Meet Army Vet & New Country Artist Houston Bernard
He may have an outlaw gunfighter in the family tree, but Houston Bernard’s country roots also include songwriters and musicians.
People often think his name is a made up stage name, but it is a family name that goes back several generations.
Houston is a veteran of the US Army and one of his dreams is to eventually play a USO tour.
He has shared the stage with Luke Bryan, Old dominion, Montgomery Gentry and Clint Black just to name a few.
Sue Bonzell
The Army vet with a very interesting family history and a new single out Houston. Bernard is here. How are you, Houston?
Houston Bernard
I’m great. I’m great. Thanks for asking. How are you doing?
Sue Bonzell
I am doing fantastic. I love the hat. It’s like it’s not like that’s kind of like on brand for you, right?
Houston Bernard
It is it is. And my father gave me his hat years ago and so I threw my music through everything I do. I try to represent my family and where it came from.
Sue Bonzell
Nice. Well, so I mentioned your family history. So there’s like a whole story about your family history. I want to hear I want to hear the story.
Houston Bernard
Sure, which story there’s there’s a few there’s,
Sue Bonzell
there’s many of them. The music, the Outlaw?
Houston Bernard
Sure. Well, I’ll tell you about my music history. My family. My father and my uncle played backing up bands like Tanya Tucker and Dave Dudley, Juana Jackson, people like that from Oklahoma for for many years and Rebo recorded one of my uncle songs. So there’s history with with that and then there’s history with my great great grandfather George bitter Creek Nukem who was a an outlaw, he’s well known outlaw he was in the Time Life gunfighters book. The Eagles did a whole album based on the wild budge called Desperado. And it was a themed album. It was about my great great grandfather and his his group of outlaws. So I don’t know all the details of what he did, but I’m gonna resent law, he’s probably breaking the law. So I
Sue Bonzell
probably did some bad stuff probably did some bad stuff.
Houston Bernard
I don’t know exactly what he did. But there was a $5,000 reward on his head. In fact, in 18, whatever it’s, that’s, that’s, that’s a lot of money.
Sue Bonzell
That’s a lot of that’s like millions now, right?
Houston Bernard
I don’t know, your kids probably pretty, pretty high. It’s out there.
Sue Bonzell
So that so it’s kind of cool. I mean, you’ve got a you know, an incredible musical history with your family. And then you know, then you got the outlaw thing going on, which is, you know, that’s always attractive and interesting. So with your music, tell us about this new song that you’ve got.
Houston Bernard
So, you know, I’ve been releasing songs for years, but this song is called hangover, and it’s just a fun kind of party song. But it really has to do with partying at home with a, you know, your special person. Usually. Kind of a one on one thing mid week. You know, you’re working on a hangover. You know, like Thursday night, Wednesday night, like, it’s not the weekend yet. But you know, we deserve it. Let’s, let’s have a little fun.
Sue Bonzell
And okay, I watched the music video for that. And that is so much fun. What a great video. How was that filming the video?
Houston Bernard
It was great. It was actually you know, I worked with people that I’ve known for years. And Willie, the the actual the guy that was a lead actor. He was one of the writers on the song. So I was like, Oh, you got to be this video, man. You got to be this video. Because he’s, he’s, you know, obviously he’s a good looking guy. He’s a funny guy. He’s very creative. And I was like, I know and I’ve never seen a Mac, but I knew he would bring something and he did. And then there was a an actress that that he knew. And then another buddy to pizza guy. I’ve known him for many years as well. He’s He’s also a writer.
Sue Bonzell
Isn’t that fun? How you get to you can like include your friends and things like that. Especially the videos and stuff. I hear that a lot where it’s like, oh, yeah, that was actually so and so. And my cousin and my friend and I love that. That’s so fun.
Houston Bernard
Oh, it’s great. And when you’re really proud of the song and you’re proud of the video, and then you can look at it years later and go oh my gosh, that was my Yeah. My family member my buddy. Like we had such a good time. So it’s, it’s, you know, putting memories, you know, personal memories, when the creation of all that and it’s, it’s pretty special.
Sue Bonzell
Absolutely. Well, I mentioned that you are an Army vet. So tell me about being in the Army. I know you had some specialist type things. What what did you do there? Well,
Houston Bernard
yeah, I was in for nine years and my my jobs I had a few of them. One of them was a master fitness trainer. I was also a petroleum specialist, also known as a gas pumper, but still very important job. And then water purification also very important, especially when you’re out in the middle of nowhere and you know, you need water and you need showers.
Sue Bonzell
So those Yeah, I like I like water or like showers. Those are good. I like the I had a friend who used to work at a gas station when I was in high school and he said I’m a petroleum transfer engineer. I was like, oh, that sounds really important. He’s like, Yeah, I work at the Shell station. Go Okay, I got it. I got it.
Houston Bernard
You do what you can to make make it sound. Amazing.
Sue Bonzell
Exactly, exactly. Well, obviously, I have to say thank you for your service. We appreciate everything that you’ve done in serving our country. And I’m so excited that you are now in country music and you’re not just in country music. I have a list here of people that you’ve shared the stage with. They’re young. They’re kind of famous Luke Bryan, Old Dominion. Granger Smith, Michael Ray Montgomery Gentry, Clint Black. I mean, that’s a pretty, that’s a pretty big resume there.
Houston Bernard
Yeah, I mean, those those artists are great. And they, they’re very successful. And they were, you know, a lot of them I got to actually hang out with with a bit and they’re, you know, just good people. And I’m blessed to be able to do it. So I can’t complain. Who did you have the
Sue Bonzell
most fun with?
Houston Bernard
Who? The most fun? Well, I enjoyed hanging out with Old Dominion. And we played with them twice. And this was after this was maybe 2015. Right before they really blew up. And you can just tell like, I mean, their songs, their vibe, everything is like, these guys are amazing. But they were very kind. They invited us into their, you know, the dressing room, the boss even and we just had some drinks and they gave us advice. And yeah, that was pretty fun. That was good time.
Sue Bonzell
Oh, actually Dominion so incredible. They’re great.
Houston Bernard
I was just thinking of another we opened up for Montgomery Gentry, the House of Blues in in Boston. And Troy. This was obviously before he passed, right? But we did the show. And he’s from Lexington, Kentucky, where my mom and my brother live. So we had something in common. We were chatting, it was like, oh, nice to meet you. Then we’re loading up our you know, my little Chevy outside. And his boss was parked there. He’s a hey, you guys want some moonshine? From like, yeah, yeah. So we went on the bus and we just chatted for quite a while and we had some fun there too, as good time.
Sue Bonzell
That’s cool. That’s a nice memory to have to especially since he is gone now. Which is such a shame. And that’s great that you have that memory with him. So I when I did, I found the hangover, hangover, the hangover, your video, and then I quickly started listening to all of your music. And I put it I was like, I’m on the Houston Barnard playlist and I am so happy right now. It I played it for a girlfriend of mine who’s a big country fan and she was like who is this guy? He’s really good. And I’m like, I know right? So what would you what would you consider your style of country music?
Houston Bernard
I like to call it dine it took a while to figure it out honestly because I have like four plus albums so I’m like all over the place with you know music that I love and influences but since I started work with my manager about four years ago, we’re really guiding What country is to me what I want to communicate and I call it Heartland country I you know songs like people we are in freedom and it’s just really about you know, the the important things about being a good person doing the right thing about letting people have their own choices and freedom. So yeah, I would call it Heartland country.
Sue Bonzell
I love that term. I haven’t heard that term does that so we’re so we’re gonna say Houston Barnard coined it right. Okay, let’s do that. Okay, good. You’re gonna take all the credit from now on and I’m Yeah, we’re gonna start using that and be like yeah, Houston said that that’s right. That exactly Heartland country come on. Well, speaking of country and your style, would you be willing to play a song for us? I’d love to when we come back Houston Barnard gonna play a song for us.
Houston Bernard
Um, Houston Bernard and this is my song hangover you say that Steve Lee G Barrows booty. Thank bad shoot me waves across the kitchen counter. We don’t need credit card to crowded bar or neon blue. We’ve got a Bluetooth band and drain cleaner. Hey, hand in a danfo ring and live and work and Nona Hey Bronson wonky working Nona. Hey Thursday now we wait. A little bit intro to you. We did. Working now Hey tequila shots not his country no gotta pee to Where do you live in in buzzing around working Nona hey you want one cuz they’re working on Thursday intro to working out the rainy New last car stay we ain’t stopping to wrap the pain is used to payment food town or bone zip working Nona Hey Gugu making the most way to you know we did it working Nona hey hey
Sue Bonzell
yeah, I love that song that is so awesome. Thank you so much for playing it. It’s so much fun. Of course. So before you go, we have to play a little game that I play here at up in country. It’s called Truth or truth. My artists seem to like it. I’m gonna if you were here, I’d have you pick your own questions, but I’m gonna pick them for you. And then you get to answer is that fair enough? Okay, okay, he’s, uh, you can tell he looks nervous.
Houston Bernard
So we’re gonna skip option like, Can we skip that one?
Sue Bonzell
You can skip? Okay, you can skip. Okay. Okay. Oh, what was the last thing you searched for on your phone?
Houston Bernard
I was just searching. I was filling out an application for the South by Southwest for 2023. And I was I the question was, who is your international booking agent? And it’s been some time because I just signed with a an international booking agents. I was like, Who is this person I forget. And I needed their contact information to add. So it’s dark duck is the agency that I that I’ve signed to out in Europe. Okay, that’s what I purchased last.
Sue Bonzell
Okay, good. Well, I’m excited about South by Southwest. So that’s exciting. So do you have to be approved? Or is that just
Houston Bernard
Yeah, I applied for it. And hopefully I’ll get it because I’ve been spending a lot of time in in Texas. Lately, I’ve got a song that charted and on the Texas regional country charts as well. So just trying to you know, out there I feel like people appreciate my music there. Versus other places.
Sue Bonzell
Well, good. Well, we’ll get think fingers crossed for South by Southwest. So keep us posted on that. I will. Okay, we’re gonna do another one. Okay, here we go. Picking your questions. I’m not lucky. There we go. Okay. What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve ever done?
Houston Bernard
Oh my god. That’s a That’s a terrible question. Disgusting. I mean, I used to have it’s pretty pretty gross. I find it pretty gross. I used to have when I was in the army, you get KP kitchen patrol. And sometimes you would just have to dig through the nasty stuff to you know to clean all those dishes and that’s that’s pretty nasty
Sue Bonzell
work in the kitchen. Not usually any fun.
Houston Bernard
No, I think you know, I think I dropped my phone in the in a urinal once. That’s
Sue Bonzell
okay, that’s pretty good. That’s pretty gross. You know, you’re not alone in that I have dropped my phone in the toilet before so I I think that’s a common thing. Oh, man, it is gross. And it is Gross. Gross. Okay, all right. Well, you’re not to tell you’re not too terribly bad. Let’s try another one. Try one more for you. All right, what do we have? Okay, who was your first celebrity crush?
Houston Bernard
Man I used to when I was a kid I used to watch reruns of. I can’t remember the name. Oh, who’s the boss? So listen.
Sue Bonzell
Oh, really? Yeah, I think a lot of people had a crush on Alyssa Mallanna. She’s still she’s still pretty hot now. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. She’s aged well. Yes. Awesome. Well, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me play the song play my game. And I will certainly keep an eye on you. Let us know where you’re going to be net. Where are you going to be next?
Houston Bernard
I have a show in Marblehead, Massachusetts tomorrow and I just have festivals that map Colorado for 100 year anniversary. monta Vista, Colorado for the rodeo.
Sue Bonzell
Awesome. Awesome. Well, good. I mean, we can catch those all on your website. Is that correct?
Houston Bernard
That’s right, Houston. barnard.com.
Sue Bonzell
Okay, we got it. We’re gonna keep an eye on you. Thank you again for being here, Houston.
Houston Bernard
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Sue Bonzell
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