Harvey Dalton Arnold
Legendary southern rock musician Harvey Dalton Arnold has just released his second solo album titled ‘Stories To Live Up To.” In the 1970’s a new American rock music genre was created, rising up from the roots of blues, rock & roll and traditional music from the south. One of the bands involved in the early incubation period that helped establish “Southern Rock” was The Outlaws. This rockin’ 3 guitar axe attack group catapulted on the scene in the mid ‘70s and created southern rock anthem’s like: Green Grass and High Tides, There Goes Another Love Song, Ghost Riders in the Sky, Hurry Sundown, and many others.
Harvey Dalton Arnold is a North Carolina bred southern gentleman who took to the musical road in his teens. While playing bass for a band in Florida, he received an offer to audition for The Outlaws on a Saturday night. By the following Saturday, he already had a stadium gig under his belt opening for Johnny Winter and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He toured extensively and participated on classic albums with The Outlaws from 1976 through 1980. Always having a love for the blues, Harvey’s first solo release was a blues album. His brand new effort “Stories To Live Up To” on Music Maker Recordings is a collection of songs and stories that showcase his writing and influences. I recently spoke with him about the making of the album and his experiences with The Outlaws.
R.V.B. – Hello Harvey… how are you today?
H.D.A – I’m doing good… How are you today?
R.V.B. – Well I’m doing a lot better because I listened to your new album today and yesterday.
H.D.A. – Oh wonderful.
R.V.B. – I got to say it has a raw edge to it. I hear a little North Carolina and Texas in it with the finger picking style. It’s very nicely done. Did you come up with a handful of ideas and just go into the studio with them?
H.D.A. – I was approached about the album a couple of months before we did it. I just kinda pulled songs together. I had been primarily been playing blues. I thought I’d come up with some different ideas. Each song is different from each other. I did a little demo in my bathroom… with the recorder on my toilet.
R.V.B. – (Hahaha) Did you get a good sound in there?
H.D.A. – Oh Yeah! (Hahaha) That’s the echo chamber. I sent that up about a month before we did the recording… I recorded in Brooklyn.
R.V.B. – What brought you to Brooklyn?
H.D.A. – Well a friend of mine put the whole thing together… a fellow named Zak Alister. He lives in Manhattan and has a friend with a studio in Brooklyn. The last time I had been there is with the Outlaws in 1979. I was shocked with the city. Of course there’s a lot that’s the same but it looked a lot better and the vibe was great. I was really excited to be there. He brought in these killer musicians. They have some great credits.
R.V.B. – I saw a lot of big names on the press release… Keith Richards… Miles Davis… Paul Simon
H.D.A. – Charlie Drayton – the drummer – his grandfather was a bass player. His name was also Charlie Drayton. He played with Louie Jordon, Louie Armstrong and a bunch of other jazz greats. Charlie did Keith Richards solo stuff… Miles Davis… Dylan… he toured with Paul Simon. I didn’t know anything about that until I met them. The bass player Zev Katz… his credits are astounding as well. Rob Arthur helped on bass. I met them on a Friday and by Monday, we had it all done. We were in one room together and all nine songs are mostly live… very little isolation. They had just heard my little underwear demo. They asked me “What do you want?” I said “Whatever you feel.” They just lit up! I think they’re used to being in studios where people put sheet music in front of them. They’re really good at performing what people want. When I said whatever you want they just really opened up. They are both producers on their own. They had some great ideas. I’ve been doing the songs a certain way but that magic that happened in those three days was great.
R.V.B. – When you hear layering of tracks or you send the parts over the internet and have someone put their part on it from another area, it can sound sterile. This collection of songs does not sound that way. It comes out at you and you can tell you were interacting off each other.
H.D.A. – That’s great that you can feel that. Six out of the nine vocals were done live. When you’re doing it live everything is bleeding into the microphones so you can’t do a lot of overdubbing anyway. You tighten up your butt because you know if you mess up, you’re messing everybody up… then you have to start all over. Those guys were so good and they knew each other… that helped. The bass player had been working on the Carole King Broadway show. He had heard the tape and came in with sheet music. As soon as he figured out what was going on he just put them away. He gave them to me at the end. We became good friends. We were drinking a little Moonshine… getting in the spirit in all kinds of way.
R.V.B. – You must of brought that up with you from the south.
H.D.A. - I did. They were really interested in my slang. I would say “Let’s have a time today because we’re on the short rose.”
They were like “What do you mean… what are you saying?” It’s like when you’re plowing and you get toward the end, you can’t go the whole way. When you’re just about finished it’s called the short rose. I was asking them about the city. “What about this and what about that.” They were asking me about the south. It was a cultural summit!
R.V.B. – That’s a nice way to work together. A couple of asterisks that I put on songs that caught my attention were Track number 3… What’s On Your Mind. It appeared to me that it was an open G slide boogie… kind of Canned Heat feel. It had a beautiful guitar scat section.
H.D.A. – You’re right, it is open G. There’s two or three songs on there that are in open G. The feel just kind of came to me. The scat section I suspect… my daughter works for the Atlanta Braves and they have this Indian chant.
R.V.B. – I’ve heard it many times when they’re kicking the Mets ass.
H.D.A. – (Hahaha) it goes both ways. When I go to visit her, I’ve gone to a few games. I swear, I think that leaked into my brain. That’s sort of a little bit where that scat came from. The scat takes the song to a totally different place.
R.V.B. – I put another asterisk on track 6… Lone Outlaw. I like the story in the words. What’s behind this song?
H.D.A. – I wrote that a few years ago. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Outlaws?
R.V.B. – I grew up with them. I have many of their albums. I didn’t get to see them until recently. They performed locally at a festival here. You weren’t in the band at the time but my wife and I were taking back by the music. It’s timeless.
H.D.A. – Thank you. I have wonderful memories of Long Island. The Commack Arena and the Nassau Coliseum. I stayed at the round Holiday Inn there. I think Long Island was the only place that actually had an Outlaws fan club. I think they were the most rabid Outlaw fans. I remember WLIR. There are great fans up there.
R.V.B. – You touched a lot of lives. It was a time period where southern rock became an American music genre. You guys were a big part of it. How did you get involved with them?
H.D.A. – I am from North Carolina. I had left there to join a band in Florida. I had worked for them for a year. I was actually leaving them and a friend of mine named Wally Dentz said ‘This band – The Outlaws – just lost their bass player. They need somebody and they’ve asked me to do it but my band is about to get a record deal, so I told them about you.” I said “Who are the Outlaws?” I didn’t know anything about them. He said “Well they’re gonna come out and hear you. Let’s just take it from there.” They came and heard me on a Friday night. They wanted to audition me the next day. Wally pulled out their first two albums and showed me four or five songs that they did live. I stayed up all night learning these songs. I auditioned Saturday. They called me Sunday and offered me the gig. We started rehearsing Monday and Thursday we opened for Johnny Winter and Lynyrd Skynyrd in Birmingham, Alabama… at a minor league baseball stadium. I think it held 12,000 people. That is when I realized “Oh Shit!”
R.V.B. – You hit the big time.
H.D.A. – They got a little something going on. I had opened for Johnny Winter when I was 16 years old. It came full circle. A week before, I had been playing Skynyrd cover songs. It was quite a surreal experience.
R.V.B. – You were thrown into the fire quickly.
H.D.A. – It’s best it happened that way. It’s like not knowing those guys in the studio. I’d of been intimidated, nervous and probably shitting all over myself. It was a great… nearly five years I was with them. That song The Lone Outlaw came from a later period. I’m here in North Carolina and Hughie Thomasson had a band out and he passed through Raleigh. I went to see him and he was the only original guy. I came home and I got to thinking how tough that’s got to be - the places we’ve played – stadiums… coliseums... NBA venues… festivals… and now he’s playing clubs. The song starts out as an ode or tribute to him, being the “Lone Outlaw.” Riding along where he was once one of five. Wondering why he’s the only one alive. Then it kinda goes into a story. That was my inspiration for that song. It was out of respect.
R.V.B. – It’s a very touching tribute.
H.D.A. – Thanks Robert
R.V.B. – Another song that I have an asterisk on is Put Me Back. It’s an open G boogie. You had mentioned Johnny Winter and I hear influences of him in this song. Do you think that some of him comes through in your music?
H.D.A. – Oh by far! He was a big influence. I separated in 1998 and didn’t play guitar. I got a single wide mobile home on a 200 acre strawberry farm. One night I was smoking and drinking and picked up a guitar and did some reading about G tuning and how to slide. I went “Wow… I can actually express myself.” The people I knew and listened to who were like: Robert Johnson, Johnny Winter and Duane Allman. I started playing every day. Johnny was different. Like I said, I opened for him when I was 16. I did my first Outlaws gig with him and actually did a gig with him towards the end of his life… here in North Carolina. He was just real as rain and raw as a cob. I love that… just very honest.
R.V.B. - Those words remind me of the atmosphere of your new album.
H.D.A. – That’s a great compliment… thank you.
R.V.B. – I guess you were packaged with a lot of the popular southern rock bands at the time… Skynyrd, Tucker and the Allmans. What are some of the nice memories you may have had interacting with those guys?
H.D.A. – Well, especially in the beginning – I joined in 1976 – we were packaged with other southern rock bands on shows… Marshall Tucker, The Charlie Daniels Band and Grinderswitch. We’d tour together or play with Marshall Tucker one night and Charlie Daniels the next. One of my best memories is we were playing with Marshall Tucker. They’re from Spartanburg South Carolina and I’m from Eastern and Central North Carolina. I became good friends with them and felt really comfortable with them. I’d hang out with them as much as they would let me. With the Outlaws, Henry was from Upstate New York… Hughie from Virginia… Monte from Florida… it just felt like a little piece of home with Marshall Tucker. One night I was hanging out with them and passing the guitar around… there were probably 10 to 15 people in the room. It was just going on and on and on… drinking and having a good time and use your imagination. Somebody said “What time is it?” I said “It’s 10:30.” Somebody said “Pull the curtain back in the motel.” It was a bright day and 10:30AM and everybody scattered like barn rats.
R.V.B. – (Hahaha) I guess you were having a “real” good time.
H.D.A. – (Hahaha) We were having such a good time we had no clue.
R.V.B. – Do you have any good concert memories?
H.D.A. - The Outlaws opened once for the Beach Boys in Gainesville, Fl. We then boarded a Leer jet and headed to Mile High Stadium in Denver, CO where we were on the bill with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Heart. Then back to the airport and to the Omni, Atlanta, GA where that night we opened for Bad Company. That was quite an exhausting but exciting day I’ll never forget.
R.V.B. – How was the experience opening up for the Stones?
H.D.A. – It was awesome. They were not that accessible because of security. Peter Tosh was on that show. It was at Anaheim Stadium where the Angels played. I think Etta James, Sylvester Stallone, the LA radio station and other celebrities were there. It was like a Lakers game, anybody who is anybody was there. Donald “Duck” Dunn – who played with Booker T. and the MG’s - was there. He was one of the first bass players I ever listened to. The Booker T. stuff was so learnable. So here I am and hanging out and talking with Duck Dunn. He was very nice southern gentleman… from Memphis. It was just one of those great experiences. I remember the Stones were pretty out of tune but it didn’t seem to matter. To play on the stage knowing that they’re just about to come up and wipe my ass… and hope that people didn’t throw stuff at you. (Hahaha) They didn’t and it was a great, great show. It was a carnival type of atmosphere. It was pretty wild.
R.V.B. – I could just imagine. I just saw them for the first time last year. Once you see them perform, it’s an out of this world experience.
H.D.A. – It is! Even after all they’ve been through and the different changes, they’re just a damn good band. You got to appreciate that. They’re probably not that different from when they were 21 years old, as far as what they’re trying to do.
R.V.B. – How did you turn to the bass? Did you start off as a guitar player?
H.D.A. – I didn’t play guitar until 1998. I had a high school band. I had a friend who was a couple of years older than me. He went to Woodstock and turned me on to pot. I think I was playing keyboards. I sold them and then borrowed it back again. The guy I sold it to said “Excuse me but I need that keyboard that you sold me back!” My friend needed a bass player. He pulled out a right handed bass and re-strung it left handed. He taught me a few things and it just kept on from there. I was maybe 14 or 15. After the Outlaws – in the early ‘80s – we reformed again. We’re gigging to this day. Of course not now with the virus here but we have a band at the coast of North Carolina. I play down there a couple times a month with my old mates from 1969.
R.V.B. – That’s great that you guys were still able to do that. You said that you were into the blues and I noticed you squeezed one in there as the last track on the new album.
H.D.A. – Had to! I did an album with Music Maker… which is a whole different story. That’s the label I’m on. The first album I did was an acoustic album of all blues. That’s pretty much what I’m about. I’m nothing like Clapton but he always had to stick one on there. If that’s so much in your blood, you gotta leave a little blues droppings.
R.V.B. – It’s a nice way to finish up the album. It was an interesting arrangement of Catfish Blues.
H.D.A. – Thank you.
R.V.B. – What are some of your favorite studio tracks that you did with the Outlaws? Where did you record?
H.D.A. - My first record with The Outlaws was recorded at Bayshore Studios in Coconut Grove, FL. It was Bill Symczyk’s new studio where he had just completed his first recording “Hotel California” with The Eagles. I was terribly excited that Bill wanted to include 2 of my songs “Cold and Lonesome” and “So Afraid” on the Hurry Sundown album. I also am very fond of the title cut. My second Outlaws album was produced by Robert “Mutt” Lange titled “Playin to Win”. He was a very fun and involved producer, and recording “You Are the Show” was quite an experience. Mutt was like a 6th member of our band and would join us in the room during most of our recordings. The third album was our double live album “Bring It Back Alive” and was recorded in 4 locations: Chicago, Long Beach, San Diego and Miami. I won’t name the song but one on the album I broke a bass string near the end of the song. It was such a great performance by the band that the producer, Allan Blazek, asked me later to punch in the bass part. So I sat beside him at the console and he said “let’s run through it once for our levels”. I thought I was practicing but when finished he said “OK we’re done”. I love the energy on that album. Billy Jones song “Prisoner” is maybe my favorite Outlaws song and my favorite to play because of the freedom it allowed. My last Outlaws album was with Johnny Sandlin of Allman’s “Brothers and Sisters” fame. It was kind of fun doing an Elvis Costello tune “Miracle Man’. It was a great experience working with 4 different Producers and their styles.
R.V.B. – Congratulations on your new record. It flows nicely from start to finish. As you said, it does have a variety of rhythm styles. You mix it up pretty well. The songwriting is solid. I wish you a lot of luck with it. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me.
H.D.A. – Fantastic. Thank you very much Robert.
Interview conducted by Robert von Bernewitz
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