Stephen F. Austin State University

Flat-picking, strumming and bowing stringed instruments of all types, along with promoting musical acts for benefit events, keep area physician Brian Hull pretty upbeat and busy.

“I’ve been playing a musical instrument since I was 10 years old,” the self-taught picker said. “I used to steal my brother’s guitar out of his bedroom when he went off to the Army.”

Part of Hull’s early love of music came from being raised in a family where the arts were important. “My father always had music on the stereo, from Segovia to Dixieland to swing to bluegrass. You can’t help but absorb and have a love for it.”

He kept a guitar around in college for his own piece of mind and for relaxation, but then he put it away for a while until he went into private practice.

“I was talking to a friend of mine and it kind of rekindled my interest in the instrument.” Hull began to play more seriously, and in the early ‘90s got interested in mandolin at a bluegrass festival.

From there, he picked up the fiddle and now a Dobro slide guitar. “Pretty much if it has strings on it,” he said with a laugh, “I’ve messed around with it.”

He plays in several pickup bluegrass bands, but because of time, most of his playing with other musicians is at bluegrass and music festivals.

A promoter

While taking mandolin lessons from Butch Baldessari, the founder of the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Hull became interested in bringing traditional music to the area.

“One of things I discovered was that great musicians were always wanting to show the world their art and there are very few venues available.” It was Baldessari who taught him how to promote shows.

Hull formed Acoustic Arts Productions, and has promoted more than 60 shows to date.

His biggest shows were Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Each raised enough money for Habitat for Humanity to build one of two homes.

Hull has also done shows for Midwestern State University as well as music series for the Kemp Center for the Arts. “I’m proud to say, at last count, five or six Grammy winners have played those shows.

“The real drive is to show people here that there is incredible music and art available, and you don’t have to pay $50 a ticket for it. There’s wonderful musicians out there and I don’t think people are exposed to it.”

Hull’s next event is the Cattle Barons Ball on Saturday, which will feature Asleep at the Wheel, Byron Berline and Johnny Dee and The Doo Wopps. The event benefits the American Cancer Society.

A physician

Hull has been a family practitioner in the area since 1991, after retiring from the Air Force following a four-year stint at Sheppard Air Force Base.

Last July, he left a group of doctors to become a solo family practitioner. “I am old school,” he said, “in the sense that I think that health care can be delivered in a solo practitioner model. Try to give individual attention to the patients.”

There’s more to do on a day-to-day basis, he said, but it’s very rewarding. Family medicine is a challenge because every patient is different.

He enjoys the people he meets daily and the rapport he develops with them. “I think a physician is kind of inline with your minister and your best friend,” he said.

Hull said physicians are “regular people who get up everyday and are honored and blessed to be able to take care of other human beings. To me, it’s still a calling, and it’s still a blessing to be able to do it.”

Hull was born in Durham, N.C., but moved to Houston with his family in 1963, at the age of 9. His father, an aerospace physiologist, worked for NASA to help land a man on the moon.

His mother, a Shakespearian actress with a master’s degree, taught Latin and English. His older brother is a pediatrician and his older sister works as a physical therapist.

Hull’s wife taught school for 13 years until retiring to raise their three children. She now tutors at-risk children.

The couple has three children. Meghan graduates from MSU with honors this spring in biology. Kate is journalism major at the University of Texas, and Kenneth is a senior at Rider and will start UT in the fall.

When he was growing up, Hull’s parents emphasized education and the family regularly talked the arts, science and politics at the kitchen table. It was an environment that made him interested in a variety of subjects.

He received two bachelor’s degrees at Stephen F. Austin University, focusing on biology and chemistry with minors in history and English.

He began graduate school in environmental toxicology, was accepted to medical school, but decided against it for financial reasons. He went to work in an environmental lab as a water chemist and also at a hospital.

Hull applied for an Air Force scholarship to attend medical school. He trained at Carswell Air Force Base and graduated from his residency in family medicine in 1987. He transferred to Sheppard where he was chief of family medicine for two years and an instructor until 1991. Then he retired to enter private practice.

When he’s not practicing medicine or raising his family, Hull is either practicing or playing several stringed instruments, or planning an area benefit music event to promote.

Not an avid traveler, he does enjoy driving the back ways through the south to see family in Decatur, Ala. Hull also manages to make a few music festivals. For the past 15 years, he has attended the national flat-picking championships in Winfield, Kan.

“It’s an annual pilgrimage,” he said, “every third weekend in September.” He and 20,000 other pickers chat with their friends, sit around the campfires and play.

Professionally, Hull wants to continue practicing medicine for at least 10 more years. When he retires, or changes direction, he would like to do more music promotion and bring more arts to the community.

His dream is to develop some nonsmoking friendly places where people can affordably watch a good folk artist, singer songwriter, jazz or light pop music.

Hull considers it a win-win situation when he can help introduce a new artist to the community who will play something new to an excited audience. “That’s really magical,” he said.

“I want to stay involved with music. I love it. My passion is that other people are exposed to it.”