SongVault Artist Profile

On a cold winters day in 1976 a sixteen year old boy walked reluctantly into the A.R. Leak Funeral Home on Chicago’s South Side at the urging of his High School Band Director. The boy was sent there to pay his respects to one Chester A. Burnett, AKA…“Howling Wolf”. Well “The Wolf’s” musical spirit must have somehow touched that boy, because today that young man is a world-renowned musician, vocalist and the musical director for “Maze featuring Frankie Beverly”. His name is Larry Kimpel and the band that he helped to create is “Outlaw X”.

Founded in the summer of 2005, “Outlaw X” is an elixir of Blues, Southern Rock and Traditional Country mixed together to create a sound the guys call “Power Blues”. The resulting mix is one of the most infectious and genuine on the Roots Music Circuit today. In fact, if their music was to be made into a Hollywood Movie the perfect title for the film would be… “Robert Cray meets The Allman Brothers!”

The Band’s Line-up consists of:
Larry Kimpel / Chicago, Illinois - Bass and Lead Vocals, Herman Matthews / Houston, Texas – Drums Bill Steinway / Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Keyboards, Piano, Organ,
& Ricky “Z” Zahariades / Fontana, California - Guitars, Vocals

After years of helping artists like Tom Jones, Luis Miguel, Natalie Cole and Anita Baker sound the way they do to their audiences, it was simply time for the “Outlaw X” Sound to emerge. It’s a sound that flows deep from within the heart of the band and it infects each listener with a good sized dose of good old fashioned groovin’ happiness!

As to their live concert philosophy Lead Vocalist Larry Kimpel says… “After playing with so many major artists and watching them work and entertain, we wanted to bring that same type of entertainment value to the Roots Music Genre.” “Simply put, we have fun on stage!” “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and yet we bring first-class musicianship to the table every single night!” “The fans deserve only the best, and we feel that we bring that kind of a quality product to them!” With their debut CD “Out of the Box” ready to rise to the top of the charts, the music industry and fans alike are about to be treated to something truly special. But be careful…Cause’ once the sound of “Outlaw X” gets a hold on you… They’ll never let you go!