Louisiana Hayride Featured Legendary Acts
Published Jan 01, 2006
The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium hosted the “Louisiana Hayride” radio show for years, giving a young Elvis Presley his first national audience.
From 1948 to 1960, the Louisiana Hayride broadcast country music all over Louisiana, as well as parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. And although it’s less well known than its Nashville cousin, the Grand Ole Opry, the Hayride generated fond memories for its listeners and participants long after it went off the air.
During the show’s run, the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium was packed with country music fans every Saturday night. Among the legends who graced the stage were Elvis Presley (his first national stage), Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Slim Whitman and Johnny Horton. The Hayride aired on KWKH and was relayed nationally by CBS and overseas by Armed Forces Radio, so over its life the show had a worldwide impact, says Maggie Warwick, who performed on the Hayride under her maiden name, Lewis, in the mid-1950s.
“I grew up in West Texas and had started a band in high school, and we heard an ad on the radio that said the Hayride was having a talent show,” Warwick says. “The prize was to be on the show, which was very exciting for a 15-year-old. I won, and eventually my family and I moved to Shreveport.”
The Hayride was known as the “Cradle of the Stars” for its role in showcasing budding young artists such as Presley, and was considered by many to be a friskier alternative to the Grand Ole Opry, musically speaking. For Warwick, it was the beginning of a relationship that long outlasted the Hayride itself. After a stint as a successful songwriter in Nashville, she and her husband, Alton, returned to Louisiana. The two eventually got involved in restoration efforts for the municipal auditorium, which has now spread into an entire neighborhood redevelopment project. They also now own the copyright to the Louisiana Hayride name. And they’re being aided by The Friends of the Municipal Auditorium, a nonprofit incorporated in 2000 and dedicated to preserving and promoting the auditorium.
“People want to bring the Hayride back, so we’re hoping to do that soon,” Warwick says. “The auditorium looks great, we’re having benefits to raise money for the neighborhood … we’re pushing forward on all fronts.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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