‘A Lot Like Singing:’ Billy Henry Likens Hosting ‘StarDate’ To The Way He Makes Music

The sounds of Texas.

By Joy Diaz, Laura Rice & Shelly BrisbinApril 9, 2021 2:19 pm,

When Billy Henry took over hosting “StarDate,” the syndicated radio show produced by the McDonald Observatory that appears on radio stations across the U.S., he knew he had big shoes to fill. Sandy Wood had hosted the program for many years. She was synonymous with “StarDate.”

Henry is a touring musician from Pasadena, Texas. He teaches music writing at Texas State. Henry has been hosting StarDate since Wood retired in 2019.

“Everybody’s expecting to hear her, and then you hear this guy, and you go, ‘that’s not Sandy.’ She did such a great job, so I’m really glad that everyone’s… kind of been, ‘we’re OK with this guy.'”

“Doing voiceover a lot of times is a lot like singing. Those have always been so connected, that it’s not just reading. It’s how do you convey this?”

“I was in, somewhere in New Mexico, and we climbed up to the top of this mountain. It was dark. We were probably 6,000-7,000 feet. And, just the first time in my life, looking around, there was more light than dark.”

“I wish people would see that we’re all in this together… that we’re all connected. We’re on the same rock. So, look around and connect with some people.”

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.

Most viewed right now