The Outlaws

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For the English instrumental band, see The Outlaws (UK band). For the rap group, see Tha Outlawz.

The Outlaws is also the title of a science fiction novel by Richard Gordon.

The Outlaws are a Southern rock band formed in Tampa, Florida in 1972. Their top two chart songs were "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Green Grass And High Tides", both from their 1975 self-titled debut album. Contemporaries of the band included Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Marshall Tucker and .38 Special.

1 Career
2 Album discography
3 Members
4 External link

[edit] Career

The most influential member of the band was Hughie Thomasson, whose signature voice and style of guitar playing were defining characteristics of the band's sound. Thomasson's guitar sound was characterized by the use of the Fender Stratocaster played in a quasi-country style mixed with fluid, often quick blues runs. His guitar sound would usually be complimented by other members, who would play contrasting Gibson Les Paul or other alternatives to Thommason's sound in a more straight rock/blues style.

The band was also clearly separated from other bands in the Southern Rock genre by its frequent use of multi-part harmonies. These were quite often heard in the catchy/melodic chorus portion of the band's material. "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Green Grass And High Tides" are excellent examples of such melodic and catchy harmonies. This band style, while certainly rock, was still much closer to pure country acts of the time (such as the Oak Ridge Boys) than bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hachet.^{[citation needed]} It was quite common for The Outlaws to utilize three part vocal harmonies (and sometimes even four parts), whereas other Southern Rock acts rarely went beyond two male sung parts.^{[citation needed]}

The records released between 1975 and 1980 are considered the most credible representation of the style the band developed. The band was seen on successful concert tours billed with other non-Southern Rock acts of the time. This contrasting of styles was more common at that time than the packaged tours by genre seen so often in current rock arenas (Ozzfest for example). This willingness of promoters to mix styles led to the Outlaws gaining a large nationwide following in the United States.

The albums released after 1980 are largely viewed by critics as a gradual move away from the orignal sound that gained them success in the 1970s. The reworking of the Western-styled "Ghost Riders" in 1980 was the band's last taste of big league success, although the band released two more records in 1982 and 1986. As the 1980s came to a close, Thommasson became the final original member of the act. Albums such as Diablo Canyon (1994) were now being released on smaller independent record labels that were essentially underwriting Thommason and his selected set of sidemen. The band was mostly confined to smaller club dates, compared to the larger arena shows of earlier times. This situation led to Thommason accepting the guitar position in the legendary, and by now much more popular, Lynyrd Skynyrd in the later 1990s. This fact essentilly sidelined the Outlaws for a decade, as Thommason's voice and guitar style were just too integral a part of the Outlaws' sound for the other members to successfully work without it. Interestingly, Thommason's signature Outlaw sound was largely underplayed in his role with Lynyrd Skynyrd due to his ability to modify his performance to fit that band's needs. This left a vacancy open for the band to reform at a later date.

As of 2006, the band has reunited to tour and plan to release a new studio album, Full Circle.