Since there’s really no blueprint for how and when bands should retire, many reunite multiple times following farewell tours. Others continue on with few, or in some cases, no original members. Quiet Riot, Foreigner, Yes and Lynyrd Skynyrd all fall under this category.
Skynyrd reunited in 1987 has been chugging along ever since, but with the death of guitarist Gary Rossington in 2023, the band has no original members left. The group’s current drummer, Michael Cartellone, addressed claims that the group is a merely a tribute band now. He doesn’t really mind the claim and understands if people feel that way.
“Sadly, people are going to pass away and replacements are unfortunately going to have to step in,” he told VRP Rocks. “ZZ Top, who we’re playing with tonight, they lost Dusty Hill their bass player. So now you have Frank Beard the drummer and Billy Gibbons the guitarist from the original band, but Dusty rest in peace is gone. But they are carrying on their legacy, they continue to play just as we did.”
He continued: “When I joined the band, about two years later, Leon Wilkerson passed away. But the band continued on and we brought in someone to play bass. And then another eight or nine years later, Billy Powell passed away, but the band continued on and we found a new piano player. And then last year, Gary passed away and we found another guitarist. But this only happened because the estates of all of the former original members wanted us to continue and wanted us to keep the music and these wonderful people alive.”
“I do not blame anyone out there that feels, ‘Well, that’s not the original band. That’s just a tribute band.’ That’s fine, they’re entitled to that. It’s the people that are coming out to still see us play who are loving the music and still appreciating the fact that we’re keeping the music alive. And I’m happy and I’m appreciative to them.”
Cartellone’s full response can be viewed below.
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