By Conrad L. Stinnett
for the Journal Star

©2006 Conrad L. Stinnett  All rights reserved.

PEORIA - Veteran Southern rock band the Outlaws may not have a new album out at the moment, but that's not going to stop them from playing new songs at Saturday's Peoria Budweiser Grand Nationals Rally.

"We've got three new songs from our next album done and we've been trying them out on our audiences," said guitarist, singer and founding member Hughie Thomasson. "(Southern rock godfather) Charlie Daniels once advised us to try new songs out on our audiences before we recorded them, to see if they liked them. It was good advice."

Of course, the band will dip into their catalog and play such hits as "Hurry Sundown," "Green Grass and High Times," "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" when they headline the rally at Festival Park on the Peoria riverfront. Main stage entertainment begins at 6 p.m., and the bill also includes the Lisa Perry Project and the Led Zeppelin tribute ZOSO.

Founded in 1972, Florida's Outlaws released their self-titled debut in 1975. The band took elements from other Southern rock bands - the tight harmonies of the Eagles, the free-form feel of the Allman Brothers Band and the hard-rocking punch of Lynyrd Skynyrd - and incorporated them into their own unique sound.

Longtime Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk, who also produced the "Hurry Sundown" album, made a nonmusical contribution by coining the nickname that's long been associated with the Outlaws - "Guitar Army."

"He came into the studio one day, listened to us doing some guitar work and said, 'You guys like sound like a guitar army,' and it stuck with us," Thomasson said.

After a string of successful albums in the late '70s and early '80s, frequent line-up changes and a changing musical climate halted the band's hot streak, though they periodically continued to tour and release albums. Founding member Henry Paul resurfaced as a member of contemporary country group Blackhawk, while Thomasson spent a decade as part of the reformed Skynyrd.

The Outlaws reconvened last year to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of their first album and decided to keep going. The current roster consists of Thomasson, guitarist Chris Anderson, bassist Randy Threet and original drummers Monte Yoho and David Dix.

"I put the band on vacation in 1995 after I got a call to come and play with Skynyrd," Thomasson said. "I knew the original line-up of that band, and it was an honor to have been a part of what they do, but I'm also glad to be back playing with the Outlaws. It took a while to build up a head of steam, but we did and we're not going away."

While the Outlaws were originally firmly entrenched in the rock world (they frequently toured with acts like the Eagles and Foghat), their Southern rock sound helped inspire "New Country" artists like Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts and Brooks and Dunn. "Green Grass and High Times" was recently featured on Country Music Television as one of the Greatest Southern Rock Songs of all time.

Thomasson is pleased to have helped influence other musical genres, and he said he appreciates the country connection. Still, he believes the band continues to rock.

"There has always been a connection between Southern rock and country music," he said. "Southern rock may have gotten a bit more associated with country, but there are also country bands that rock a bit, as well. The Outlaws get played on country radio sometimes, but we also continue to get played on rock stations."

The band's reunion and current tour are but a part of their overall plan to try to return to national prominence. The next step is a new album.

"We're going back into the studio this fall to complete our next album. It will be called 'Full Circle,'" said Thomasson. "As a band, we really have come full circle and we're ready to move forward. We're back to our roots and glad to be there."

And a short follow-up:

"The band played a great set... even the new material is great!"

--Conrad Stinnett/The Peoria Journal Star--

This is a review of The Outlaws' performance at Moondance Jam on July 14th in Walker, Minnesota.

The review appeared on the www.classicrockrevisited.com web site and is reproduced with permission. Click HERE to read a complete review of all the bands that performed at Moondance Jam.

By Jeb Wright

The rain was gone for good and Day III looked like it was going to be a good one. The first national act on the main stage were the Outlaws led by guitar slinger Hughie Thomasson. The Outlaws were one of the first and most successful southern rock bands of the 1970's. For the last several years Thomasson had been a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. After dazzling audiences with Skynyrd classics, Hughie decided to resurrect his old band and get them back on the road.

The band opened the set with "There Goes Another Love Song" and the crowd could tell they were in for a treat. It is rare when the opening band gets called the strongest of the day but in this case it is true. What makes this accolade even more impressive is the fact that each of the other bands slated to take the stage that day put on a good show. The fact is, the Outlaws, much like The Guess Who from the first day, are a damn good band. "Ghost Riders in the Sky" was the band's most commercial number and it still sounded cool all these years down the road. The song that was best received, however, was the Outlaws answer to "Freebird," "Green Grass & High Tides." The instrumental section features awesome interplay between the rhythm section and the lead guitar player. The Outlaws are a band back on the road with something to prove. If this band comes anywhere near you then take if from us; get out there see them.