five and he was playing drums in Shorty’s band at age eight.

Over the next several years Medlocke mastered the banjo, guitar, drums, mandolin, dobro and keyboards. He had a melodic singing voice and had taught himself to sing and play guitar at the same time. After graduating high school, Medlocke formed his first band, Blackfoot, where he was lead vocalist and lead guitarist.  He was raised around music and it certainly is in his blood.  Medlocke is of Native American Heritage and is very proud of that Heritage.

BLACKFOOT and SKYNYRD

Rickey was in his late teens when he formed the band BLACKFOOT.   As lead vocalist and front man, the band was very successful and Rickey kept the band going releasing over 10 hard rocking albums.  During a brief time in his early career, Rickey left the Blackfoot band and toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd as a drummer from 1971 through the first half of 1973.  He and the band have always considered Rickey one of the original members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd. He then reformed BLACKFOOT where he remained until the mid 1990’s. While with Skynyrd in the early 1970’s he wrote and recorded with the band at the now famous Muscle Shoals Sessions. Rickey either co-wrote, played drums and sang lead on songs like: “One More Time”, “Preacher’s Daughter”, “Lend a Helpin’ Hand”, “Wino”, “White Dove”, “Comin’ Home”, “The Seasons”, “Ain’t Too Proud to Pray” and “You Run Around.”

One of Skynyrd’s Original Members

On occasion, Medlocke played alongside the band’s original drummer Bob Burns but came to desire the energy of a guitarist at the front of the stage. This resulted in his 1971 decision to reform Blackfoot. The band began touring and producing hit songs that included “Train Train“, which was written by his grandfather, and “Highway Song”, written by Rickey Medlocke and Blackfoot drummer Jakson Spires, amongst songs written by others. He disbanded the group in the early 1990s.

Medlocke thought about pursuing other careers until he received a phone call in 1996 from Gary Rossington.  Gary invited Rickey to rejoin Lynyrd Skynyrd as a lead guitarist and primary songwriter. Rossington asked Medlocke if he remembered how to play “Free Bird“, “Tuesday’s Gone“, and “Workin’ For MCA“, among others. Medlocke rejoined Skynyrd and has been a member since.

In 2008, Medlocke was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame. Do a Google search to see more Birthday wishes for Rickey Medlocke celebrates birthday with wishes from all over the world.

Watch the interview with Rickey on the JIM MASTERS SHOW where he talks about being an original on Lynyrd Skynyrd, a co-founder of Blackfoot and Surviving Covid. CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO!