Come along, ever’body, come along,
Come while the moon is shinin’ bright.
We’re gonna have a wonderful time
At the Louisiana Hayride tonight!
On April 3, 1948, The Louisiana Hayride radio program was first broadcast on KLKH Shreveport over a 50,000-watt station, reaching twenty-eight states and overseas through the Armed Forces Radio Network. This occurred in the years after World War II and during a period of growth in the United States, which had families tuning into musical radio programs, especially on Saturday nights. While the preeminent of the “barn dance” radio programs resided at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, a similar idea spread to other regions. It launched some of the biggest stars in country music and rockabilly history.
The promised land for musicians and singers was undoubtedly Nashville, where the Grand Ole Opry welcomed and promoted country music stars. But the Louisiana Hayride focused more on developing new talent and providing a training ground each week as they became increasingly popular with their audiences before eventually making the big move to Tennessee. Since the program birthed new acts each week, it developed the nickname “the cradle of the stars.”
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Located in Shreveport, Louisiana, the Hayride remained isolated in relation to the other major music broadcasts located in Nashville, TN, Chicago, IL, and Wheeling, WV. On Saturday nights, the Municipal Auditorium, or the “Muni” as many referred to it, packed in 3,800 spectators to witness country music history in the making. Sponsored by KLKH radio station, owned by the predominant Ewing family, led by Henry Clay, and emceed by Horace Logan, the Louisiana Hayride provided entertainment locally and later via CBS on a national format.
Without Horace Logan’s ability to take a chance on unknown talent, the world would never have experienced such innovative singers and musicians. Beginning with the Hillbilly Shakespeare himself, Hank Williams, and his Drifting Cowboys, the Hayride’s popularity grew to massive proportions each week. The tall, thin Alabamian composed heartbreaking songs and performed in such personal contact with the crowd that you needed a heart of stone not to feel the pain and loneliness emanating from this singer. Hank Williams debuted Lovesick Blues, Your Cheatin’ Heart, and Take These Chains from my Heart on the Municipal Auditorium stage, which cemented his status as a bona fide star, no cradle necessary.
After less than a year at the Hayride, Hank Williams answered the call for Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, though the move would have disastrous results on both his personal life and musical career. After getting fired from the Grand Ole Opry, Hank returned to the Louisiana Hayride with a three-year performance commitment, which sadly would be left unfulfilled with his untimely death three months later.
After the devastating loss of Hank Williams, the Hayride continued its tradition of promoting local talent, eventually launching the successful careers of country stars Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Slim Whitman, Johnny Horton, and Johnny Cash. But it would hit the jackpot in 1954 when a nineteen-year-old kid from Memphis, Tennessee, dubbed “The Hillbilly Cat,” would take the Hayride and the rest of the country by storm with his unique blend of rhythm and blues, gospel, and country music.
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Elvis Presley spent 18 months on the Louisiana Hayride, perfecting his lip curl, hip movement, and female fan base. The crowds grew weekly, filling the Municipal Auditorium to standing-room-only while this electric performer debuted That’s All Right Mama, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Good Rockin’ Tonight, and Baby, Let’s Play House. Elvis became the show’s closing act because no other artist wished to follow him once his popularity soared.
