A gritty, veteran boogie-blues band from Texas, Omar and the Howlers have b… Read Full Bio ↴A gritty, veteran boogie-blues band from Texas, Omar and the Howlers have been delivering their soulful, original songs to dedicated fans in Europe and the U.S. South for more than a generation.

Austin, besides being the Texas state capital, is home to much of the best in American roots music. Since the 1970s, ballsy blues players, renegade country pickers, and raw-voiced rockers have mixed & matched their musical styles in Austin’s thriving club scene. And that’s where Kent “Omar” Dykes holds court too. And it’s also where he’s recorded his latest Ruf album, Boogie Man, working with some of his adopted hometown’s most famous songwriters and musicians.

He hails from McComb, Miss., a town with the curious distinction of being home turf for both Bo Diddley and Britney Spears. It’s well established that Omar started playing guitar at seven, took to hanging out in edge-of-town juke joints at 12, joined his first band at 13 – the next youngest player being 50 – and played the sort of music where somebody bustin’ a cap at somebody else was just added percussion.

He was still Kent Dykes in those days, but by the time he hit 20 he had hooked up with a crazy-assed party band, called the Howlers, who specialized in playing frat parties. Looking back, he says, “We had two saxophone players on baritone and tenor who wore Henry Kissinger masks. They were called the Kissinger brothers. Not on every song, mind you. Sometimes it was Dolly Parton playing saxophone. Or Cher. And we had these cardboard cutouts from record stores for skits.” They even did fake ads for Sunshine Collard Greens and Howlers’ Fried Chicken – “for that old-fashioned taste that tastes just like Grandma.”

It was a crazy time, but a helluva lot of fun too, with the rough & tumble Howlers playing R&B, R&R and even the occasional polka and western swing tune. A decade earlier and 250 miles north of McComb, Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn had learned their chops exactly the same way as members of the Memphis party band the Mar-Keys.

But Kent Dykes mostly just wanted to play blues. And by then the other Howlers had taken to calling him “Omar Overtone” because he tended to let his guitar feed back on stage while he dropped to the floor to spin on his back in a spontaneous, Big & Tall Store take on break-dancing. As he says, those performances were “sometimes fueled by, a-hmm, alcohol.”

By 1976, the Howlers decided they were ready to bust a big move and relocate to Austin, where such clubs as the Soap Creek Saloon, the Broken Spoke, the Armadillo World Headquarters and Antone’s had created a haven for renegade music. “We worked out of Austin for about a year,” Omar says, “but a lot of the guys decided they weren’t cut out to play music full-time for the rest of their lives. They headed back to Mississippi and Arkansas, and I decided to keep the name. Nobody objected.” And as Dykes says, Omar & the Howlers works better than Kent & the Howlers. Of such decisions are careers made.

Fronting a new lineup, Dykes honed a band capable of the sort of raw, rowdy, rambunctious blues that made Howlin’ Wolf and Hound Dog Taylor legends and inspired Don Van Vliet to become Captain Beefheart.

By then the Fabulous Thunderbirds were also getting started in Austin and T-Bird member Jimmie Vaughan’s kid brother, Stevie Ray, had formed Triple Threat with Lou Ann Barton, future Double Trouble-r Chris Layton and Jackie Newhouse (LeRoi Brothers). The T-Birds were the first to record, cutting their debut in 1979, but Omar wasn’t far behind with Big Leg Beat in 1980. His second, I Told You So, in 1984 made them the big men on the block – or at least along Austin’s famed Sixth Street – earning them consecutive Austin band-of-the-year awards in 1985-1986.

The following year Omar signed with Columbia Records and cut Hard Times in the Land of Plenty (1987), which sold in excess 500,000 copies, and Wall of Pride (1988). Since then there have been another dozen albums, all of them featuring Omar’s guitar and baritone voice, which reviewers describe as a cross between Howlin’ Wolf in his prime and the warning growl of a large primate. Hyperbole aside, the big man’s talents have earned an international following, prestigious awards and induction into the Texas musicians’ Hall of Fame.

For Boogie Man, his newest release on the Ruf label, Omar has brought in some of the songwriter friends he’s made in the 27 years since he left Mississippi for Texas. Ten of the 11 tracks on the 55-minute disc are collaborations. “Co-writing at this point in my life is a lot of fun. To me it’s like free songs. These are ones that I wouldn’t have had the patience to sit down and write on my own. But when you get with friends and drink coffee, tell jokes and stories, and then write something, it always turns out to be something different than what you might have done on your own.”

Plus it’s not exactly heavy lifting to work with such Texas icons as Ray Wyle Hubbard, Darden Smith, Alejandro Escovedo and Stephen Bruton. “Some of them I hadn’t seen for a while,” Omar says, “because like me they’re in bands and on the road. So when we got together, we end up reminiscing a lot. For instance, I’ve known Ray Wyle off and on for 20 years – acquaintances for a long time but pretty good friends now. In the old days, he was busy drinking and partying on his own, and I had my own party going on too.”

Besides the songwriting collaborators, Omar also brought some friends into the recording studio, including guitarists Chris Duarte and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers), Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, George Rains (Sir Douglas Quintet and house drummer on scores of Antone’s label releases) and his frequent running-mates Terry Bozzio (Missing Persons, Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa) and Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne.

About the recording process, Omar says, “I played out for seven and a half months, with only a few days off, and I’d spend those cutting in the studio. I would have liked to take the time off to relax, but it was a lot of satisfaction writing and recording with my friends too. This was an album I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time.”

As for future plans, Omar says he’ll be back on the road soon. “I still do 150-160 shows a year, and with travel days that adds up to a lot of time away from home. It always seems like we’re on a plane headed somewhere.” Omar is touring currently with bassist Barry Bihm and drummer Jon Hahn.

Or as he sums things up in “That’s Just My Life”:
It’s a long way from Pittsburgh down to Knoxville, Tenn.,
But I’m in it for the long haul, and that’s all right with me.
Night-time keeps me in the roadhouse, daylight’s burning up the miles,
The blacktop goes forever, I was born a highway child.

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See Also: http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Omar+and+The+Howlers

Magic Man
Omar & The Howlers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Long ago and far away
I was born on my birthday
But, now I'm big and I am strong
I need a little girl to call my own Come on baby, now don't resist
Follow me honey, I must insist
Your every wish is my command
Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man

I'll show you things, Lord, you've never seen Make you wonder if it's real, or just a dream Goofer dust and John the Conquer Root
A black cat bone and a mojo too Come on baby, take me by my hand
Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man
Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man
Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man

Come on baby, it's time to go Get the lead out, momma Don't you move so slow Your every wish is my command
Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man Off you go with the Magic Man

Overall Meaning

The song "Magic Man" by Omar & The Howlers is a classic rock tune, with lyrics that speak of a man who has come into his own power and strength and is now seeking a partner to join him on a magical journey. The lyrics are suggestive of hoodoo and magic, with references to "goofer dust," "John the Conquer Root," and "mojo." The singer beckons a woman to come with him on a journey that promises to show her things she's never seen before and make her wonder if it's real or just a dream.

The repeated refrain, "Off you go with the Magic Man," creates a sense of urgency and excitement, as if the singer is inviting the listener to join him on an adventure that will be both thrilling and mysterious. The song's overall theme seems to be about the search for power, magic, and connection, and the desire for a partner who can share in those experiences.

The lyrics are full of interesting cultural references to hoodoo and other magical practices, and the song's blues-inspired rock sound is reminiscent of classic bands like Led Zeppelin and The Doors. Overall, "Magic Man" is a song that invites the listener to let go of their inhibitions and join the singer on a wild ride through the world of magic and wonder.

Line by Line Meaning

Long ago and far away
In the distant past

I was born on my birthday
I was born on the day I was supposed to be born

But, now I'm big and I am strong
But now I am grown and powerful

I need a little girl to call my own
I want a young woman to be mine

Come on baby, now don't resist
Don't say no, my darling

Follow me honey, I must insist
Come with me, dear, I am demanding

Your every wish is my command
I will do whatever you want

Off you go with the Magic Man
Come away with me and my magic

I'll show you things, Lord, you've never seen
I will reveal to you things you have never witnessed

Make you wonder if it's real, or just a dream
You will question if it's reality or fantasy

Goofer dust and John the Conquer Root
Magical substances used for luck and power