Southern Rockers Reborn

WITH A NEWLY RELEASED ARCHIVAL CONCERT ALBUM, THE OUTLAWS RIDE AGAIN.

- LEE ZIMMERMAN

In the annals of Southern Rock — that particular genre defined as much by the grit, growl and sheer verbosity of its music as much as by its native origins — the Outlaws were destined to be a minor-league team for the most part, often overshadowed by A-players like The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special and Molly Hatchet. Nevertheless, they did manage to make an imprint on the mainstream market courtesy of a series of album rock standbys, “There Goes Another Love Song,” “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” and “Green Grass and High Tides,” as well as the fact they were the first signing to Clive Davis’ Arista Records label. Given Davis’ reputation as a credible hitmaker during his fabled ’60s tenure as president of Columbia Records, the band should have excelled to a greater degree. (According to legend, Davis first spied them opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and was subsequently told by the band’s Ronnie Van Zant, “If you don’t sign the Outlaws, you’re the dumbest music person I’ve ever met — and I know you’re not.”)

Indeed, as the band’s recently released Live at Rockpalast, a memento of an exceptional performance in Germany circa 1981, attests, any failing to achieve higher heights couldn’t be attributed to their lack of either energy or enthusiasm. Utilizing the prerequisite elements of their stated style of dual lead guitars and high harmonies, the lineup (vocalist/ guitarist Hughie Thomasson, guitarist/ vocalist Billy Jones, bassist Rick Cua, drummer David Dix, and later recruit, guitarist Freddie Salem) reflects a legacy initially established with the group’s three most essential albums: Outlaws (1975),