On August 5th, 2024 during the regularly scheduled city council meeting, Llano Mayor Marion Bishop proclaimed the day to henceforth be celebrated as “Polly Morgan Day.” But who is Polly Morgan?
Mayor Bishop, in his proclamation, stated that Polly Morgan was “born in May 1938 as the first born child of Philip and Odelle Graham … she demonstrated an extraordinary musical talent from a very young age, starting piano lessons long before her feet could even reach the pedals of the piano, and developed a remarkable ability to play by ear. Her early dedication to music led her to playing the piano at church and she became known for her exceptional skill as an accompanist.”
When Polly was a teenager in 1954, working as a clerk at the Hotel Llano, her talents caught the ear of Johnny Horton, a well known country and rockabilly musician of the time. Horton and Paul Howard, bandleader of the Arkansas Cotton Pickers, hosted a talent contest in the Llano High School Auditorium in which Polly performed her rendition of “Down Yonder”.
