Freddie Salem, who played guitar and sang for The Outlaws in the late 1970s and ’80s, has died of cancer. He was 70.
The news was announced on the Facebook page of his current project, Freddie Salem & Lonewolf, but it did not provide a date of death. “This morning, the heavens parted for the arrival of a legend,” the post reads. “Rock on high, Freddie Salem. Until we meet again.”
The Outlaws paid tribute to Salem on its Facebook page, writing, “Freddie passed from complications due to cancer and will be remembered for his outgoing personality and passion for music.”
Salem replaced original Outlaws guitarist Henry Paul in 1977 and continued the group’s signature three-guitar attack. Playing his usual Les Paul, he made his debut on the band’s 1978 live double album Bring It Back Alive (aka Bring ‘Em Back Alive). It features one track he wrote (“”I Hope You Don’t Mind”) and closes with an epic 20-minute version of the band’s signature song “Green Grass and High Tides.” The disc made the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 and went gold.
The Outlaws toured with The Rolling Stones on the Some Girls tour in 1978, backing opening act Peter Tosh.
“[Bandmates] Billy [Jones] and Hughie [Thomasson] wanted to take it to the next step musically and direction of the group on all fronts including the live performances,” he said in a 2013 interview with the webzine Road to Jacksonville. “It all seemed to click upon my arrival.”
Salem went on to play on the Tampa, FL-based band’s next four studio LPs: Playin’ to Win (1978), In the Eye of the Storm (1979), Ghost Riders (1980) and Los Hombres Malo (1982). All charted in the top third of the tally, with Ghost Riders climbing to No. 25 and going gold, fueled by their cover of “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” The single hit No. 15 Billboard’s the Mainstream Rock Chart and just missed the pop Top 30, becoming the Outlaws’ highest-charting pop single.
The group also is known for its pre-Salem tracks “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Hurry Sundown” and “Stick Around for Rock & Roll.” The Outlaws rode the Southern rock wave fueled by The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The group helped fellow Florida band Molly Hatchet get its start, frequently giving that future “Flirtin’ with Disaster” band an opening slot at its shows.
Salem penned a number of Outlaws tracks including “White Horses,” “Long Gone,” “Devil’s Road” and “Don’t Stop.” He left the group in 1983, after the band was dropped by Arista Records.
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Born on May 15, 1954, in Akron, Ohio, Salem started as a drummer before switching to guitar at 15, influenced by British invasion rock and American roots music. He joined The Chambers Brothers Band as a teenager in 1973 and recorded and toured with the “Time Has Come Today” group for about 18 months.
During his stint with The Outlaws, he recorded the solo album Cat Dance. He went on to record two albums with The Godz in the mid-1980s and had a long career as a session guitarist and producer.
