ɐ stˈɪnt ɪnðə jˈuː.ˈɛs. mɚɹˈiːn kˈɔːɹ bˈuːt kˈæmp ˌɪntɚɹˈʌptᵻd bɜːnˈɑːɹdz mjˈuːzɪkəl kɚɹˈɪɹ bˌʌt, ˈæftɚ sˈɛvɹəl mˈʌnθs, hiː ɹᵻtˈɜːnd tə sˈaʊθ luːˌiːzɪˈænə tə fˈɔːɹm ðə ʃˈɑːndɛlz nˌɑːt təbi kənfjˈuːzd wɪð tˈɑːmi dʒˈeɪmz ɡɹˈuːp wɪð fˈɛloʊ swˈɑːmp pˈɑːp mjuːzˈɪʃənz wˈɔːɹən stˈoːɹm ænd skˈɪp stˈuːɚt.
A stint in the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp interrupted Bernard's musical career but, after several months, he returned to south Louisiana to form The Shondells (not to be confused with Tommy James' group) with fellow swamp pop musicians Warren Storm and Skip Stewart.