Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1774
at the helm 8 Houseboatmagazine.com house boat magazine "I tried to get Shotgun Red alone to ask him some questions for the article, but it didn't matter; where we went it seemed like Steve Hall just had to follow." Cruising with red I don't want to come across as one of those guys, but through my boating connections I've been able to meet a lot of great people. But there is one particular encounter that was a little different than the others. A few weeks ago I had the privilege of houseboating with an unusual character known as Shotgun Red. What makes this guy so unique? Well, for start- ers he's a puppet. The story goes that he was found in a Minneso- ta hobby shop by Steve Hall in 1980, but when I asked Shot- gun he confirmed that it was actually the other way around. From that point he became the emcee for Steve's band, which helped launch both their careers. Red became a regular member of the "Nashville Now!" cast for over 10 years and he also appeared for 10 years on one of country music's most successful syndicated and cable network TV programs, "Hee Haw." The little guy even hosted TNN's first music video show, "Country Clips," for six years. But what impressed me the most was the way he can drive an 80-foot houseboat. I was in the Nashville, Tenn., area for a photo shoot on a new Horizon Yachts houseboat that will be featured in an up- coming issue of Houseboat. This boat is owned by Steve and his fianceé Sheila Keaton and although it's named Miss Sheila, Shotgun Red gets plenty of attention on this boat. I tried to get Red alone to ask him some questions for the article, but it didn't matter; where we went it seemed like Steve just had to follow. I was hoping to get some candid an- swers out of him to see what it's really like to work so closely with Steve for all these years, but I got the feeling that these two really don't separate much. We cruised around J. Percy Priest Lake for a few hours, but I never was able to talk Shotgun into going down the stern slide. I imagine he's still a little shy about getting into the water—despite being from Minnesota. The quick-witted Red is still performing today with Steve Hall and the Shotgun Red band after being the lead act on the General Jackson Showboat in Nashville for over 12 years and more than 3500 shows. After a day on the water I headed to the Nashville Night- life Dinner Theater to catch a show. It's a little unusual to go houseboating all day and visit with Brenda Best, Jennifer Bruce as well as Steve and Shotgun Red and then be in the audience to hear them perform. I've met a wide range of houseboaters during my tenure, but this kind of a day was a first for me. Jennifer wasn't supposed to perform that night, but she was talked into it and both her and Brenda did a great job singing. Shotgun and his sidekick Steve closed the show with im- pressions of country music stars, songs and a great comedy act that left the crowd roaring. After the show we ended our night at John A's, a local hangout that recently relocated after 30 years at the Nashville Palace where many grand Ole Opry stars, movie stars, sports icons and politicians came to dine, perform on stage or to enjoy good food, good friends and a good time. The new place owned by John A Hobbs appears to be just as popular. Shotgun is a cheap date and if it wasn't for me we probably could have got out there with a friendly tab. It was a unique day that was full of a lot of characters and a lot of fun that started on a Horizon house- boat and ended with Steve and his limitless supply of jokes. Brady L. Kay Editor, Houseboat Magazine