Former Outlaw Breaks Into New Territory : In BlackHawk Country, Southern Rocker Henry Paul Rises Again With Emphasis on Bluegrass and Pop

Henry Paul is fired up, and that’s understandable--it’s not every artist who gets a second lease on his musical life at age 44. But after putting in close to two decades of work with Southern-rock band the Outlaws, Paul has become one of the hottest new voices in country music as front man with his new group, BlackHawk.

In BlackHawk, which performs tonight at Incahoots in Fullerton, Paul is joined by the veteran songwriting team of Dave Robbins and Van Stephenson, who between them have penned hits for the likes of Restless Heart, Eric Clapton, Dan Seals and Poco.

The group’s debut album on Arista Records, “BlackHawk,” is heartfelt but commercial, contemporary but rooted in tradition, with tight, three-part harmonies, jangling guitars and mandolins coupled with enough big hooks to catch an ocean of country-music fans.

During a recent phone interview, Paul never seemed to tire of talking about the group’s music.

“We have a real keen understanding of what I consider to be the best elements of bluegrass music, but we have sensibilities about us that come from the pop music of the ‘70s and ‘80s,” he said.

“There’s a great deal of finesse behind what we do, but there’s power as well. There’s an edge, an attitude, that’s a very important part of what we are. But we don’t rely on the instrumentalists to carry us, like in the Outlaws. We rely more on the songs and the singers. With us, substance is paramount.

“Of course, the band is also augmented by commercial sensibilities. I’m not going to say we didn’t take that into consideration. We didn’t make this record to be oblique or bizarre; we made a record to connect. But in the process, we wrote some damn good songs. There’s a lot of songs on the record that are inside and a little dark.”

Paul grew up in Tampa, Fla., and was influenced by Flatt & Scruggs and Johnny Cash, who had syndicated country music television shows in the ‘60s.

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When the first country rock bands began to surface in the later part of that decade, Paul realized what he wanted to do with his own music.

“I had a goal of bringing country music into a pop arena,” he said. “In the Outlaws, I think we were very successful at doing that. We were all products of the Byrds-Buffalo Springfield-Poco sort of phenomenon, which was, I think, very influential on a lot of groups.”

After years on the road with the Outlaws, Paul felt it was time to settle into a less raucous, rock-oriented groove. In Robbins and Stephenson, he found a pair of kindred souls with whom he could work smoothly.

“I’ve been writing with those guys for a long time now; we’ve been like a team,” he said. “I dig Van and Dave. We always got along and became real good friends. I think (Arista) was looking at me as a solo act initially, but Van and Dave said, ‘Well, we’d like to do something, too,’ so we went ahead and gave it a try.”

Paul says BlackHawk’s music appeals especially to people who grew up with the country and Southern-styled rock that was popularized in the ‘70s by the Outlaws, the Marshall Tucker Band, the Eagles and the Allman Brothers Band.

“If you want to look at it as some sort of marketing tool, there’s a great deal of support for us because we’re not kids. We’re not an Osmonds kind of pinup deal,” he said. “We’ve made a record that really hits a nerve musically for a lot of people from our generation.”

Now that BlackHawk’s album has debuted in the Top 30 in Billboard’s country albums charts and its first single, “Goodbye Says It All,” has become an immediate hit on country radio, Paul has much to look forward to.

“This is a committed group, not a short-term project,” Paul said. “Our goal is to sell out some theaters, where 2,000 or 3,000 people come out to spend a night with BlackHawk and dig what it’s all about, song-wise and musically.”

* BlackHawk performs tonight at 9:30 p.m. at Incahoots, 1401 Lemon St., Fullerton. $6. (714) 441-1666.