It’s About Pride is the new album from The Outlaws, a record 4 years in the making and perhaps 20 or more in the waiting. And for original Outlaws vocalist/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, but most of all, they recognize the heart and sincerity we put in our music.” For co-founding drummer 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.”
History lesson: Formed in Tampa in 1972, The Outlaws – known for their triple-guitar rock 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 & 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 vocalist/lead guitarist Hughie Thomasson in 2007, it was feared that The Outlaws’ trail had come to an end.
“The Outlaws were the one area of my career where I had regrets,” admits Paul. “More importantly, I think it was the one area in my career where I thought I still have something to prove. I felt compelled to stick my neck out and take a chance of putting this band back together. I knew we would be judged, but I hoped we would be judged on our abilities.” Along with founding members Paul and Yoho, the band features several of Southern Rock’s most respected veterans: Lead guitarist and longtime Outlaw Chris Anderson is well known for his collaborations with artists that include Dickey Betts, Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams Jr., and Skynyrd. Co-lead guitarist Steve Grisham - who joined the band in mid-2013 following the medical leave of guitarist Billy Crain - is a former member of the Soldiers of Fortune era Outlaws, a noted songwriter whose tracks include The Henry Paul Band's Top 40 hit "Keepin' Our Love Alive", and a co-founder of the Southern Rock all-stars, Brothers of the Southland. Keyboardist/vocalist Dave Robbins is a co-founding member of Blackhawk and has written hit songs for artists that include Restless Heart, Kenny Rogers and Eric Clapton. Bassist/vocalist Randy Threet has performed with Pam Tillis, Trisha Yearwood and Blackhawk, and is familiar to TV audiences from USA Network’s ‘Nashville Star’. “From the very beginning, our band had a heart,” Monte Yoho says. “And a lot of people who come out and see this incarnation of the band respond to the exact same things we used to put on that stage in the ‘70s and ‘80s.”
On that stage, the band burns hotter than ever: “The Outlaws helped define Southern Rock for me and for generations of fans,” wrote music journalist Bill Robinson in June 2012 in The Huffington Post. “Seeing them onstage with The Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd or countless others was, for a long time, one of the best experiences I could have. And so it was again when I saw The Outlaws play recently.” The Outlaws’ live shows – more than 150 per year – are blazing 2+ hour tributes to the band’s rich history and fiery rebirth. Classic tracks and fan favorites from the first three albums – as well as The Henry Paul Band’s definitive “Grey Ghost” – share the spotlight with songs from the new disc that are already being embraced by audiences. “I think the new songs go back to those first three classic albums, when the band was proud of its influences from country, blues and jazz,” says Billy Crain. “Plus, Chris Anderson and I have honored and maybe even stepped up the legacy of the ‘guitar army’. Fans are coming away from shows feeling a part of the Outlaws experience.”
But it’s the new album – produced by Michael Bush and Henry Paul – that brings the experience home. The disc opens with “Tomorrow’s Another Night”, a scorching take on the band’s history complete with monster harmonies and a killer hook. “Hidin’ Out In Tennessee” delivers classic Outlaws country/bluegrass energy. “Born To Be Bad” is badass biker boogie and “Last Ghost Town” is kickass guitar rock. “Nothin’ Main About Main Street” is an affecting Springsteen/Seger style look at lost small-town life. “The Flame” – Hughie Thomasson’s nickname – is a potent tribute to the much-loved late Outlaw. Chris Anderson’s “Trail Of Tears” electrifies via bitter history, intense vocals and searing guitars. “Right Where I Belong”, “Alex’s Song” and “Trouble Rides A Fast Horse” could easily be lost tracks from any of the band’s first three albums. The disc’s closer, “So Long”, is a haunting re-recording of Henry’s 1979 classic. “It was the first song on the first Henry Paul Band album, and it’s the final song on this record,” explains Paul. “I wanted it to be a sort of coda to the new music, but I also want it to be a relevant part of the new Outlaws landscape. I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written, and I think we’ve done an admirable job of giving it a new personality.” But the new album’s true centerpiece is its title track, co-written by Henry Paul and Billy Crain. “It’s About Pride” is both tribute and testimony from a band that has lived it all, played it all, and returns to reclaim it all.
“I’m proud to be a part of something that started long ago,” Henry Paul sings reflectively, “a Southern band of brothers bound together by the road/They came from Florida, Georgia, Carolina and Tennessee/With old guitars, tattoos and scars, straight from the heart of Dixie/And our rebel pride.” From its towering chorus to its searing guitar-onslaught finale, “It’s About Pride” is a fierce first-person anthem to the genre, delivered with the poignancy and power of absolute survivors. “It’s a very emotional song,” Paul says. “Depending on my mood and the night, sometimes it’s all I can do to get the words out without crying. It summons up a lot of images of people who are no longer with us, of times we shared standing tall together for the first time. When I first wrote the end of the second verse – ‘The reason ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ means so much to me/Is it’s about pride’ – I knew that people would feel a lot of those same emotions. It’s about an accumulated experience of separation, loss and success.” Almost instantly, the song – and the entire album – is classic Southern Rock and classic Outlaws.
Right 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,” Monte 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 Henry 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, Chris, Steve, 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.
Official Website: The Outlaws The Outlaws: The Legacy of Hughie Thomasson
There are other artist with the same name:
2) The Outlaws were an English instrumental band that recorded in the early 1960s. Among their ranks were notable musicians such as Ritchie Blackmore, Chas Hodges, Mick Underwood, Bobby Graham and Hot Chocolate's Harvey Hinsley and others.
Their name was originally conceived by Joe Meek, who needed a backing group for Mike Berry's "Set Me Free" in 1960.After that recording, they continued being one of the house bands of his recording studio at 304 Holloway Road, London. As such, they were used for recordings, demos and auditions. Many of their songs were written by Meek and credited to his pseudonym, Robert Duke. They appeared as themselves in the 1963 British film, Live It Up!.
3) From their archived info page
"Here is some more information about The Outlaws. They're Djs you know...
The Outlaws did a radio show every Friday night on Kiss 100 which some people said was the best thing ever - landing somewhere between Soulwax / 2 Many DJs and Coldcut’s Solid Steel. They were also given big features in The Face and Mixmag, so they must be really good.
The Outlaws played at Glastonbury 2003, nailing Lost Vagueness on the Saturday afternoon. In 2004 they played the Dance Tent and rocked it once again. They also found time to party at Shambala and The Glade.
You should check them out if you haven't yet: The kids go wild everywhere from New York to Ibiza, on the whole it's pretty lush. In Bristol you should look for the Outlaws nights at Bristol's best venue, The Arc."
They released one full-length DJ mix CD, Too Many Fools Following Too Many Rules, in 2004, and two EPs, From Beyond & Why Does No One Make Records Like This, in 2005, all on Love Recordings. Discogs page
The line-up included Steve Redux, as noted in this press release
The Outlaws
The Outlaws Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been living the good life for so long...how long?
I've been fighting the good fight for so long...how long?
Now I'm an Outlaw!
I don't say I'm sorry anymore,
I don't give no damn 'bout what you want,
There's no lines to draw that I won't cross,
I'm an Outlaw!
Now I'm an Outlaw.
The Outlaws by The Outlaws is a song that explores the concept of attraction towards rebels and outlaws. The chorus repeats a question about why good girls are attracted to bad boys: "Rebels & Outlaws, wild ones you can't have, why do the good girls go for the bad?" The song suggests that their seductive power and ability to get whatever they want may be what draws people in, despite the danger involved. The lyrics talk about the singer's personal struggle: they know they should do better, but they can't resist the pull of danger and the thrill of being with someone who lives outside the rules.
The verses describe the ways in which rebels and outlaws can be irresistible, both in terms of their appearance ("motorcycle leather jacket lookin' at me") and their attitude ("the way they make it so damn hot"). The song hints at the idea that good girls might be drawn to bad boys because they see a way to rebel themselves and break the rules. In the end, the singer seems to acknowledge the risks of loving someone who is dangerous, but admits that they are willing to take the chance anyway.
Line by Line Meaning
Rebels & Outlaws
People who defy the norms and rules of society and live their own lives on their own terms.
Wild ones you can't have
These people are not easily tamed or controlled by others.
Why do the good girls
Why are the people who seem innocent and upstanding drawn to the dangerous and non-conforming types?
Go for the bad?
Why do people seem to be attracted to those who are deemed as rebellious or opposed to society's norms?
Why you gotta come around looking like that
Why do you have to be so tempting and irresistible to me?
How'm I gonna fight it when I can't hold back
How can I resist your allure when it's so powerful?
Bad reputation
Your actions and behavior are seen as unconventional, and sometimes even unacceptable by society's standards.
Everytime
You continue to have the same effect on me every time we interact.
Why you gotta go and get me all worked up
Why do you have to arouse such strong emotions and desires in me?
Don't you know you give me that addiction I love
You make me desire you so much that it feels like an addiction, but I enjoy it.
Know I know better
I am aware that what I am doing could be seen as wrong or risky.
But why even try
But I can't resist you, so why bother trying?
Downright seduction
Your behavior and actions are undeniably tempting and alluring to me.
Just can't get enough
I find myself constantly craving your presence and attention despite the risks involved.
Dangerous to love
Being involved with someone who is seen as a rebel or outlaw can be risky and result in negative consequences.
But we do it anyway
Despite the risks, we continue to be involved in each other's lives and indulge in our attraction to one another.
You know every girl wanna get a James Dean
Many women are drawn to the iconic and enigmatic persona of James Dean.
Motorcycle leather jacket lookin at me
The outfit and image of James Dean on his motorcycle is a desirable and attractive look for many.
Maybe it's the way they get whatever they want
Maybe the attraction to rebels and outlaws comes from their ability to get what they want by any means necessary.
Maybe it's the way they make it so damn hot
Perhaps the attraction also comes from their undeniable charm and sex appeal.
Feel like an angel
Despite the risks of being involved with a rebellious person, it can feel like a thrilling and euphoric experience.
With the devil inside
However, there is always a lurking danger and unpredictability with these types of people.
You can tell me that tell me that they'll be breakin my heart
People may warn me that you will only cause me pain and heartbreak.
But it's too good it's too good you know I never can stop
However, the pleasure and attraction I feel towards you is too strong to ignore.
And I know I should know better but I want what he's got tonight
I am aware of the risks and warnings, but I still want to indulge in my attraction to you at this moment.
You can tell me that tell me that I will take it too far
Others may warn me that I am risking too much by being involved with you.
But it's too good it's too good here in the back of my car
However, the thrill and passion of being with you in the moment is too good to resist.
And I know I should know better but we'll never get caught tonight
I am aware of the potential consequences, but in the moment, the risks are worth it.
Oh, we do it anyway
Despite all of the warnings and risks, we continue to indulge in our attraction to each other.
Oh, we do it anyway
Our desire for each other is stronger than any doubts or risks.
Oh, we do it anyway
We will continue to take risks and be involved with each other, despite the potential consequences.
We do it anyway
Our rebellious, non-conforming natures drive us to continue indulging in our attraction to each other, no matter what anyone else thinks or says.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind