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Johnny Nicholas has been playing the blues from both coasts, as well as points in between. Since the early 60s . He has enjoyed apprenticeships with some of the music’s most revered names, and along the way found time to raise a family and build up Hill Top Café, a classic Texas roadhouse, located in the Texas Hill Country. This move occurred after a three year stint with Texas' legendary western swing band, Asleep at the Wheel. After Johnny left the Wheel his musical endeavors focused on performing at the Hill Top Cafe and other selective club dates and private engagements. In 1981 Johnny and his new bride Brenda Schlaudt moved to the Hill Country near Fredericksburg. They bought an abandoned gas station on the Mason Highway just north of Fredericksburg and dubbed it the Hill Top Café, serving Greek, Cajun and Texas comfort foods; it has grown into one of the Hill Country’s finest and most popular restaurants. And they raised three sons: Rio (deceased), Willie and Alex. He recorded Broke Again
in 1986 on vinyl. In 1991, Johnny produced With the Summer 2000 release of Rockin’ My Blues to Sleep: Texas/Louisiana Blues and Dance Hall Favorites, he and his band the Texas All-Stars staked their claim to the music of the region he has called home for more than three decades.
2005 saw the release of Livin with the Blues
on Top Cat Records followed, popular demand, with the re-release of Broke Again.
The He and the Texas All-Stars are available for festivals, club dates and private functions offering the same kind of rootsy regional music that appears on their CDs . "This is regular, downhome music that has a good beat. It’s music for working people, but anybody can appreciate it," he concludes. "There’s that word ‘dance hall’ in the title, and really, that’s what it’s all about." You can usually catch Johnny on the weekends at the Hill Top Cafe between 6 and 10 p.m. unless he is on the road or has another engagement. LISTEN TO THE MUSIC: Thrill
on the Hill | Rockin My
Blues to Sleep | Broke
Again
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and played guitar on Back to the Country, with
Johnny Shines (another of his mentors) and Snooky Pryor. Johnny’s own Thrill
on the Hill followed in 1994; since then, he has returned for gigs in Europe, where
his popularity never tapered off. 
following
year Johnny and the Texas All Stars recorded the live album, Big Band Bash.
For ten years Johnny has produced an event which has become wildly successful
called The Texas All-Stars Big Band Bash. This event , in addition to being a great
show, has raised over $50,000 for youth music and theatre workshops, scholarships, camps
and mentoring. "We want to pass on our love of traditional Texas and American
music forms to the youth," Johnny observed.