Boy Howdy
Encyclopedia
Boy Howdy was an American country music
band. It was founded in 1990 in Los Angeles, California
, United States
by Jeffrey Steele
(lead vocals, bass guitar
), Hugh Wright (drums
), and brothers Cary (guitar, mandolin
, vocals) and Larry Park (guitar, fiddle
, vocals). Between 1992 and 1995, the band recorded two albums (1992's Welcome to Howdywood
and 1995's Born That Way
) and an extended play
(1994's She'd Give Anything
), all on the Curb Records
label. In that same time span, Boy Howdy charted seven singles
on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts, including the Top Ten hits "She'd Give Anything
" and "They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
." After Boy Howdy disbanded in 1996, frontman Jeffrey Steele embarked on a solo career, recording several solo albums, in addition to writing more than sixty hit singles for other country acts.
, United States
in 1990. Before the band's formation, lead singer Jeffrey Steele worked as a songwriter and solo artist in California. Brothers Larry and Cary Park, sons of bluegrass music
artist Ray Parks, met Steele at a gig at a club; drummer Hugh Wright, also present at the gig, soon joined.
A year into their union, the band independently released a rendition of the Civil War
standard "When Johnny Comes Marching Home
," at the height of the Gulf War
. This single was so well-received that it caught the attention of Curb Records
, a Nashville, Tennessee
record label, which signed the band in 1992. The same year, Boy Howdy released its debut album titled Welcome to Howdywood
, from which two singles were issued: "Our Love Was Meant to Be" and "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart". These peaked at #43 and #12, respectively, on the Billboard
country charts. On May 30, 1992, Wright was involved in a motorcycle accident on the LBJ Freeway in Dallas, Texas
which placed him in a coma for five months. After coming out of the coma, Wright had to re-learn how to walk and play drums. In addition, his speech was slowed and he was no longer able to sing. Despite these setbacks, he officially rejoined Boy Howdy on July 1, 1993.
Shortly after Wright's reunion with Boy Howdy, the band released the single "She'd Give Anything
," which became its first Top 5 hit on the Billboard country music charts, peaking at #4. The music video
for "She'd Give Anything" was also a Number One video on both Country Music Television
and The Nashville Network
. The song's success prompted Boy Howdy's label, Curb Records, to release an extended play
, also titled She'd Give Anything
, containing four previously unreleased songs as well as a re-issue of "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart." One of the four new songs, "They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
," was the EP's other single release as well as the band's highest-peaking chart single, reaching #2 in mid-1994. Following this was a largely unsuccessful third release, Born That Way
, which produced a #23 in "True to His Word" and three other singles which all failed to make Top 40.
, where he began a solo career. He recorded an unreleased album for Curb, but later switched his focus to songwriting, including singles for Kevin Sharp, Diamond Rio
and LeAnn Rimes
. Steele charted the #33 "Something in the Water" in 2001 on Monument Records
, and has since become primarily known as a songwriter, although he has self-released several albums as well.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band. It was founded in 1990 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey LeVasseur is an American country music singer and songwriter, more commonly known by the name Jeffrey Steele...
(lead vocals, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Hugh Wright (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), and brothers Cary (guitar, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, vocals) and Larry Park (guitar, fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, vocals). Between 1992 and 1995, the band recorded two albums (1992's Welcome to Howdywood
Welcome to Howdywood
Welcome to Howdywood is the debut album of the American country music band Boy Howdy. It was released in 1992 via Curb Records. The album includes the singles "Our Love Was Meant to Be" and "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart", which respectively reached #43 and #12 on Billboard Hot Country...
and 1995's Born That Way
Born That Way
Born That Way is the second studio album, and third overall album, by the American country music band Boy Howdy. Their final album before disbanding, it was issued in 1995 via Curb Records. It includes the singles "True to His Word", "Bigger Fish to Fry", "She Can't Love You" and "Field of Dreams"....
) and an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(1994's She'd Give Anything
She'd Give Anything
She'd Give Anything is an EP released by American country music band Boy Howdy. It was released in 1994 by Curb Records. It peaked at #19 on the Top Country Albums chart. The EP includes the singles "She'd Give Anything" and "They Don't Make 'em Like That Anymore", which respectively reached #4 and...
), all on the Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
label. In that same time span, Boy Howdy charted seven singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts, including the Top Ten hits "She'd Give Anything
She'd Give Anything (song)
"She'd Give Anything" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Boy Howdy. It was released in October 1993 as the first single from their EP, She'd Give Anything. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in January 1994.-Chart performance:...
" and "They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
"They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore" is the title of a song written by Chris Farren and Jeffrey Steele and recorded by American country music group Boy Howdy. It was released in March 1994, it was the second single from their EP, She'd Give Anything...
." After Boy Howdy disbanded in 1996, frontman Jeffrey Steele embarked on a solo career, recording several solo albums, in addition to writing more than sixty hit singles for other country acts.
History
Boy Howdy was founded in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1990. Before the band's formation, lead singer Jeffrey Steele worked as a songwriter and solo artist in California. Brothers Larry and Cary Park, sons of bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
artist Ray Parks, met Steele at a gig at a club; drummer Hugh Wright, also present at the gig, soon joined.
A year into their union, the band independently released a rendition of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
standard "When Johnny Comes Marching Home
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is a popular song of the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.-Origins:...
," at the height of the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. This single was so well-received that it caught the attention of Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
, a Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
record label, which signed the band in 1992. The same year, Boy Howdy released its debut album titled Welcome to Howdywood
Welcome to Howdywood
Welcome to Howdywood is the debut album of the American country music band Boy Howdy. It was released in 1992 via Curb Records. The album includes the singles "Our Love Was Meant to Be" and "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart", which respectively reached #43 and #12 on Billboard Hot Country...
, from which two singles were issued: "Our Love Was Meant to Be" and "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart". These peaked at #43 and #12, respectively, on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts. On May 30, 1992, Wright was involved in a motorcycle accident on the LBJ Freeway in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
which placed him in a coma for five months. After coming out of the coma, Wright had to re-learn how to walk and play drums. In addition, his speech was slowed and he was no longer able to sing. Despite these setbacks, he officially rejoined Boy Howdy on July 1, 1993.
Shortly after Wright's reunion with Boy Howdy, the band released the single "She'd Give Anything
She'd Give Anything (song)
"She'd Give Anything" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Boy Howdy. It was released in October 1993 as the first single from their EP, She'd Give Anything. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in January 1994.-Chart performance:...
," which became its first Top 5 hit on the Billboard country music charts, peaking at #4. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "She'd Give Anything" was also a Number One video on both Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
and The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
. The song's success prompted Boy Howdy's label, Curb Records, to release an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, also titled She'd Give Anything
She'd Give Anything
She'd Give Anything is an EP released by American country music band Boy Howdy. It was released in 1994 by Curb Records. It peaked at #19 on the Top Country Albums chart. The EP includes the singles "She'd Give Anything" and "They Don't Make 'em Like That Anymore", which respectively reached #4 and...
, containing four previously unreleased songs as well as a re-issue of "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart." One of the four new songs, "They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
"They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore" is the title of a song written by Chris Farren and Jeffrey Steele and recorded by American country music group Boy Howdy. It was released in March 1994, it was the second single from their EP, She'd Give Anything...
," was the EP's other single release as well as the band's highest-peaking chart single, reaching #2 in mid-1994. Following this was a largely unsuccessful third release, Born That Way
Born That Way
Born That Way is the second studio album, and third overall album, by the American country music band Boy Howdy. Their final album before disbanding, it was issued in 1995 via Curb Records. It includes the singles "True to His Word", "Bigger Fish to Fry", "She Can't Love You" and "Field of Dreams"....
, which produced a #23 in "True to His Word" and three other singles which all failed to make Top 40.
Disbanding
A year after the release of their final album, the four members announced that the band was "on hold" with no immediate plans to resume playing together, and by 1996, they had disbanded. Steele then moved to Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he began a solo career. He recorded an unreleased album for Curb, but later switched his focus to songwriting, including singles for Kevin Sharp, Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio is an American Country music/Christian music band formed in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson , Jimmy Olander , Brian Prout , Marty Roe , Dan Truman , and Dana Williams...
and LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
. Steele charted the #33 "Something in the Water" in 2001 on Monument Records
Monument Records
Monument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
, and has since become primarily known as a songwriter, although he has self-released several albums as well.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country |
||
| Welcome to Howdywood Welcome to Howdywood Welcome to Howdywood is the debut album of the American country music band Boy Howdy. It was released in 1992 via Curb Records. The album includes the singles "Our Love Was Meant to Be" and "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart", which respectively reached #43 and #12 on Billboard Hot Country... |
|
— |
| Born That Way Born That Way Born That Way is the second studio album, and third overall album, by the American country music band Boy Howdy. Their final album before disbanding, it was issued in 1995 via Curb Records. It includes the singles "True to His Word", "Bigger Fish to Fry", "She Can't Love You" and "Field of Dreams".... |
|
73 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| She'd Give Anything She'd Give Anything She'd Give Anything is an EP released by American country music band Boy Howdy. It was released in 1994 by Curb Records. It peaked at #19 on the Top Country Albums chart. The EP includes the singles "She'd Give Anything" and "They Don't Make 'em Like That Anymore", which respectively reached #4 and... |
|
19 | 103 | 5 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
|||
| 1992 | "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" | — | — | Non-album song |
| "Our Love Was Meant to Be" | 43 | 87 | Welcome to Howdywood | |
| 1993 | "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart" | 12 | 16 | |
| "She'd Give Anything She'd Give Anything (song) "She'd Give Anything" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Boy Howdy. It was released in October 1993 as the first single from their EP, She'd Give Anything. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in January 1994.-Chart performance:... " |
4 | 4 | She'd Give Anything | |
| 1994 | "They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore "They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore" is the title of a song written by Chris Farren and Jeffrey Steele and recorded by American country music group Boy Howdy. It was released in March 1994, it was the second single from their EP, She'd Give Anything... " |
2 | 3 | |
| "True to His Word" | 23 | 24 | Born That Way | |
| 1995 | "Bigger Fish to Fry" | 57 | 70 | |
| "She Can't Love You" | 48 | 93 | ||
| "Field of Dreams" | — | 91 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Our Love Was Meant to Be" | Richard Jernigan |
| "Thanks for the Ride" | ||
| 1993 | "A Cowboy's Born with a Broken Heart" | Sara Nichols |
| "She'd Give Anything" | ||
| 1994 | "True to His Word" | |
| 1995 | "She Can't Love You" | D. J. Webster |