Randy Houser

[Kim]

Randy Houser 'How Country Feels' Album Is Testament to 'The Power of Music'


Randy Houser has never met Tammy Cochran but he owes her a great deal. Had the singer-songwriter not seen the video for Tammy's 2002 hit "Life Happened," he might never have made the move to Nashville.

The song is about dreams and how they sometimes get put aside for other things, like falling in love, kids and making the best of the current situation. In the video, Tammy proclaims "life happened" and in the end, comes to grips with the idea that it's OK that everyone's dreams don't always come true. For Randy, the song was a powerful motivator to get up and move before life happened to him in a way he didn't want it to.

"When I was living in Mississippi, before I moved to Nashville, I was watching CMT and that video came on," Randy tells The Boot. "When I heard that song it made me get off my butt and move to Nashville. I'd always planned to move here, but when I saw the video I realized I was starting to settle too much and let what I wanted to do pass me by a little bit. That song literally made me go, 'Oh my gosh, I'm sitting here not fulfilling one of the things I'd always told myself I would do. That's the power of a song."

Years later, after moving to Nashville, Randy was in a songwriting session with friends Kent Blazy and Cory Batten. The three started talking about the power a song can have over someone, and Randy told them his story.

"We were just talking about what music does in people's lives and the changes that occur. People listen to music for different reasons. You want to be picked up or maybe you want to wallow in your music. We ended up writing 'The Power of Music.' In it, one person gains strength to stay with his family when he hears a song as he's leaving. The other person hears a song and it gives her strength to leave a bad situation."

That was ten years ago, and the song has finally surfaced on Randy's upcoming album, How Country Feels, which will be released Jan. 22. The disc, his third, has already given Randy the fastest-rising single of his career in the title track.

Randy plays the Stars & Guitars concert in Panama City, Fla. on Wednesday (Jan. 16) with pal Lee Brice, Terri Clark and Justin Moore.

[Kim]

Randy Houser Reveals Childhood Abuse in New Song From ‘How Country Feels’ Album

The poignant final song on Randy Houser‘s new ‘How Country Feels’ album is as personal as any the singer has ever recorded. During an interview with Taste of Country, the singer revealed that ‘Route 3 Box 250D’ — a song about growing up with an abusive stepfather — is absolutely true.

“There’s nothing about it that’s not spot on,” Houser said after sharing that the song’s title was his actual address. He begins by describing the mobile home he lived in, before sharing the trauma he lived through.

“Well the man my mama married / Had a mean streak in his blood / And when he took to drinking / He’d take it out on us / And I could hear my mama crying / That made it hard to sleep,” Houser sings during the second verse.

“The song is probably more therapeutic for me in letting go of something that was not a great time in my life,” the singer adds. “Probably more of that than me trying to … you know, I know it’s not a hit but it’s a time to let fans into my world a little bit more.”

“Thank God for Buford Bailey / He had a pond he’d let me fish / That’s where I’d run off to / Every chance I’d get / And I would pray that God was listening / And he’d come rescue me / Route 3 Box 250D.” Buford Bailey, Houser says, was his stepfather’s uncle. While the early lyrics are difficult to stomach, the ballad leaves one with a smile.

Houser wrote seven of the songs on ‘How Country Feels’ after having written almost all of his first two albums. “I just had so much going on in my personal life this year I didn’t really have the time like I normally do to just write,” he says, referring to his new wife and 10-month-old son.

“The great thing was, I have such great support with all my songwriter buddies in town, and them bringing me their good material,” Houser reveals. “Some of the best songwriters in the world are all my best buddies.”

‘How Country Feels’ hits stores Jan. 22.

[Kim]

Randy Houser Show Postponed Due to Illness


Twenty shows in 25 days took their toll on Randy Houser, causing him to fall ill and have to reschedule a performance in Utah on Wednesday (Feb. 20). While there's no official statement regarding the incident, the singer-songwriter's publicity team assures The Boot that he is doing much better after being too sick to take the stage.

The Salt Lake City Tribune newspaper reported that the "How Country Feels" singer was taken to a hospital but not admitted, and was instructed by doctors to rest at a local hotel. That was obviously a successful prescription, seeing as Randy will perform tonight (Feb. 22) in Burgettstown, Pa.

The 36-year-old has been crisscrossing the country since the Jan. 22 release of his third album, How Country Feels. Among his stops were this week's Nash Bash music festival in New York City as well as a the legendary Billy Bob's Texas in Ft. Worth.

The missed date, which was to take place at the Outlaw Saloon in Ogden, Utah, has been rescheduled for April 3. All original tickets will be honored.

[Kim]

Randy Houser's Songwriting Won't Turn 'Sippy Cup Country'



Photo Courtesy RandyHouser.com


Since becoming a father nearly a year ago, Randy Houser has noticed an effect on his songwriting. The co-writer of Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" and Justin Moore's "Back That Thing Up" promises he hasn't gone soft since the birth of his son West, but there may be some topics now off musical limits.

"There's certain things as a songwriter that I don't really care to write about and there are certain things I won't sing about anymore," Randy tells The Boot. "There are just so many things that I probably thought was OK for me, or have been in the past, that I would never want my son to think was OK. You start checking yourself a little bit and that definitely has affected my songwriting. I'll never be like sippy cup country or write about everything I do around the house. It's not that kind of thing. I'm not Mr. Mom, but there's just certain things I won't say anymore."

While Randy may not want his baby boy taking some of the same paths he did, the singer-songwriter does want to raise West similarly. "I don't think that I could ever be a strict dad," he admits. "I never grew up with anybody strict in my life ... I'm not saying I'm a role model by any means or anything. I think the fact that I wasn't told what not to do all the time -- my spirit kind of told me things that I shouldn't -- I got to develop on my own. It's part of your common sense. Until he just really starts messing up, I'm going to let him have some pretty good freedom. But I will get on his butt if I have to. You have to be a daddy too."

At this point, the worst part of fatherhood (and marriage to wife Jessa) is having to say goodbye when he hits the road. "It's hard every time. We've been touring constantly. For the most part, when we first got married, my wife would get to go with me. When she got pregnant, she went with me for some of the pregnancy, but as soon as it got rough there was just no way."

While numerous artists have their family with them on tour, to say Randy has a few things getting in the way would be an understatement. "There are 10, 11 guys on a bus," he reports. "[Jessa] loves it. Actually, when she goes out with us, she's pretty much one of us. But with West, it's really not conducive to have an 11-month-old on a bus. It's pretty much a circus out there with all the clowns that I have on that bus. He's not quite there yet. Hopefully I'll be able to get another bus soon and they can come with me. That'd be pretty cool."