ALBEMARLE, N.C. — As The Outlaws roll across America, they bring almost 40 years of rock ‘n’ roll with them.

One of the founding members of the Florida-based band took time out from a busy U.S. tour to talk about a life of music on Wednesday.

Hughie Thomasson, lead guitarist and band leader, says it’s wonderful to be back on the road with several other founding members of the band.

“It feels great - we’ve always toured even though there was a time when we didn’t make records. It feels good and the crowds have been great,” Thomasson, 53, said.

The band’s line-up has changed over the years. Some members left to pursue solo careers or other musical opportunities, others were asked to leave “for not doing what they were supposed to be doing,” he said.

“You know, I’d like to keep things the same, but those things happen. The band’s better for it,” he said.

In 1996, Thomasson himself left the band to play with another group of legendary southern rockers - Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“I was asked to sit in with them for a short time and ended up staying nine years. It was a natural thing to do, it was like family,” he said.

Still, that yearning to play The Outlaws music haunted him and finally he had to get the band back together.

After all, The Outlaws have sold an estimated 20 million albums and CDs worldwide in the 30 “official” years the band's been together. Thomasson said the last industry count, about 10 years ago, placed sales at more than 10 million albums.

“We’ve been very fortunate over the years. The albums continue to sell,” he said.

Southern rock - the genre that was mainstream between the psychedelia of the ’60s and early ’70s and the disco boom of the late-’70s and ’80s - has seen a real resurgence in the last few years. The Allman Brothers are playing major venues, Lynyrd Skynyrd is constantly touring and North Carolina’s own Charlie Daniels concerts sell out regularly.

“I saw it when I was with Skynyrd. There’s a new generation of fans. Moms and dads bringing their children and sometimes their moms and dads. Three generations. We’re seeing that at Outlaws shows, too. Parents are bringing their kids who grew up listening to the music. You see them singing along. It makes you feel a bit old but it’s great.”

Like many classic rock groups, the global market continues to make The Outlaws popular. Europe is a hotbed of southern rock, he said, and the band will probably head overseas after this U.S. tour.

The band’s music hasn’t stayed static, he said, it’s always changing but always The Outlaws keep their signature sound - three wailing electric guitars. That sound will be featured on the band’s soon-to-be finished release, “Full Circle.”

After this leg of the tour, he said, The Outlaws will return to the recording studio to finish off the release. It should be on the market sometime in late summer, he said.

Fans can go to the band’s Web Site to hear some of it right now.

Eleven years ago, the band lost two of its members - Billy Jones and Frank O’Keefe - weeks apart.

“We miss them dearly,” Thomasson said.

Life was different in the ’70s - drugs and alcohol were part of the scene.

“It took some a little longer to figure that out. We stopped those bad habits and everybody’s a lot happier for it. You can’t afford to do it today - you have to be at the top of your game when you step on stage,” he said.

The band just added guitarist Rick Tool, formerly of the Jacksonville rock group DDT.

Today, Thomasson is a grandfather who, when he has a chance, parades his granddaughter, Lauren, on stage.

The Outlaws will continue to tour for the rest of the year, possibly pairing up with another southern rock legend such as Marshall Tucker Band or country hero like Toby Keith.

“I really like to see something like a Southern-palooza tour,” he said.

It’s been a long trip for Thomasson, who had his first paying gig at age 9 and joined with future Outlaws bandmate, David Dix, at 12 to form Dave & the Diamonds, then The Four Letter Words and The Rogues before starting The Outlaws.

It’s a road, Thomasson said, that will continue for years to come.



Joel Barrett writes for the Stanly News and Press in Albemarle, N.C.