Omar & The Howlers are going to release new album 'Boogie Man' due February

NEW YORK (Ruf Records announcement) - Omar & The Howlers, with their bone-rattling display of swinging, rocking, rough & tumble blues, have earned their badge of honor while wowing audiences for over 20 years. Their new release "Boogie Man," set for February 24 release on Ruf Records, is a testament not only to front man & axe slinger Omar Dykes, an artist held in the highest regard by some of the best American blues / rock artists of all time, but also to the wealth of musical talent found in Austin, Texas.

Joining him on this effort is a star-studded cast of songwriters and musicians including Ray Willie Hubbard and Alejandro Escovedo - neither of whom have ever co-written any songs before; Darden Smith, Stephen Bruton, Chris Duarte, Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Missing Persons), Jon Dee Graham and Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne, and Double Trouble - Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon, the infamous rhythm section of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan band. Omar, who was best described once by the Dallas Morning News which said "his in your face vocals and roadhouse guitar playing flow with the power of a bayou at flood stage," is at it again.

Full of brand new co-written tracks ranging from ballads to all out furnace-blast blues as well as multiple guest appearances, "Boogie Man" offers a rare glimpse into the extraordinary musicianship found and based in Austin. And these artists who helped define the genre of southern blues guitar rock, rallied around their buddy Omar, to have some fun. And fun they all had; the result is a collaboration beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

Omar Dykes grew up in McComb Mississippi, the heart of Blues country, and after making a name for himself on the Southeast circuit, he relocated to Austin where he quickly became one of the hottest acts on the same vibrant scene that spawned Stevie Ray, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Marcia Ball and Lou Ann Barton.
Between Omar & the Howler's burning live shows and celebrated recordings, including critical and commercial successes such as the Columbia releases "Hard Times in the Land of Plenty" and "Wall of Pride," Omar & the Howlers have become an international blues sensation. They have been steadily winning over fans and garnering awards from around the globe.
From being inducted into Austin's Texas Hall of Fame, alongside such legends as Buddy Holly, T-Bone Walker and Willie Nelson to earning the coveted Edison Award, the Dutch equivalent to the Grammy, the band has established itself as being one of the most prolific blues acts of the 1990's.

Featuring the smoldering guitar attack and gravely, gut bucket vocals of front man Omar Dykes, he and the Texas-based Howlers, Barry Bihm on bass and Frosty Smith on drums, are expected to tour this Spring and will continue to astonish their audience every time they play a note.