It’s been a while since we posted some Outlaws news, and from the looks of it, the cow chips have pretty much hit the fan since founding member and lead guitarist Hughie Thomasson passed away in 2007.

From what we understand, the touring “Outlaws” have apparently been ambushed by Thomasson’s family, who through the power of his estate, basically owns the band trademark and the material Thomasson recorded with the band shortly before his death. The finished product, a full album release, still hasn’t seen the light of day.

Why? Because push came to shove, resulting in this lawsuit threatening to leave the last two surviving vintage band members Henry Paul and Monte Yoho without any claim to the name they helped make famous. (If you form a band and long to break into the music business, be sure to read the complaint. Rule number one is: don’t mess with the T-shirts.) In any case, Paul and Yoho are continuing to take the Outlaws bull skull by the horns and tour in the spirit of the original Florida Guitar Army the fans have come to know and love.

Problem: how do you promote a finished Outlaws album without an Outlaws band? Solution: you go and get all the dudes you know who played with any of the core members at one time or another over the last 30 years and start your own Outlaws. You file suit. And you end up riding the last roundup.

So for now, who are THE Outlaws? The Old New Outlaws? The New Old Outlaws? The Henry Paul Band AKA the Outlaws? Or maybe the Ask Our Lawyers If We’re the Outlaws Outlaws? The Who Cares Outlaws? And what about Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings? Wait, that was a whole ‘nother Outlaws….

www.outlawsmusic.com