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Remembering Texas Radio Hall-of-Famer and 'Twine Time' Host Paul Ray

Marsha Miller
Paul Ray outside the Continental Club in 2005. The longtime KUT/KUTX music host passed away Friday at the age of 73.

Paul Ray, Texas Radio Hall of Famer and host of KUTX's “Twine Time,” died Friday, Jan. 15. He was 73.

Ray hosted “Twine Time” on KUTX 98.9 – which spun out of KUT 90.5 as a full-time music service in 2013 – since 1978, along with hosts Bill Bentley and Pat Crumhorn.

WEB_PaulRayObit.mp3
KUTX's Art Levy remembers longtime Austin DJ Paul Ray.

For nearly 40 years, “Twine Time” has been Austin’s Saturday night soundtrack. Occasional specials celebrated everything from Elvis’ birthday to gospel music, all of it fueled by Ray’s passion, encyclopedic knowledge and a music collection of more than 5,000 records.

Ray founded the Dallas blues band Paul Ray & the Cobras, which helped launch musician Stevie Ray Vaughan’s career.

“There’s no doubt that Paul left an indelible mark on the Texas music scene, from his early years performing in Dallas, to his nearly 50 years in Austin as both a musician and a radio host,” says Matt Reilly, KUTX program director. “His legacy will live on through the countless musicians he inspired and the fans that looked to him as an encyclopedia of musical history. He will always be an Austin treasure.”

Credit Burley Auction Group
A poster for Ray's final show with the Cobras at the Armadillo, though, he did reunite with them from time to time at the Continental Club for a holiday show.

Ray and “Twine Time” received many local honors and awards, including “Best Radio Program” in the Austin Chronicle 2014 Austin Music Industry Awards and "Best DJ" multiple times in the Austin Chronicle Music Awards. His band, Paul Ray & The Cobras, was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2006. 

Ray is survived by his wife Diana. His friends and family have created a You Caring fundraising page to help defray medical and funeral expenses.

Below you can listen to Paul reminisce about one of his old Austin haunts, The One Knite, and to a 2014 interview Ray did with The Texas Standard's David Brown in 2014.

And here's a handwritten autobiography from Paul himself, courtesy of KUTX:

If you're missing that "Twine Time" sound, take a listen to eight-hour Spotify playlist of some of Ray's deepest cuts from the show: