By: Trina “Indi” Johnson
Special to the PARADE
Alan Stewart has a smile that could soften a storm and a presence so relaxed it could quiet a restless room. There’s a lightness in the way he carries himself, a kind of easy grace that lets people know they’re about to have a good time. No need to say it. You just feel it. And if you look closely, there’s a glint of mischief in his eyes, like he’s always ready for the next good story or unexpected twist. “I’m just a laid-back kind of guy,” he said. “Folks say I’ve always been that way.”
He’s a two-time award-winning harmonica player in Texas, though you’d never hear him brag. These days, he plays everything from steel drums and guitar, of which he owns five, to congas and a full drum set. Music’s always been part of the rhythm of his life. It started with a drum set in sixth grade. Within months, he was in a band, and after college, he hit the road with a touring group, playing gigs across more than 20 states in the 1970s. There were smoky bars, long highways, and nights spent opening for national acts. Along the way, he got to know Mickey Raphael, Willie Nelson’s harmonica player, and even landed an invite to one of Willie’s Fourth of July picnics, though rain shut it down.
His harmonica style leans heavily toward the grit and soul of American roots music. “My favorite kind of harmonica music is Chicago blues,” he said. “My second best is country. I studied under Greg Taylor’s style of music. He’s Jimmy Buffett’s harmonica.” He’s drawn to the character of honky-tonks and finds himself most at home on stages like Texas Rose and Harley’s.
At Harley’s, Stewart is a key player in the Wildcat Thicket, a band led by Rande Hall and known for its vibrant jam nights. The Wildcat Thicket has built a reputation for letting artists cycle through the stage, and Stewart’s harmonica work smooths the sound, threading the sessions together with effortless grace. “That is a great band,” he said simply.
You’ll still find him playing live every week. On Tuesdays, he performs at Margaritaville, an outdoor venue where the sound rolls across the open space and spills out over the Gulf. Starting in October, he returns to Harley’s on Wednesdays and plays the Texas Rose in La Feria in the winter months.
But music is only one rhythm in his life. After retiring from Southwestern Bell, Stewart picked up a captain’s license and turned it into a full second career. The man running a local boat captain school was heading north and offered Alan the business.
“I bought it, built it up and became a successful second career,” he said. “I recently sold it to my stepson, which has turned it around and now has two schools.”
There’s also the woodwork. Routed signs done meticulously, clean lines, carved lettering, and the occasional whimsical touch. “I make mine from routing into the wood, creating artwork from people and stuff,” he said. “They are all for sale.” The work is careful, creative, and much like Stewart himself, unpretentious, steady, and full of character.
At 73, he still moves with purpose. He swims every day, lives with two dogs, a cat, and a yellow-headed parrot. He’s always building, always playing, always looking for something new to create. “Nothing really surprises me,” he said. “I have always been a go-getter; wanting to make money and doing stuff. I’m 73 now and still going strong.”
He credits much of his balance to his wife, Janice. “She was an educator,” he said. “She knows how to keep me in line and alive.” Still, there’s a flicker of mischief in Stewart’s eyes, a sign he’s always ready to throw a little salt on the rim and keep things interesting.
Asked what folks ought to know about him, Stewart answered in the same steady tone he carries into every room. “That I’m still going strong,” he said. “Still playing. Still living. Still loving it.”
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