If you create a new layer just above the background, fill with 50% gray and change the layer blending mode to overlay or soft light, you can apply your texture to that layer and have future editing control over its properties. You can also add a hue/saturation adjustment layer to your background layer to tweak the background color.

A drop shadow Layer style added to the image layer will let the background texture show through. Adjust the drop shadow opacity to your liking.
forum discussion: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=34226271
original image by Jeff: