How we got together....
The backbone of the Honkytonk Heathens lies within the two you see above. Will Brumley and Bobby Faulkner met on stage early in their career. Will was starting his career as a fiddle player in the Wichita Falls area. Bobby Faulkner had started his career just a short time before while a close friend was needing a bass player. Will played with the group on occasion and heard a distinct sound in the style that Bobby was playing. Will graduated high school and moved off to Stephenville to pursue his degree in Communications. Bobby was finishing his degree at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. Will had the fire to start his own sound. He had put together several different bands that just didn't stick. On a long drive in from Waco, Will decided he was going to put together a group of musicians that weren't, so called, mainstream, for the area. His first choice for bass was Bobby Faulkner. Bobby was working with several groups around Wichita Falls. With some patience and persistence, Bobby began to play with Will full time. This group became known as the Lake Country Live band. They had success regionally. In mid 2005 the group decided to go different directions. Will and Bobby stuck together through this division. With a change in member, they decided to change the band name. Will's Dad always asked him why he had to hang out in the beer joints. So he thought, why not the Honkytonk Heathens? So here we are today....



Will Brumley

Will is a 24 year old graduate of Tarleton State University, with a degree in Communications. He lives in Waco, Texas. Here he spends his time babysitting high school kids. He plays fiddle, lead guitar, bass guitar, and fronts the band. He is the youngest band leader in the Central Texas area (as far as we know). His greatest love is for the Texas Honkytonk shuffle. His influences are Johnny Bush, Ray Price, and Faron Young. His basic idea from the time of youth was to create a sound that would be accepted as mainstream country, but would keep the outlaw movement alive. There must be a love for shuffle songs somewhere in the world. That is exactly what he does. He plays shuffle songs his way. I guess we will call it Outlaw Shuffle. He began playing fiddle at age 3. In his early teens he began playing lead guitar. Now he is proficient in both. He plays out on the road, known for the ability to play multiple instruments. He loves the crowd, and he loves for them to dance. He has appeared on stages across the United States. He has opened for many national acts. Will has played on an album that peaked the charts in several European countries. We ask that you explore the entire site to see all the credits. He loves his fans and is willing to spend as much time as they need. If it weren't for them, he says, he wouldn't have job. Will spends his extra time between August and May, substitute teaching. He loves the time he spends with the kids. They get a kick out of his stories of the crazy life on the road.


Bobby "The Professor" Faulkner



Bobby is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, with his masters in Business. He lives near his family in Wichita Falls, Texas. He spends his time collecting all styles of music, helping the family in the garden and taking Will's phone calls, several times a day, asking for advice. He fills the bass position. He sings great harmony as well as lead vocals. He has a love for the walking shuffle of the Texas Honkytonk sound. He also plays rhythm guitar, piano, trumpet, and some banjo. He has opened for many national acts. He is a very sought after bass player in the area. He is the musical expert in the group. If there is ever a question of correctness, we all turn to him.

 

Jeff Evans

Jeff Evans lives in Fort Worth, and he swings on the steel guitar. Back in the day, around 1997, Jeff was covering for Gary Carpenter who was, in turn, to sub for Jim Smith in a band that Will, amazingly enough, was doing his first gig with. Jeff struck a groove in Will's mind. Will later lost contact over the last few years until 2005 when Jeff was working another 2nd or 3rd string sub job opening for Jake Hooker and the Hookers in Will's local area.. Will's ol' paw recognized Jeff and got his number, and Will eventually offered Jeff some dates John didn't want. Jeff pulls off some comedy on stage . . . often on purpose. He can be a fairly hot picker and sure adds some smooth, soulful playing on top of what ever the band tries to pull over on him. (Will is tryin to convert him to some off the wall licks....but Jeff is fighting back hard. He still plays purdy good.)

 

John "Hollywood" Harlow

John has been with me longer than the rest of the boys. He has just announced his retirement from music....again. He will always be a member of the band. John plays steel guitar and was an original member of the Lake Country 5. If you have kept up with the areas music you know about them. The Heathens play some of the LC5's music in their show. John was a member of the Big D Jamboree and on the Panther Hall television show for a number of years. It would be easier to tell who he hasn't played with than who he has. He has a distinct style and has a modern style when needed. We call him "Hollywood" because he always seems to come up with some tone that fits when you don't expect the steel to come in and play a big part in a rock song. John has been with us for about 4 years now.

 

Tim Conrad

Tim Conrad is from Justin, TX. He plays some mean drums. Will ran across him while playing with a band out of Dallas. Tim was in the band that was on a package show. A few years later they ended up playing in the same band in Jermyn, TX. Now, in 2007, Tim has joined up with the Heathens and is helping form a new sound of old music. He is fond of making up drinkin song so check out his myspace page.