Page 7 - Harnett Life Winter 2022

Though going through personnel
changes through the years, BOZ,
originally The Avengers, has cranked
out beach music tunes and other
popular music since Houston was 12.

years, Houston, who plays bass guitar/guitar and keyboards, is The guys performed up to 300 shows per year throughout the
happy with where the band is today with three younger mem- 1980s and had a real boost from an album titled Beach Beat,
bers hired around 2005-06 and two other long-term members a compilation of original songs by local groups, including
besides himself remaining: Chuck French, still on trumpet and BOZ’s Shaggin’. The album went gold and, according to
who also singing vocals and David Hicks, who joined BOZ Houston, “was probably one of the biggest selling albums ever
in 1976 as the drummer, who co-owns the band with Hous- put on the market.”
ton. Rounding out the band are David Franks, keyboard/har-
monica/vocals; Tim Morris, trumpet/vocals; Brady Hasting,
saxophone/vocals; Chris Jennings, guitar/vocals; and Dustin
Ahkuoi, vocals.

Eleven members comprise the band, eight on stage and three
off, technicians who work with sound, monitors and lighting.

Past members of the group include Chris Keaton, Thomas
“Butch” Barnes, Billy Bazemore, Rick Brogden, Roland
Colsen, Charlie Satterwhite, Shep Fields, Scott Fine, Ronnie
Forbes, Mickey Hardie, Bob Lynch, Rick Sanders, Jimmy
Smith, Rick Strickland, “Big” John Thompson, Freddy Tripp
and Jerry West.

BOZ music includes the singles Shaggin’ (1978); Star of My
Life (1979), Hot Fun in the Summertime (1981); Ocean Bou-
levard (1982); Super Summer (1982); Keep Keepin’ It Up
(1984); Over the Rainbow (1986); and much more culminat-
ing with the hit single Shama Lama Ding Dong (1995), the
People’s Choice Song of the Year at that year’s Carolina Beach
Music Awards, a.k.a. Cammy Awards, and one of the most re-
quested beach songs of all time. Houston, who performs music
and writes songs occasionally, wrote their first song, Shaggin’,
a hit picked up by Repeat Records.

From age 9 through today, Houston still loves to play
Harnett Life ~ Winter 2022 Page 7