Page 8 - Harnett Life Winter 2022

Another career highlight came in 1982 when BOZ recorded
Ocean Boulevard, written and produced by General Johnson
and Warren Moise. Ocean Boulevard was voted Beach Music
Song of the Year; BOZ won Best New Group that year.

Houston and the band are especially proud of the CD Over the
Rainbow released in 2001, which he said, “We feel is one of, if
not our best, work ever.” Some songs on the track are Baby’s
Got My Number, I’m Gonna Love You, One Foot Dragging,
Red Hot Love, and the Over the Rainbow title track. You can’t
be the Band of Oz and not do a rendition from The Wizard of
Oz soundtrack.

Other LPs and CDs through the years include Keep Keepin’ It
Up (1983); Let It Roll (1995); One More Step (1997); Danc-
ing in the Street (1999): The Early Years (2003); Dance to the
Radio (2010); Live by Request (2013) and One’s You Might
Have Missed (2017). Music CDs can be purchased from their
online store at https://bandofozstore.com/ and is also available
on the streaming services iTunes and Amazon. On the website
you will also find keyrings, coffee mugs, coasters, home décor,
apparel and more. A vinyl record is also on the horizon, “the
first one in 30 years,” said Houston.

Another milestone for the band was being inducted into the Houston and BOZ play some 200 shows per year
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2017. While Link Ray is
the only other Harnett County inductee, BOZ joined the ranks audience as the times have changed,” said Houston. “We add
of other beach music greats in the Hall such as The Catalina’s, new music and younger band members that keep the younger
The Embers, The Fantastic Shakers and Chairmen of the Board. audience entertained.”
COVID-19 slowed the band’s schedule down the last two years.
Before the pandemic, the group played five to seven times per Houston also stays busy in Dunn at his recording studio,
week usually, he said. Currently, the group entertains two to KHP Music, founded in 1998. KHP Music is a record label
four times per week with about 200 shows a year. and music producer for bands and individual artists located
throughout the Southeastern United States. Besides perform-
The well-loved band still travels all over to play, but take turns ing, other skillsets of Houston’s include recording, mastering
driving in a van ― not a gas-guzzling bus like the old days. and engineering, talents that have landed him the Engineer of
From North Carolina and South Carolina to Florida, Kentucky, the Year award many times over at the Cammy’s. Likewise,
Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee and once even to Canada, BOZ earned Song of the Year several times and an array of
these boys of beach and variety music play everything from other accolades.
weddings and parties to community festivals and town events
like Dunn’s Boogie on Broad and Cotton Festival and the Does Houston still have fun after his long tenure in music?
Fourth of July Festival in Lillington. They cover much bigger “Most definitely,” he said. “It is passion. People ask when I
venues in Raleigh, North Myrtle Beach and the like and repeat- might retire from the road, and I have to tell them that after
edly get asked to come back and perform again and again and being home with COVID the past two years, I don’t need to be
often for the same families, one generation after another. off anymore. I need to play.”

“Thursdays in the warmer months are booked all year,” said The guitarist from Grifton is also glad he made Harnett County
Houston. “All the towns have community events with bands; his home years ago. He and his wife are Dunn residents who
they all are fun and do well.” here raised their now 25-year-old daughter, Reaves ― a Triton
High School alum who excelled in piano and tennis. The pair
And the band plays to the crowd, he said. The lineup may fea- are both business owners, First Baptist Church of Dunn mem-
ture Bruno Mars, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Jr., Van bers and active community residents.
Morrison and original beach music of their own or from others.
Harnett County’s Keith Houston is much like the neighbor
“I guess one of the big things is we’ve really catered to our next door, but with both music and moves, even better.

Page 7 Page 8 Harnett Life ~ Winter 2022