“Ten Years Live" was the group's first album on Varrick. This release featured all original material— Marking the group’s 10-year anniversary, they played on New Year’s Eve 1981 at The Bayou in D.C. The show was broadcast over WAVA and hosted by well-known DJ Cerphe Colwell. The Bayou had been enlarged with a bigger stage and balcony, and The Nighthawks played three sets a night for four nights to celebrate the holiday season and their 10-year anniversary. They played the set of songs for months to make sure they had it right, and the recording features the middle of the three sets that night. The album was mixed at Virginia’s Bias Studios and released originally on the band’s own label, Chesapeake, it features some excellent musical performances and is a fine showcase of the band’s abilities after their first decade together. It was released in 1982.

One of the challenges to D.C. area radio airplay of this album was that radio station WHFS wouldn’t play it because of some bad feelings left over from Cerphe’s departure from that station. The album, the first for Varrick, was released in 1982..