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Houston Barks was born December 31 1928 to Walker Bark (1907 - 1988) and Catherine Webster Barks (1909 - 1961) in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.

He passed away on November 8 2016 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at the age of 87. He was living at the Savannah Parks Apartments in Vian at the time, A place he truly appeared to enjoy.

Houston had 3 children with his first wife Joan, Dana Barks, David Barks and Debbie Hartman. He also had 2 children with his second wife Joyce, Jeff Barks and Dallas Barks. He also had two step daughters Cindy and Vicky. Many Grand Children and Great Grand Children.

Houston was a very gifted musician and he truly loved music. They say he started strumming a guitar when he was just eight years old. He was also a very gifted welder, which was his trade throughout most of his working career. He liked fishing. He was a man that believed what he believed and stuck to them at all cost.

When he was 18 years old, he moved to Visalia, California and got a job picking cotton. He did that for about a couple days and started thinking that there must be a better way to make a living. So, he decided to try the music business a bit and began finding work in towns such as Fresno, Bakersfield, Tulare, Dinuba and also Visalia.

He did that for about ten years, but was getting frustrated, feeling like he wasn't really getting noticed in the entertainment business. He packed up and moved to Santa Paula, California about 1956.

There, he got work for a one-night stand at a place that Buck and Sunny Smith owned. It may have been an audition, but the audience and Buck and Sunny were impressed. He was hired by the Smiths to front the band at their place. The crowds began to grow, with people starting to come from miles around.

He had written a couple of tunes and apparently Buck and Sunny thought they were good. They decided to have him do a recording session on their Buck and Sunny record label. He recorded "She's Gone" and "A Stranger".

Billboard wrote a review of that record and stated that Houston's style was a bit like Johnny Cash. They termed both sides of the record as 'weepers'. The 'A' side was about a train that took his gal far away; the 'B' side was about a stranger that took his gal away.

Survivors are:

1 daughter: Debbie Hartman

4 sons: David Barks and wife Cathy, Dana Barks and wife Kandy, Jeff Barks and wife Annie and Dallas Barks

several grandchildren and great grandchildren

step daughter: Vicki Howard

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walker and Cassie Barks; 1 grandson, Donovan Barks; 1 aunt, Ruth Jackson; and 1 step daughter, Cindy.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 19, 2016 at noon at 208 Lee St. in Vian, Oklahoma.

A second memorial service will be held in Visalia, California on December 2, 2016 at 11 am.

Cremation is under the direction of Agent Mallory Martin Funeral Home in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.

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