The Renaissance presents country music hit-makers BlackHawk and southern rock pioneers The Outlaws live in concert on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre.
This concert is part of the 2014-2015 Graham Automall Renaissance Season and the Avita Health System Concert Series. Prior to the concert the Renaissance is hosting the 4th Annual Beerfest, which features a wide range of specialty and craft beers, provided by Mansfield Distributing, and pizza from Gionino’s Pizzeria. Tickets are on sale for both the concert and the Beerfest at the Renaissance Box Office, 419-522-2726, and online at MansfieldTickets.com.
Along with BlackHawk’s founding members Henry Paul, Dave Robbins and Van Stephenson exploded onto the country music landscape in 1993 with their self-titled album and top 10 hit single “Goodbye Says It All.” Three more hit singles followed (“Every Once In A While,” “I Sure Can Smell The Rain” and “That’s Just About Right”), propelling the album to platinum status. They maintained that pace in the years that followed, scoring a dozen top ten hits, including two number ones, while selling more than seven million records.
Tragedy struck in 1999 when Van was diagnosed with melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. After a long and courageous fight, Van lost his battle in 2001. Henry and Dave honored his dying wish that BlackHawk continue to make great music and fight for a cure. They established the Van Stephenson Memorial Cancer Research Fund in his memory, donating the proceeds of their efforts to the Vanderbilt Cancer Research Center.
Over the course of their amazing career, BlackHawk’s songs have touched people young and old. Their unique musical character has been a catalyst in bringing non-country music fans to the genre. Twenty-one years after their arrival, BlackHawk’s legend grows.
For The Outlaws, it was always about the music. For 40 years, the Southern Rock legends celebrated triumphs, endured tragedies and survived legal nightmares to remain one of the most influential and best-loved bands of the genre. Now The Outlaws return with new music, new focus and an uncompromising new mission: It’s about a band of brothers bound together by history, harmony and the road. It’s about a group that respects its own legacy while refusing to be defined by its past. But most of all, it’s about pride.
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.
Join us before the BlackHawk and The Outlaws concert for a fun pre-show beer and pizza tasting, courtesy of Mansfield Distributing Co. and Gionino’s Pizzeria. This event will take place in the Ballroom of the Renaissance Theatre from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and will feature a wide range of specialty and craft beers and pizzas. Each guest will receive eight tasting tickets with their $20 ticket. Each ticket is good for one slice of pizza or one beer tasting. Extra tasting tickets can be purchased at the event for $1 each. All proceeds from Beerfest benefit the Renaissance Performing Arts Association.
BlackHawk and The Outlaws is presented by Shaw Ott Medical and Alumni Roofing and is supported by the Ohio Arts Council.
