Southern rock legends The Outlaws play at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on June 3
From a press release:
For The Outlaws, it was always about the music. For 40 years, the Southern rock legends celebrated triumphs, endured tragedies, and survived legal nightmares to remain one of the most influential and best-loved bands of the genre. Now, The Outlaws will be performing at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Friday, June 3 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $23 in advance or $28 the day of the show, are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak box office (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe), and Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Penn’s Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.
“It’s About Pride” is the group’s latest album, a record four years in the making and perhaps 20 or more in the waiting. And for original Outlaws singer/songwriter/guitarist Henry Paul, it’s a hard-fought revival whose success can be measured in old fans and new music.
“Because The Outlaws have been out of the public eye for so long, it’s almost like starting over,” he explains. “But because of the band’s history, we’re seeing this as a new chapter. We’ve written and recorded this album on our own terms, and we’re out to make a significant impression. What our fans loved then they still love now, because we are just as good or even better than we were. Most of all, they recognize the heart of what it is we still do.”
For co-founding drummer/songwriter Monte Yoho, the journey is both bittersweet and jubilant. “I still think about the friends we made when we first came into this industry, how we struggled to define this thing that became known as ‘Southern rock,’” Yoho says. “This new album embodies all the things we shared musically and personally, as well as the relationships we have with our fans to this day. It’s about where we’ve been, where we’re going, and why we still love to do this.”
Formed in Tampa in 1972, The Outlaws – known for their triple-guitar attack and three-part country harmonies – became one of the first acts signed by Clive Davis (at the urging of Ronnie Van Zant) to his then-fledgling Arista Records. The band’s first three albums, “The Outlaws,” “Lady in Waiting,” and “Hurry Sundown” – featuring such rock radio favorites as “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Green Grass and High Tides,” “Knoxville Girl,” and “Freeborn Man” – would become worldwide gold and platinum landmarks of the Southern rock era.
Known as the “Florida Guitar Army” by their fans, The Outlaws earned a formidable reputation as an incendiary live act touring with friends The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and The Charlie Daniels Band, as well as The Doobie Brothers, The Who, Eagles, and The Rolling Stones.
Henry Paul left after the group’s third album to form The Henry Paul Band for Atlantic Records and, later, the multi-platinum country trio Blackhawk. Over the next 20+ years, The Outlaws would experience rampant personnel changes, tonal missteps, ill-fated reunions, and bitter trademark battles that left fans – not to mention Paul and Yoho – frustrated and saddened. And with the tragic deaths of co-founding members Frank O’Keefe and Billy Jones in 1995, and especially songwriter/vocalist/lead guitarist Hughie Thomasson in 2007, it was feared that The Outlaws’ trail had come to an end.
But now, The Outlaws are headed back on the road, back on the radio, and back into the hearts of fans nationwide. “I’m seeing this thing we’ve had for four decades be exposed to whole new audiences,” Yoho says. “We’re having a second life as a band, and it feels better than ever. Best of all, I’m still doing it with some of the same people I’ve known for most of my life.”
“I want people to hear this album and see our show and realize that The Outlaws are back,” says Paul. “Our goal is to unite the fans and bring the band back into the light. In a way, this is like a second chance at my first love. It’s about finishing what we started.”
For Henry, Monte, Billy, Chris, Dave and Randy, it’s about a band of brothers who love playing their own style of rock, and who, 40 years ago, first got the chance to take it from Florida to the world.
For The Outlaws, it’s still about the music. And now, more than ever, it’s about pride.
