Outlaws -

The Outlaws were an American hard-rock band from Tampa that formed during the late 1960s and reached their first peak with the Arista albums Outlaws, Lady in Waiting, Hurry Sundown, Playin’ to Win, In the Eye of the Storm, Ghost Riders, and Los Hombres Malo. That first run also produced the 1978 live double-LP Bring It Back Alive, which captured the band’s three-guitar stage lineup and yielded their biggest album certification.

Guitarists Hughie Thomasson, Henry Paul, Billy Jones, and later Freddie Salem drove the catalog through a mix of dual-lead passages, close vocal harmonies, and long live guitar features. A later regrouping brought Paul back for Soldiers of Fortune in 1986 and extended the band’s history beyond the original Arista years.

Members: Hughie Thomasson (vocals, guitar, banjo, 1967-96), David Dix (drums, percussion, 1967-70, 1977-87), Frank O’Keefe (bass, guitar, vocals, 1967-76), Monte Yoho (drums, 1969-79), Billy Jones (guitar, keyboards, vocals, 1970-81), Henry Paul (vocals, guitar, 1972-77, 1983-86), Harvey Dalton Arnold (bass, 1976-80), Freddie Salem (guitar, 1977-83), Rick Cua (bass, 1980-83), Mike Duke (keyboards, vocals, 1980-81), Bob Jenkins (guitar, vocals, 1983), Steve Grisham (guitar, vocals, 1983-86), Chuck Glass (bass, keyboards, vocals, 1983-87), Chris Anderson (guitar, vocals, 1986-89)

Background

Outlaws evolved from The Four Letter Words, a Tampa garage band formed in 1967 by guitarist–singer Hughie Thomasson. Bassist Frank O’Keefe soon entered the fold. Monte Yoho also passed through the band during that first phase, which included unreleased studio attempts in New York and Miami before the original version stalled.

A new path opened in 1971 when Henry Paul returned to the Tampa area after time in Greenwich Village and formed Sienna with O’Keefe and Yoho. Thomasson rejoined that circle in 1972 after a short New York stretch backing folksinger Milton Carroll, and Sienna then became the reborn Outlaws. Billy Jones, who had already jammed with the band on organ, came back from Colorado in 1973, shifted to lead guitar, and fixed the five-man lineup of Thomasson, Paul, Jones, O’Keefe, and Yoho that carried the band to its first contract.

Manager Charlie Brusco entered during 1974, and Alan Walden soon joined after Ronnie Van Zant tipped him to the band. That management push moved the Outlaws from a strong Florida club draw to an Arista deal under Clive Davis and set up the sessions for their first album.

Outlaws

Outlaws released their self-titled debut album in July 1975 on Arista.

The album sets bright three-guitar interplay against stacked vocal harmony and clear rhythmic drive. “There Goes Another Love Song” opens with buoyant harmonies, brisk guitar figures, and a loose rhythmic lift. “Song in the Breeze” leans on open strum patterns, high harmony, and a lighter sweep. “Knoxville Girl” asserts sharper twang and harder rhythmic kick. “Cry No More” rides a brighter charge and breaks wide for a blazing lead run.

“Song for You” layers guitars across several lines and places the vocal blend over a broader melodic span. “It Follows From Your Heart” lowers the pace and centers the arrangement on tender phrasing and sustained guitar tone. “Stay With Me” carries the harmony focus through a gentler sway. “Green Grass and High Tides” closes the album with a tight rhythmic build, a stronger vocal rise, and an extended succession of guitar passages that turns the final stretch into a long instrumental ascent.

A1. “There Goes Another Love Song” (3:04) — Thomasson, Yoho
A2. “Song for You” (3:34) — Thomasson
A3. “Song in the Breeze” (3:07) — Paul
A4. “It Follows from Your Heart” (5:22) — Jones
A5. “Cry No More” (4:21) — Jones

B1. “Waterhole” (2:06) — Outlaws
B2. “Stay With Me” (3:32) — Paul
B3. “Keep Prayin’” (2:46) — O’Keefe
B4. “Knoxville Girl” (3:32) — Paul
B5. “Green Grass and High Tides” (9:46) — Thomasson

Outlaws recorded Outlaws at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles during March 1975 with producer Paul A. Rothchild.

Arista issued “There Goes Another Love Song” as a single in August 1975 (b/w “Keep Prayin’”). The song reached No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Outlaws reached No. 13 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Lady in Waiting

Outlaws released their second album, Lady in Waiting, in March 1976 on Arista.

Lady in Waiting leans on close three-part harmony, bright acoustic strum, and intertwined lead-guitar lines. “Breaker Breaker” opens with blended voices, clear acoustic tone, and crisp guitar ornament. “South Carolina” settles into an easy sway and lets Hughie Thomasson thread nimble picking lines through the vocal blend. “Ain’t So Bad” lowers the pulse and gives the album one of its more tender centers.

“Freeborn Man” tightens the beat and pushes the band into a quicker run, with Billy Jones placing a measured solo at the center. “Girl From Ohio” keeps the lighter gait and a relaxed back-road lilt. “Prisoner” draws the texture inward and lets Billy Jones carry the song with warm phrasing and an intimate vocal center. “Stick Around For Rock & Roll” closes with a longer rise, a broader dynamic spread, and a surging final stretch built from layered guitars and stage-ready momentum.

A1. “Breaker-Breaker” (2:59) — Thomasson
A2. “South Carolina” (3:05) — Paul
A3. “Ain’t So Bad” (3:48) — Jones
A4. “Freeborn Man” (4:51) — Keith Allison, Mark Lindsay
A5. “Girl from Ohio” (5:02) — Paul

B1. “Lover Boy” (3:58) — Thomasson
B2. “Just for You” (3:17) — Thomasson
B3. “Prisoner” (3:58) — Jones
B4. “Stick Around for Rock & Roll” (6:35) — Thomasson

Outlaws recorded Lady in Waiting at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami during December 1975 and January 1976 with producer Paul Rothchild.

Arista issued “Breaker-Breaker” as a single (b/w “South Carolina”). It reached No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Lady in Waiting reached No. 36 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Hurry Sundown

Outlaws released their third album, Hurry Sundown, in May 1977 on Arista.

Hurry Sundown tightens the Outlaws’ three-guitar weave into shorter forms shaped by close harmony, crisp picking, and a warmer country pull. “Gunsmoke” opens with a hard-riding rush, a pistol-shot pulse, and quick guitar crossfire. “Hearin’ My Heart Talkin’” eases the pressure and leans on a lighter country lilt. “So Afraid” turns that same lilt into a leaner picking figure and a narrower vocal frame.

“Holiday” rides an easy cruise, then lets the closing lead work flare across the tail. “Hurry Sundown” packs the album’s central design into a taut four-minute run, with stacked voices over a firmer stride. “Cold and Lonesome” threads bent guitar lines and cowbell through one of the set’s richest harmony beds. “Night Wines” settles into a slower drawl and a softer vocal blend. “Man of the Hour” closes the sequence with a broader arc, a laid-back gait, and a long-form finish built from intertwined guitars.

New bassist Harvey Dalton Arnold changes the vocal and writing balance. Hughie Thomasson also adds banjo on “So Afraid,” and Joe Vitale contributes ARP synthesizer and strings.

A1. “Gunsmoke” (4:18) — Paul, Yoho
A2. “Hearin’ My Heart Talkin’” (4:11) — Tim Martin, Walter Meskell
A3. “So Afraid” (3:17) — Arnold
A4. “Holiday” (4:02) — Jones
A5. “Hurry Sundown” (4:05) — Thomasson

B1. “Cold and Lonesome” (3:19) — Arnold
B2. “Night Wines” (4:50) — Jones
B3. “Heavenly Blues” (3:47) — Paul
B4. “Man of the Hour” (6:12) — Jones, Thomasson

Outlaws recorded Hurry Sundown at Criteria Sound with co-producers and engineers Ed Mashal and Bill Szymczyk.

Arista issued “Hurry Sundown” as a 7-inch single in 1977 in mono and stereo promo form. Hurry Sundown reached No. 51 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Bring It Back Alive

In February 1978, Outlaws released Bring It Back Alive, a live double-album culled from their autumn 1977 tour.

Outlaws released the live album Bring It Back Alive in February 1978 on Arista. It arrived as a double LP drawn from performances recorded between September 9 and November 13, 1977.

The live set hardens the band’s stage attack and gives the guitars wider room than the studio records. New guitarist Freddie Salem enters the front line after Henry Paul’s exit, and drummer-percussionist David Dix joins Monte Yoho in the rhythm section. The sequencing pulls material from all three studio albums, adds one new Salem song, and ends with an expanded 20-minute reading of “Green Grass and High Tides.”

A1. “Intro [Relay Breakdown]” (1:06) [live intro unique to this set]
A2. “Stick Around for Rock & Roll” (9:10) [from Lady in Waiting]
A3. “Lover Boy” (4:11) [from Lady in Waiting]

B1. “There Goes Another Love Song” (4:19) [from Outlaws]
B2. “Freeborn Man” (5:48) [from Lady in Waiting; cover]
B3. “Prisoner” (7:17) [from Lady in Waiting]

C1. “I Hope You Don’t Mind” (5:31) [live-only Salem composition at the time]
C2. “Song for You” (4:01) [from Outlaws]
C3. “Cold and Lonesome” (3:43) [from Hurry Sundown]

D1. “Holiday” (4:49) [from Hurry Sundown]
D2. “Hurry Sundown” (4:15) [from Hurry Sundown]
D3. “Green Grass and High Tides” (20:41) [from Outlaws]

Outlaws recorded Bring It Back Alive on the road with producers Allan Blazek and Bill Szymczyk. Allan Blazek mixed the album, Ross Alexander, Alex Clark, Joseph Foglia, Kelly Kotera, Rick Sanchez, and Peter Yanos handled the live engineering, and Eric Schilling assisted.

Ron Kellum handled the art direction and design, and John Barrett supplied the special-effects photography. Early 8-track and cassette copies carried the mistaken title Bring ’Em Back Alive, even though the LP cover used the correct title.

Bring It Back Alive reached No. 29 on the U.S. pop albums chart, No. 46 in Canada, and later earned a U.S. gold certification.

Playin’ to Win

Outlaws released their fourth studio album, Playin’ to Win, in October 1978 on Arista.

Playin’ to Win presents a smoother studio finish and a firmer guitar attack, with shorter forms carrying more of the weight than extended workouts. “Take It Any Way You Want It” opens with a brisk pulse, tight riff pressure, and a straight-ahead drive. “Cry Some More” softens the surface, but clipped guitar figures keep a harder edge in the arrangement.

“You Are the Show” stretches into the album’s broadest span, shifting from slower passages to heavier surges through spacious guitars and stacked voices. “If Dreams Came True” lowers the tempo and leans on a reflective vocal center. “Falling Rain” carries the same quieter cast with a more inward pull. “Dirty City” closes the record with a compact riff, a tougher rhythmic push, and a sharper burst of momentum.

A1. “Take It Any Way You Want It” (3:15) — Jones, Thomasson
A2. “Cry Some More” (3:40) — Jones, Thomasson
A3. “You Are the Show” (4:56) — Thomasson
A4. “You Can Have It” (3:04) — Arnold
A5. “If Dreams Came True” (2:48) — Jones, Lange

B1. “A Real Good Feelin’” (4:30) — Jones
B2. “Love at First Sight” (2:45) — Thomasson
B3. “Falling Rain” (4:09) — Salem
B4. “Dirty City” (5:27) — Sutherland

Outlaws recorded Playin’ to Win at Studio One in Doraville, Ga., with producer and arranger Robert John “Mutt” Lange and engineer Rodney Mills. Lange worked in sequence on albums by the Boomtown Rats and City Boy.

Ron Kellum handled the art direction, Gerard Huerta and Ron Kellum handled the design, and John Barrett supplied the photography.

Arista issued “Take It Anyway You Want It” as a promotional 7-inch in 1978 in mono and stereo form. Playin’ to Win reached No. 60 on the U.S. pop albums chart and No. 65 in Canada.

In the Eye of the Storm

Outlaws released their fifth album, In the Eye of the Storm, in October 1979 on Arista. It was their last album with bassist Harvey Dalton Arnold.

Storm compresses the band into shorter forms and a cleaner mix. “Lights Are On (But Nobody’s Home)” opens without delay and heads straight for a compact attack. “Long Gone” drives the album’s hardest charge through a brisk pace, a dynamic riff, and a sharper guitar bite.

“Too Long Without Her” assumes a low-pressure vibe with prominent harmonies and a measured sway. “It’s All Right” follows with the same calmer touch and a smoother vocal blend. They cover the Elvis Costello song “Miracle Man,” a twangy overseas choice.

A1. “Lights Are On (But Nobody’s Home)” (3:29) — Darryl Rhoades
A2. “Long Gone” (4:30) — Freddie Salem
A3. “It’s All Right” (3:41) — Hughie Thomasson
A4. “Miracle Man” (3:46) — Costello; first appeared on the English singer’s 1977 debut My Aim Is True.
A5. “Comin’ Home” (4:09) — Billy Jones

B1. “Blueswater” (3:07) — Billy Jones
B2. “(Com’ On) Dance with Me” (2:39) — Arnold, Jones, Thomasson
B3. “Too Long Without Her” (4:54) — Thomasson
B4. “I’ll Be Leaving Soon” (4:43) — Jones

Outlaws recorded In the Eye of the Storm at Quadradial Cinema Recording Studios in North Miami, Fla., with producer Johnny Sandlin, engineer David Gottlieb, and mastering engineer George Marino.

In the Eye of the Storm reached No. 55 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Ghost Riders

Outlaws released their sixth album, Ghost Riders, on November 22, 1980, on Arista.

New bassist Rick Cua enters the lineup on Ghost Riders, and the record shifts the band toward a firmer hard-rock attack. The guitars stay at the front, but the songs rely less on loose country sway and more on heavier chord weight, direct rhythmic pull, and tighter vocal framing. Hughie Thomasson, Freddie Salem, Billy Jones, and Mike Duke divide the writing, and the album closes Jones’ studio run with the band.

“(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” turns the Stan Jones standard into a louder full-band charge. “White Horses” opens on acoustic guitar, then breaks into harder electric passages, while “Angels Hide” drives straight through as a tougher rocker. “Devil’s Road” pushes the album’s most forceful guitar attack, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” slows the motion and places steel-guitar color against the lost-love lyric, and “Wishing Wells” returns to a calmer vocal blend. “Freedom Walk” also opens on acoustic guitar before the band drives the song into a heavier close.

A1. “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” (5:52) — Stan Jones
A2. “White Horses” (3:53) — Salem
A3. “Angels Hide” (5:45) — Thomasson
A4. “Devil’s Road” (4:50) — Salem

B1. “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (4:21) — Nicholls
B2. “Wishing Wells” (3:35) — Thomasson
B3. “Sunshine” (5:38) — Duke, Jones
B4. “Freedom Walk” (5:45) — Jones

Outlaws recorded Ghost Riders at Mediasound in New York City, Bayshore Recording in Miami, and Record Plant in Los Angeles with producers Gary Lyons, Hughie Thomasson, and Billy Jones.

Arista issued “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” (b/w “Devil’s Road”) as a single in December 1980. The song reached No. 15 on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Ghost Riders reached No. 25 on the U.S. Pop Albums chart and No. 12 in Canada.

Los Hombres Malo

Outlaws released their seventh album, Los Hombres Malo, in March 1982 on Arista.

Billy Jones’ exit leaves the band with a two-guitar front on this record. The arrangements tighten into shorter forms, place keyboards higher in the mix, and lean on brisk chorus shapes, cleaner rhythm tracks, and a smoother studio finish than the prior albums. Freddie Salem, Hughie Thomasson, Rick Cua, and outside writers divide the songwriting across the set.

A1. “Don’t Stop” (5:03) — Salem
A2. “Foxtail Lilly” (4:32) — Thomasson
A3. “Rebel Girl” (4:27) — Peterik, Smith
A4. “Goodbye” (4:29) — Salem

B1. “Back from Eternity” (4:30) — Thomasson
B2. “Won’t Come Out of the Rain” (4:03) — Cua, Cua, DeRollo, Lyons
B3. “Running” (4:25) — Russo
B4. “Easy Does It” (3:32) — Cua, DeRollo
B5. “All Roads” (4:31) — Hagar, Peterik

Outlaws recorded Los Hombres Malo with producer Gary Lyons, engineers Gary Lyons and Pete Thea, assistant engineers Les Horn and Phil Bonanno, and mastering engineer George Marino.

Neal Pozner handled the art direction and design, and Bob Peak supplied the cover illustration. Los Hombres Malo reached No. 77 on the U.S. pop albums chart.

Soldiers of Fortune

Outlaws released their eighth album, Soldiers of Fortune, in September 1986 on Pasha. It was the first studio album to bring Henry Paul back into the band since Hurry Sundown.

A rebuilt lineup reshaped the band around a three-guitar front once again. Henry Paul returned alongside Hughie Thomasson, Steve Grisham entered on guitar, Chuck Glass handled bass and keyboards, and David Dix remained on drums and percussion. The songs lean toward tighter mid-’80s studio framing, with keyboards and programmed texture set closer to the surface than on the Arista records.

A1. “One Last Ride” (4:26) — Randy Bishop, Chuck Glass
A2. “Soldiers of Fortune” (3:32) — Randy Bishop, L.C. Cohen, Henry Paul, Hughie Thomasson, Alan Walden
A3. “The Night Cries” (4:36) — Randy Bishop, L.C. Cohen, Henry Paul, Hughie Thomasson
A4. “The Outlaw” (3:49) — Duane Evans, Steve Grisham, Henry Paul
A5. “Cold Harbor” (4:26) — Chuck Glass, Henry Paul

B1. “Whatcha Don’t Do” (3:50) — Hughie Thomasson, Henry Paul, John Townsend
B2. “Just the Way I Like It” (4:02) — Spencer Proffer, Billy Thorpe
B3. “Saved by the Bell” (3:56) — Randy Bishop, Jon Butcher
B4. “Lady Luck” (3:52) — Duane Evans, Steve Grisham, Henry Paul
B5. “Racin’ for the Red Light” (6:03) — Randy Bishop, Freddie Salem, Hughie Thomasson

Outlaws recorded Soldiers of Fortune with producer Randy Bishop, executive producer Spencer Proffer, and engineer Hanspeter Huber.

“One Last Ride” received a video push. Soldiers of Fortune reached No. 160 on the Billboard 200.

Discography: