Omar & The Howlers - Downtown Boogie (2025)

Omar Dykes was born in McComb, MS, also the hometown of Bo Diddley, who is one of Omar’s musical heroes. In 1962, he decided he wanted to play the guitar. He started his first band in 1963 and has been playing the blues ever since. Omar joined a successful party band in the 70’s called the Howlers from Hattiesburg, MS, who all moved to Austin, TX in 1976. They played many iconic venues including Armadillo World Headquarters. Their zany performances and tremendous talent earned them the Sunshine Award for the best new band in town. The Howlers soon turned into Omar & the Howlers who became known for their electric blues rock and Omar’s distinct voice sounding like a grizzly bear on steroids. The band recorded their first album, Big Leg Beat in 1980. In 1987, Omar was inducted in the Texas Music Hall of Fame. His name appears on the Summit Street Blues Trail Marker as an artist who contributed to the preservation of the blues as a significant performing musician. Omar and the Howlers toured in 49 states in the USA and globally in over 25 countries from 1978 until 2013. Omar recorded 34 successful releases on various labels, including Big Guitar Music owned by Dykes. Omar has been writing original songs, playing the blues, and performing for 54 years. He is currently working on new studio recordings, following the successful release in 2023, What’s Buggin’ You?. Buggin’ You made the Billboard top 15 blues releases and top selling blues record on Amazon.