Henry Paul of The Outlaws discusses his career in guitars and music

Skynyrd. After seeing the van Lynyrd Skynyrd had, with ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd’ emblazoned on the side, and how proud they were of their heritage and town, I realized there was a certain renaissance going on in that region. It really had a profound influence. We signed with Clive Davis because of Ron [Van Zant]’s insistence.”

What was the genesis of your playing?

“Denny Johnson introduced dual guitars. He said, ‘I’ll play the blues, you play the country.’ In a moment, on stage, we began trading licks. We put out first together and it was all hers. Even people who haven’t heard of us know the song if they hear it.”

Do you still own your iconic red Gretsch Falcon?

“Of the five that were custom-made for me, that one was the most unique. It had bars on the neck for fingering, but had quite a complicated system of harmonics – double-stringing and dropping-tuning that reflected the Southern rock sound we had at the time.”

Paul ponders how far he’s come, since that Woody Guthrie influence felt within generations of Southern rockers. “He came from Dust Bowl Americana, which influenced Dylan and everyone else. That lineage has been preserved in [it]. The 74-year-old is ‘thrilled to play’ music as we approach 2026, adding “The Outlaws will do it as long as people want to hear it.”