The Louisiana Hayride (KWKH ~ Apr. 3, 1948 ~ Aug. 27, 1960) 

The Louisiana Hayride, Part I 

On a Saturday night in 1948, Hank Williams stepped onto the stage of The Louisiana Hayride and sang Lovesick Blues. Until then, Williams' yodeling style had been classified as hillbilly music and it was virtually omitted from the mainstream music realm.

Taking a chance on this unproven artist, The Louisiana Hayride, a radio country music show like the Grand Ole Opry, not only helped Williams get his career underway, but went on to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music.

From its premiere in 1948 to its final show in 1960, the Hayride was the starting point for many artists such as country music giants Jim Reeves, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, Hank Snow and George Jones.

Pictured right Jimme Davis

Through the years, the Hayride roster included other well known genre crossing performers such as a young, singer named Elvis Presley, the future King of Rock and Roll.

During its heyday (1950 ~ 1959), the Hayride surpassed the Grand Ole Opry in terms of its impact on discovering and promoting new and established artist.

The Louisiana Hayride was a radio barn dance program and later television country music show, which was broadcast live from the Municipal Auditorium inShreveport,Louisiana. The Hayride was instrumental in transforming old-fashioned music into a modern exclusive sound that became sort of a brand for country music. Several factors helped the Hayride succeed. From 1948-1952, cities were restricted to a single television station, thus limiting entertainment options.

The Hayride's flagship station, KWKH, a 50,000 watt station, beamed the Hayride broadcasts into twenty-eight states. In 1953 the show gained national exposure when the CBS Radio Network started broadcasting Hayride segments to its 198 affiliates across the country.

The Hayride got another boost when KWKH sister station, KTHS of Little Rock, Arkansas, also a 50,000 watt station, began broadcasting the Hayride live, giving the program an expanded audience.

In 1954, the Armed Forces Network started airing thirty-minute segments of Hayride broadcasts every Saturday on its Pacific channel.

Pictured left Johnny Cash

Its star performers during these years included Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Marty Robbins and, from 1955, Johnny Cash. 

Inspired by and modeled on such influential barn dance radio programs as the famed WSM Grand Ole Opry fromNashville, the Town Hall Party fromCompton,California, and the WLS Barn Dance fromChicago,Illinois, the Hayride evolved into a true phenomenon and was an eventual staging ground for stardom. From its earliest days, the Hayride featured performances by a string of aspiring and legendary artists.

The Hayride also served as a proving ground for a generation of studio sidemen and producers who steered popular music for decades after the Hayride's final broadcast. The Hayride became one of the major live country music radio shows during a time when the genre was transforming to a more refined and contemporary sound. The Hayride was poised to exert significant influence in the country music arena and it ranked right up there with the Grand Ole Opry and other similar shows. 

While popularity of The Louisiana Hayride was partially attributed to performances by Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, unquestionably, there were many other major contributors.

The following is a partial listing of The Cradle of the Stars, who helped bring the Hayride into fame and made it one of the leading musical platforms of the era: 

 [A -- E] THE CRADLE OF THE STARS!

1. Acuff, Roy
2. Adams, Charlie
3. Allison, Joe
4. Amos, Betty
5. Anglin, Jack
6. Arnold, Eddie
7. Attaway, Buddy
8. Baggett, Linda
9. Bailes Brothers (Homer & John)
10. Bailes, Frankie
11. Bailey, Deford
12. Barnes, Benny
13. Barton, B.
14. Baumgardner, Marvin
15. Baggett, Linda
16. Beck, Jimmy
17. Belcher, Ray
18. Belew, Carl
19. Bernard, Dudley
20. Berry, Chuck
21. Black, Bill
22. Blair, Hal
23. Bond, Eddy
24. Brad & Jerry
25. Browns (The Browns)
26. Bruce , Van
27. Brumley, Albert E.
28. Bryant, Boudleaux
29. Bryant, Gary
30. Burns, W.
31. Cantrell, William
32. Carlisle, Bill
33. Carlisle's
34. Carter, A. P.
35. Carter, June
36. Carter, Mother Maybelle
37. Cash, Johnny
38. Center, Bob
39. Charles, Dick
40. Claude, Gray
41. Clements, Zeke,
42. Collins, Dorothy
43. Copas, Cowboy,
44. Covington, Pappy,
45. Cozzo, Jane,
46. Dale, Jeff
47. Davis, Jimmie
48. Davis, Skeeter
49. Duffy, Steve
50. Edwards, D.
51. Edwards, Tibby

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Louisiana Hayride, Part II 

Two men crucial to the success of the Hayride were Horace Logan (Aug. 3, 1916--Oct. 13, 2002) and Tillman Franks (Sept. 29, 1920--Oct. 26, 2006).Loganwas ten years old when he and his mother moved toShreveport. At sixteen, he accompanied a friend to an announcer contest at KWKH. When one of the other contestants dropped out,Loganwas asked to audition. He won the prize working as early morning radio announcer.

After World War II, Horace was offered the job of program director at KWKH. Station management wanted to revamp an old program called Saturday Night Roundup.Loganwas given the assignment to put together The Louisiana Hayride and was in charge of booking the show's talent. This was great timing as during and after the war, country music enjoyed an unprecedented boom in popularity.

Pictured right Kitty Wells

Logan fashioned a show that was broadcast each Saturday fromShreveport's 3,800-seat Municipal Auditorium. He took the name from a book that was made into a Broadway show, also called Louisiana Hayride. Horace began producing the show in 1948, a position he held for ten years. It survived only two years afterLogan's departure in 1958. 

The inaugural broadcast was April 3, 1948 and the lineup included: the Bailes Brothers, Johnnie and Jack and the Tennessee Mountain Boys with Kitty Wells, the Four Deacons, Curley Kinsley, the Tennessee Ridge Runners, Harmie Smith, the Ozark Mountaineers, the Mercy Brothers andTexasand the Texas Playboys. Horace was the original producer and emcee for the program. 

When The Louisiana Hayride began, country music reached a larger audience then ever, not only in the South, but throughout the nation. The region nurtured such varied talents as Huddie Ledbetter, the "king of the twelve-string guitar" and Jimmie Davis, the two term singing governor ofLouisianawho penned You Are My Sunshine.

The first breakthrough for The Louisiana Hayride that would place it on an even footing with the older and more established Grand Ole Opry came when Hank Williams became a regular on the show. In August 1948 Hank made his début on the show, the start of a dramatic, yet spectacular career. 

Pictured left Don Gibson

After Williams appeared on the Hayride, he recorded Lovesick Blues and the Opry drew him into their fold. Although Williams left the Hayride in 1949, he returned following his firing from the Opry in 1952. When he returned that September, he performed on the show during Slim Whitman appreciation night.

Logan introduced Hank and when he came on stage, he told the folks that he would be back on the Hayride as a regular starting the following week and he sang Jambalaya. The world famous Louisiana Hayride, became known as "Cradle of the Stars." Because most of the talented country artists who got their first breaks on the Hayride would eventually move on toNashville, it was common to hear The Lousiana Hayride referred to as "the Grand Ole Opry's farm team." Horace, however, referred to the Opry as "theTennesseebranch of the Hayride." 

While popularity of The Louisiana Hayride was partially attributed to performances by Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, unquestionably, there were many other major contributors. The following is a partial listing of The Cradle of the Stars, who helped bring the Hayride into fame and made it one of the leading musical platforms of the era: 

 [F -- J] THE CRADLE OF THE STARS!

1. Fairburn, Werly
2. Fautheree, Jimmy
3. Foley, Red
4. Ford, Jack
5. Four Deacons
6. Friml, Rudolf
7. Friend, Cliff
8. Fontana, Pete
9. Fowler, L.S.
10. Franks, Tillman
11. Frizzell, Lefty
12. Gallion Bob
13. Gatley, Jimmie
14. Gibson, Don
15. Glosson, Lonnie
16. Grant, Marshall
17. Gray, W.
18. Grimely , Cliff
19. Grimsley, E.M.
20. Gunter, Arthur
21. Hawkins, Hawkshaw
22. Hayden, Darnell
23. Hill, Tommy
24. Heinz, Jack
25. Hendrix , Roy
26. Herndon, Curley
27. Hicks, Jeanette
28. Hill, Goldie
29. Hausey, Howard
30. Hilliard, Bob
31. Hoot & Curley
32. Horton, Johnny
33. Houser, Hazel
34. Houston, David
35. Hunter, Ivory Jo
36. Howard, Harlan
37. Kay, Jack
38. King, Claude
39. Knight, Thomas Blake
40. James, Sonny
41. Jimmy & Johnny
42. Johnny & Jack and Kitty Wells
43. Johnson, Dobber
44. Johnson, Jerry
45. Jones, George
46. Jones, Grandpa
47. Jones, Oakley
48. Jones, Ralph
49. Jones, Wilbur
50. Jordanaires

---------------------------------------------------------------------------LouisianaHayride, Part III 

Horace Logan and talent manager Tillman Franks, became aware of a young singer fromMemphis. They decided to give him a chance to perform on the Hayride (October 1954). It was a crucial break for Elvis Presley, after a mediocre debut on the Grand Ole Opry failed to garner him a return invitation. Presley was introduced to his first national radio audience on the Hayride. Elvis sang "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky," before a cheering crowd. His exposure on the Hayride sent him on a path toward eventual stardom. 

In many ways, the Hayride was a subtle spin-off of the Grand Ole Opry, but with two key differences. While both programs focused on country music, the Hayride embraced new artists and new musical innovations that the staunchly conservative Grand Ole Opry would never consider.

Pictured right Johnny Horton

While the Opry would rarely if ever feature a performer who had not yet had a hit record, such as Stonewall Jackson, the Hayride often welcomed aspiring artists who had yet to find an audience. While the Opry banned the electric guitar and drums, the Hayride embraced a variety of musical instruments. 

With the dawning of the '60s, television began to establish itself as the center of family activity. Popular radio personalities like Jack Benny and  Bob Hope moved from radio to television. Gunsmoke followed suit, forcing radio to move away from live programs in favor of pre-recorded music.

The Louisiana Hayride no longer was as important to performers as it once was. Television was now the vehicle that brought artist into the national spotlight. This was evidenced by the appearances of Elvis and The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.  

The Hayride had its primary run from 1948 to 1960. Then its popularity began to erode in the late 50's and went first from a weekly show to monthly. In 1958, with the Hayride's audience on the wane,Loganleft to pursue broadcasting interests inTexas.

When Horace, departed Tillman Franks became the Hayride producer for the next two years. In his capacity as manager of singers, he built his reputation, working with Slim Whitman, Webb Pierce, Johnny Horton, Claude King, Jimmy C. Newman and David Houston. 

Tillman Franks also wrote several of Horton's songs and had his first brush with death as a passenger in the car crash that claimed Johnny Horton in 1960. Franks, who played bass fiddle in Horton's band, suffered serious head and internal injuries. 

Throughout the '60s they sporadically put on another hundred shows. However, they were mainly touring package shows of such acts as Webb Pierce, Roy Acuff, Lefty Frizzell and Johnny Cash.

Pictured left Webb Pierce

At that time, the Hayride was largely surviving on past momentum and reputation and by the early 1970s the once immensely successful and famousLouisianahayride had virtually died out.

The last time Elvis appeared for KWKH, was in 1956 where Horace Logan, the producer of The Louisiana Hayride, said, "Elvis has left the building."  That's where the words were spoken the first time. 

Horace Logan died inVictoria,Texasin 2002. Franks died inShreveportfour years later. Their music blazed a trail across the stage of The Louisiana Hayride, an era of artistic achievement that most surely will never be duplicated. 

While popularity of The Louisiana Hayride was partially attributed to performances by Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, unquestionably, there were many other major contributors. The following is a partial listing of The Cradle of the Stars, who helped bring the Hayride into fame and made it one of the leading musical platforms of the era: 

 [K -- R] THE CRADLE OF THE STARS!

1. Kershaw, Doug
2. King, Jimmy
3. Kilgore, Merle
4. Kinsley, Curley
5. Laird, Mrs. Elmer
6. Locklin , Hank
7. Leadbelly
8. Leiber, Jerry
9. Lindsey, Mur
10. Logan, Horace
11. London, Melvin
12. Louvin Brothers,
13. Luman, Bob
14. Lynn, Loretta
15. Maddox Brothers and Rose
16. Martin, Emory
17. Martin, Jimmy
18. Mathis, Johnny
19. Miller, Eddie
20. Miller, J.D.
21. Mims, Paul,
22. Mooney, Ralph
23. Moore, Scotty
24. Morgan, George
25. Morris, R.
26. Nelson, Ed
27. Newman, Jimmy C
28. Nettles, Bill
29. Nichols, Lee
30. Nixon, Joe
31. Nolan, Bob
32. Null, Cecil
33. O'Gwynn , James
34. Page , Frank
35. Perkins, Carl
36. Osborne Brothers
37. Osborne, Jimmy
38. Owens, Tex
39. Patterson, Pat
40. Payne, Leon
41. Perkins, Luther
42. Pierce, Webb
43. Polk, Lonnie
44. Pope, Joseph Willia
45. Presley, Elvis
46. Price, Ray
47. Reeves, Jim
48. Rice Brothers
49. Robbins, Marty
50. Roberts, Don
51. Rodgers, Jimmie
52. Rodique, Gene
53. Rose, Fred
54. Rowley, Dido
55. Russell, Johnny

---------------------------------------------------------------------------LouisianaHayride, Part IV

While KWKH Personnel were successful showcasing artists and promoting the Hayride, it appeared the station may have been careless with some back office business affairs. Apparently, less emphasis was placed on organizing, protecting and retaining audio tapes, memorabilia and other pertinent material associated with their Hayride sessions.

Many of the Hayride artists recorded some of their biggest hits at the KWKH studio. The Hayride ended around midnight, and the station would sign off the air at 1:00 a.m. and wouldn't go back on until 5:00am Sunday morning, leaving four hours that the studio was not in use. Hank Williams, Slim Whitman, Jim Reeves, and others would adjourn to the station's studios to cut tapes of new songs. 

In 1975, Dave Kent and other Shreveport business men wanted to revive The Louisiana Hayride. Dave approached KWKH management and asked them if he could by The Louisiana Hayride name from them. Kent and the businessmen were pondering the possibility of reviving the original Louisiana Hayride.

Dave Kent was informed that the name was never copyrighted and since the station had no intentions of using the name again, he was welcome to it. So, they signed some documents andKentacquired the name.

Amazingly, KWKH management never had the foresight to copyright the name, but even more astonishing were the shoddy methods employed in preserving the history and material of this historic show.

Pictured right Hank Williams

About the same time that Kentwas considering reviving the Hayride, KWKH personnel were preparing to move from its longtime Texas Street home in downtown Shreveport to a new

location on interstate I-20.

Movers were boxing up some things and discarding others. Station management askedKentif he wanted a box of reel-to-reel tapes of their Hayride shows. His son Joey was sent to pick up the tapes and while he was there, he was asked to help move a desk. When the desk was moved, a tape reel wedged between the desk and the wall fell to the floor. Joey retrieved the tape and noticed it had Elvis's name written on it. When he and his father listened to the tape, it turned out to be a recording of Elvis' Hayride debut. 

The station inexplicably discarded tapes, memorabilia and other pertinent material during its move. Contracts, call sheets, lists of performers and what they sang on the show, KWKH staff just threw in the trash.

However, some of Hank Williams recordings survived because Williams had a regular morning show on KWKH and often recorded shows in advance in order to go on the road to perform without disrupting his show.

When Williams died, a station deejay named Ray Bartlett retrieved the tapes and sold them to Chess Records. Chess in turn, sold them to Hank's record label, MGM.Bartlett, for his callous actions was fired. 

While popularity of The Louisiana Hayride was partially attributed to performances by Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, unquestionably, there were many other major contributors.

Pictured left Faron Young

The following is a partial listing of The Cradle of the Stars, who helped bring the Hayride into fame and made it one of the leading musical platforms of the era: 

 [S -- Z] THE CRADLE OF THE STARS!

1. Sands, Tommy
2. Sea, Johnny
3. Singleton, Margie
4. Smith, Carl
5. Smith, Harmie
6. Snow, Clarence E.
7. Sovine, Red
8. Starcher, Buddy
9. Shelton, Brothers
10. Sneed, Roy
11. Stallard, B.
12. Stegall, Bob
13. Stokley, Charlie
14. Stuckey, Nat
15. The Gays
16. Texas Playboys
17. Thomlinson, Tommy
18. Thompson, Hank
19. Tillman, Floyd
20. Torok, Mitchell
21. Trent, Tommy
22. Tubb, Ernest
23. Tyler, T Texas
24. Vincent, R.
25. Wakely, Jimmy
26. Walker, Billy
27. Walker, Charlie
28. Walker, Wayne
29. Warden, Don
30. Waynes, James
31. Wells, Kitty
32. Werner, Joe
33. Whitman, Slim
34. Wilburn Brothers
35. Willet, Slim
36. Williams, Audrey
37. Williams, Hank
38. Wilson , Kitty
39. Wilson, Smiley
40. Work, Jimmy
41. Wright, Ginny
42. Scott, Winfield
43. York Brothers (Leslie & George)
44. Young, Faron

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, compiled and written by Richard Bell, Country Music Historian, Roots of Country Music, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Jan. 6, 2011