Pug Johnson grew up in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Texas, and his sound reflects the blend of musical influences that have converged there. Following the dismantling of Pug’s first project, Slow Rollin’ Lows, and a two-year stint in Nashville, Pug settled back in Beaumont, TX where he began to hone his craft as a performer.
In 2018, his second project with The Hounds was born and the band went into Four Eyes Studios in Beaumont to record their first single “Calling My Name” under the guidance of producer/engineer Ryan Johnson. The following year, The Hounds would revisit Four Eyes twice more to record “Johnny” and “Back to Austin.”
In the shit show that was 2020, Pug was unable to be as active as anticipated. In October of that year, the band yielded only one single with “Coyote Ken Tucky and the Navajo Bucky and Their Perilous Journey Through Corsicana, TX in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen.” This release gave listeners a glimpse into Pug’s humor and highlighted his varying musical influences.
2022 saw the release of a series of singles leading up to The Hounds’ locally anticipated debut album “Throwed Off and Glad”, comprised of songs written primarily by Pug during his time in Nashville and the years following his return to Texas. “Throwed Off and Glad” highlights Pug’s edgy and honest lyrics set to a host of musical styles from the American Gulf Coast. Songs such as “Angel” and “Miss You All” cover the grave and sobering side of Pug’s writing, while “Poncho,” “Cocaine Street Blues,” and “Rancho Cucamonga,” give a lighthearted tone to classic country themes of promiscuity, depression, and addiction.
By the end of 2023, Pug signed his first record deal with Break Maiden Records, partnering with Thirty Tigers, for his sophomore album set to release in the near future. As part of a larger vision for his career progression, Pug will release music as "Pug Johnson", and in 2024 his existing catalog was updated as such.
