HILL COUNTRY BLUES
it took me a while to court her,” he said. But, eventually, the couple married and moved to he Hill Country, where Brenda was from, in the early 1980s. There the couple bought an old gas station roadhouse called Hill Top — now Hill Top Cafe. “Brenda was a great cook,” Johnny said. “This place was a beer joint and gas station. Then, we bought a two-burner hotplate, and she started making gumbo and chili.” Owning Hill Top Cafe and living in the Hill Country gave Johnny something he hadn’t been used to in a while — roots. “I had been on the road hard for 15 years at that point, and I wanted to get away from that whole lifestyle,” he said. Although he might not have been touring as much, Johnny was still busy with music. He released four out of his five albums since moving to the Hill Country, including 1988’s “Broke Again,” 1994’s “Thrill on the Hill,” 2012’s “Future Blues”
“Johnny Nicholas is one of the best bluesmen ever, black or white.” - Stephen Bruton APRIL 2018 | TEXAS
Hill Country CULTURE 31