The Outlaws play Altamont"Solid, old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll"

ALTAMONT – Chuck Smith remembers the first time he saw The Outlaws; it was in Tallahassee in the mid-1970s. "They just blew me away," he said.
The next day, he went out and bought an eight track of their music. "I have been a fan ever since," he said.

Smith is the tour manager for the well-known southern rock band, which hails from Tampa, Fla., and will be making its first appearance at the Altamont Fair on Aug. 15.
The music is "solid, old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll," said drummer Monte Yoho, who has been with the band since its inception in 1970.

The Outlaws each went their separate ways in the mid-1980s – guitarist Hughie Thomasson went on to play with Lynryd Skynyrd, Henry Paul formed the country band Blackhawk, David Dix played with various jazz bands around Tampa, and Yoho moved to Branson, Mo. and played on the Branson Belle showboat.
"We all left, but we all grew tremendously," Yoho said.

The group got back together for a reunion tour in 2005, and has been playing around the country ever since, Yoho said.

The band includes original members Yoho, Thomasson, and Dix, along with Chris Anderson on guitar, and Randy Threet on bass.

The Outlaws, or Florida Guitar Army, as they also refer to themselves, will rock the grandstand at this year’s Altamont Fair Wednesday night.
"We have been to Albany many times over the past two decades," Yoho told The Enterprise. "We love Albany," he said. "It’s always a beautiful place to stay."
"The music is known as guitar music," Yoho said of Florida Guitar Army, which came about in the band’s early days because of the "strong guitar playing in our music."
Yoho himself has been playing music since he was about 12 or 13, he said. "I think I got caught up in the British invasion," he said, adding that it may have been the sight of Ringo Starr that turned him on to the drums.

Soon after, he said, he started a small band with Thomasson.
Different incarnations of The Outlaws began as early as 1967, Yoho remembered. But, the band "as everyone knows it" formed in 1970, he said.
The Outlaws cut their first album in 1975, and seven more followed on the Arista label, Yoho said. Their latest album, Once an Outlaw, "is one of the best works we’ve done to date," Yoho said.
Though the group plays mostly original music, occasionally, Yoho said, "We’ll look outside" to find music that is well-suited for the band that everyone really likes.

"Extended family"

Smith joined the band’s crew in 1981 as a guitar-check stage manager, and was called back for the reunion tour in 2005, he said.
"We’ve remained friends the whole time," he said of the relationship he has with the band.

Smith has been in the music business since 1979, he said. He has worked with bands of varying genres: southern rock, folk, jazz, country, heavy metal, and R & B, he said.
The band, he said, "is family."
"We’re like brothers, and respectful of each other," Smith said. "It’s just an extended family on the road," he said. "Everybody knows each other’s wives and kids."
Everyone does his job, and does it well, Smith said. "There’s no separation; basically, everyone’s equal," he said.
"It’s hard out here, traveling around," Yoho admitted. When he spoke to The Enterprise, the band was in Chicago, preparing to play at a street festival.
"When you get on the stage, and the lights go on, and you see thousands of people, it changes your chemistry," Yoho said. "It’s that feeling that keeps us coming back," he said, adding the euphoria makes a 12-hour day of flying worthwhile.
"My road manager is my memory bank," Yoho said of Smith, as he struggled to remember the last time The Outlaws came to Albany for a festival last year.

The show was moved from an outdoor venue inside to the Palace Theater, Yoho remembered with aid from Smith.
"It was packed; it was awesome," Yoho recalled.

The band recently completed a volunteer jam tour with the Charlie Daniels Band, and the Marshall Tucker Band, Yoho said. "It was like old-home week," he said. "It was surreal to see everybody," he said, adding that The Outlaws had played with Charlie Daniels numerous times, but the two bands hadn’t played together in years. "Everyone was all grown up," he said with a laugh.
"Being a frustrated guitar player, I understand how good these guys are," Smith said. When asked how long he has been playing guitar, Smith responded, "I just play it; I’m not a player."
Smith said that, for him, seeing the audience respond to the music is one of the most rewarding parts of his job. "It’s always given me a thrill to see their excitement," he said.
Thomasson’s "style and fluidness" accented by Anderson’s guitar work, Smith said, is a "unique" aspect of The Outlaws.
"There’s nothing like a live performance," Smith said proudly.
"It’s a dream come true for me to be back with this band," said Yoho. "I’m very grateful," he said. "And I think I speak for everyone."