BlackHawk Premiere ‘Brothers of the Southland’

BlackHawk have premiered their latest single, 'Brothers of the Southland.'

The song is the title track off the band's upcoming album, the first studio release from the duo, Henry Paul and Dave Robbins, in 12 years.

The single was meant to “pay respects to a collection of people that were large in my life, like the Marshall Tucker Band and Ronnie Van Zant," Paul says. "I talk about Ronnie’s ‘angel’s voice and devil’s smile,’ contrasting the mischievous and highly principled parts of his personality. And while I didn’t know Duane Allman, we certainly grew up revering him and losing him and Barry Oakley from the Allman Brothers was tragic. The song pulls from my childhood, too, with Southern imagery like gospel tents.”

The track includes help from Lynyrd Skynyrd's original guitarist Ed King, original Outlaws drummer Monte Yoho, current Outlaws guitarist Chris Anderson and Paul Riddle, the original drummer for the Marshall Tucker Band.

“We’re not just paying homage to a genre of music or a geographical topic," Robbins says. "When Henry sings about the guys from Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers and the Marshall Tucker Band, he’s talking about people he worked with and grew up with."

For fans of the band's work from the '90s, the album will also include three unearthed demos recorded by Paul and Robbins with fellow BlackHawk co-founder Van Stephenson.

"It’s the three of us playing and singing live, with an acoustic guitar, mandolin and a piano and not a bunch of edits," Robbins says. "We're so excited to be able to include Van's amazing voice on these songs. It makes the album that much more special.”

The single is available on Amazon now. The entire 'Brothers of the Southland' album will be available for purchase on July 8.