Chuck Woolery's nickname was ‘Tex’ growing up, perhaps foreshadowing of what was to come for the former game show host.
He visited Austin three years ago, and he's lived here ever since.
KVUE caught up with Woolery recently, and he even showed us a few of his favorite things.
After more than three decades as a host of hit game shows like Love Connection, Woolery is away from L.A. and happy to call Horseshoe Bay home.
He came here in 2006 to tape a commercial and bought a home within two days. It was only supposed to be a vacation home.
“Then three months after, I said to my wife, ‘Let's move to Texas,’ and she said, ‘Are you insane?’” he said.
Woolery has loved bass fishing since he was a kid, so Horseshoe Bay was a natural fit, and now he's on Lake LBJ every day.
He and Kim, his wife of three years, live in a modest yet beautiful home, with 13-year-old Shawn , Woolery's son from a previous marriage.
In all, he has eight kids.
“That's Michael, my son. He's 19 now and going to school on the back porch playing guitar, which he does so well,” he said.
Woolery gave KVUE a look around the home and showed us some of his favorite things.
“That's an old thing of me -- it says ‘Good Morning and Welcome to Scrabble. I'm Chuck Woolery.’ I had to have everything written for me; I couldn't even remember my name,” he said.
After all these years, Woolery still has that same infectious laugh that shows in his eyes as much as in his smile, and then there's that knack for storytelling -- like the time a friend of his gave him a very special gift.
“This is called an L-5. It's about a 1928 to 1933 Archtop Gibson L-5 -- very important guitar. I said, ‘Gary, you cannot give me this guitar.’
Turns out Gary's father was Bing Crosby,” he said. “And he said I hated my dad, and they did they didn't like their father at all, so I said, ‘OK, I'll keep it, and if you ever want it back, I'll give it to you.’ And he passed away, so I have Bing Crosby’s Archtop l-5, and it still to this day -- sounds great.”
Woolery has no regrets about anything in his past. He's a naturally happy guy, loves his life in Horseshoe Bay, and says when it comes to the Austin area, there's no place he'd rather be.
“It's just like Venice Beach, California right in the middle of Texas. It's a very eclectic, interesting place. I like it.,” he said.
Woolery has a website where he sells his own line of signature bass fishing products.
He's also a devout Christian and spends a great deal of his time volunteering in ministry.
