Live Music: Pug Johnson

Pug Johnson is a Texas-born singer-songwriter raised on the outskirts of Beaumont, where he was immersed in a rich tapestry of regional sounds—Cajun, swamp pop, Tex‑Mex, honky-tonk, and Gulf Coast R&B—that still influence his music today.

He began playing guitar at age 13 and transitioned from writing poetry to songwriting during his youth.

After a stint in Nashville honing his craft amid day jobs and nighttime writing, Johnson returned to Texas and released his debut, Throwed Off and Glad (2022), credited to Pug Johnson and The Hounds. The album showcases a classic Texas outlaw tone—darkly honest, spirited, and leavened with wicked humor.

Not long after, he moved to the Texas Hill Country with his wife and manager Mindy and began work on his solo project El Cabron, released on Thirty Tigers. The album draws from his southern roots and the multicultural influences around him in South and West Texas—mixing country, Tex‑Mex, swamp-pop, and a rhythm-and-soul undercurrent. Johnson infuses El Cabron with humor and heart as he explores themes of personal growth, love, and life’s messier transitions.