A guitarist for nearly a half century, Howard began performing at age twelve. His interest in folk music goes back to the early 60s when he heard Peter, Paul and Mary, the Smothers Brothers, Joan Baez and other folk stars. Howard trained in classical music on the cello and jazz on the bass guitar. While in high school he first heard the music of Jorma Kaukonen, Reverend Gary Davis, Jelly Roll Morton and other traditional blues artists beginning a lifelong love of acoustic blues and Americana. After studying music at Lewis and Clark College, Howard formed the Sons of Bernard folk/rock combo with bassist Peter Whitmore (Three Leg Torso, Kafana Klub) and guitarist Mikel Parker (Radio Moscow, Phantom Bluff). Through the 1980s he performed and recorded with a variety of bands in the San Francisco area playing some of the well known clubs such as the Keystone and Kuumbwa Jazz Center. He returned to Portland in 2005 to reform the Sons of Bernard. Since then he has performed solo, with the Sons of Bernard and with recording artist Joan Berry in local clubs such as 9 Muses, Mississippi Pizza, and Artichoke Music.