Ron Houston is a singer/songwriter based in the San Diego area. Born in West Monroe Louisiana and raised in Bakersfield California, Ron has the authentic story-telling vocals about real life, hard-working men, the day-to-day struggle with substance abuse, and some of our most favorite honky-tonk heroes... he doesn't try to sugar-coat anything.
Ron is the lead singer and songwriter of The Sickstring Outlaws, which he founded in 2004.
Ron's outlaw country band The Sickstring Outlaws album Johnny Drank Jack was nominated Best Local Recording at the 2013 San Diego Music Awards. Their second full-length album, Electric Moonshine, was released in Autumn 2014.
Ron is also the lead singer of the bluegrass murder ballad band Ron Houston and The Berry Pickers which he founded with lead guitarist David Berry Jr. in 2018
Ron has just released his first ever solo cd A LONG ROAD HOME. An epic 17 song journey.
Ron can also be heard singing lead vocals on the 2019 metal CD release Psychobilly Nightmare World which features metal guitar legend Tracy G ... former lead guitarist for Ronnie James Dio.
Ron has had the good fortune, through hard work, to open for the likes of David Allan Coe, The Marshall Tucker Band, Black Oak Arkansas, Bango Tango, The Meat Puppets, Cashed Out, Whiskey Myers, Merle Jagger, Gethen Jenkins, PeeWee Moore, Dallas Moore, The Barnyard Stompers, The Three Bad Jacks and many more.. If you happen to catch a Ron Steven Houston live show or a live show by Ron Houston and The Berry Pickers or The Sickstring Outlaws… you will not be disappointed.
(August 2018) -San Diego’s own Sickstring Outlaws have broken into the movie scene with the recently released Freestyle Digital Media film titled Buckshot.
Buckshot is the feature directorial debut for Joshua J Smith who also wrote the movie’s storyline about a struggling country singer from New Jersey, who journeys to Nashville to follow in his late father’s footsteps and become a country music star. But when his father’s checkered past derails his chances, his only job offer is to drive Buckshot Thomas, an aging, hard-living, honky-tonk legend, cross-country to his final concert. Along the way, the two men forge a rare friendship that could change both their lives forever.
The Sickstring Outlaws’ Ron Houston is not only credited with “Original Music” (along with Cecil Allan Moore), but also landed the part of singing voice-over for the main character Buckshot Thomas played by Tim DeZarn.
The soundtrack also includes two of Sickstring’s songs from the ‘Electric Moonshine’ CD (“Electric Moonshine” and “Just an Empty Bottle”). The last song in the movie, sung by Conor Murphy’s character Charlie Stillman, is a ballad written by Houston a few years ago called “Do Outlaws Shed Tears.” Ron said that when he sent the song to Joshua Smith as an idea for the movie, Smith was overjoyed to hear it, saying that it “was as if Ron had already read the script.” “Do Outlaws Shed Tears” can only be heard in this movie as it has never been recorded before.
Buckshot concluded its 2017 festival run with five awards including Best Feature and Best Actor (Tim DeZarn) at the Culver City Film Festival, People’s Choice Award at the Rockport Film Festival, as well as Best Director (Joshua J. Smith) and Best Actor (Tim DeZarn) at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival and Boogie Magazine gives it “Two Thumbs Up” for its soundtrack.
Check it out today. This dark comedy has recently been released on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Cable/Satellite On Demand and Blu-ray/DVD.
“Rootin' tootin', knee-slappin' country licks that ol' David Allan Coe would be proud to have influenced. These outlaws have done an impeccable job of reconciling the two opposing faces of classic country music—the solemn and the silly to deliver a lively set with killer harmonies, menacing fiddles, heartfelt honesty and odes to whiskey.”
- Sammi Skolmoski, San Diego City Beat
"It's funny who you get chatting away if you walk into the Rainbow around 12.00 midday in mid November - there's always a musician and a character or two kicking around. On this occasion I got talking away to a dude who had a cool baseball cap that just happened to be the name of the band he was in from San Diego, California called 'The Sickstring Outlaws' so he gave me this 'ere CD to check out. I was blown away by it - good ole country music with plenty of banjo on it with tunes about listening to artists like getting stoned, writing cool songs and having a good time with your friends. There's a killer tribute to Johnny Cash called 'Johnny Drank Jack'. This is rootsy county bluegrass with masses of southerness at its finest. I urge everyone to check out these guys."
- Glenn Milligan, Metalliville UK
Another reason to get excited is the band’s new CD, “Electric Moonshine.” A raging 10-song mix of the group’s musical influences, the collection also comes complete with the blessing of acclaimed engineer and producer Marc DeSisto, who has worked with Dwight Yoakam, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks and U2 to name a few. Not bad, fellas.
-Matt Munoz, The Californian
With the amount of shows The Sicksting Outlaws play, one would think that they would be exhausted and maybe tone down a few of their live shows. Hell NO! Each and every Sickstring Outlaws show is incredible! I’ve personally seen these guys play multiple times and every time I do, their shows are so packed full of energy that the person sitting in the back of the venue playing on their cell phone will soon get up and make their way to the front of the stage.
-Eric Vellone & Gail Meddows Edwards, RTR In The Morning
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