Phil Houseal

Playing to a Full House: the People Who Make the Music of the Texas Hill Country Phil Houseal

Listen to the sounds of the Texas Hill Country. Meet the talented, fascinating, and colorful entertainers who both inspire and draw inspiration from the land, the people, and the heritage of the Hill Country. From his front row seat, Phil Houseal has been able to share their stories through his weekly Full House column in the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post. Inside you will find interesting and accessible tales from behind the footlights: -What guitar whiz Monte Montgomery learned as a boy at Luckenbach -How Ray Price invented the shuffle beat -The real story of the 13th Floor Elevators -How a car accident set opera tenor Don Braswell back on the right road -How Larry Gatlin would have changed one of his hit songs -What it took so long for Thomas Michael Riley to admit -What Fredericksburg means to Stephanie Urbina Jones -How Nashville Star finalist John Arthur Martinez saved a fan?s life -Why an old-time radio star was blackballed by Bing Crosby Plus a host of Hill Country characters, such as the polka band that never practices and the mysterious Elvis who still plays Main Street! Best of all, these are stories of warmth, insight, and fun. Because no matter who is listening, they always play to a Full House!