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Louisiana Hayride
KWKH
Shreveport, LA
Year Started:  1948
Date Started:  April 3, 1948
Year Ended:  1960
Date Ended:  August 27, 1960

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KWKH Louisiana Hayride

KWKH Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana Hayride

The Louisian Hayride became one of the major live hillbilly music radio shows during the hillbilly music era. It ranked right up there with the WLS National Barn Dance, the WSM Grand Ole Opry and other shows. The artists that passed through there are legendary. Yes, even Elvis was there. And Hank, too. The Louisiana Hayride was on each Saturday night from Shreveport, Louisiana on radio station KWKH.

It began with an announcement on the local paper on March 28, 1948. Henry Clay, the general manager of KWKH announced that a new radio-stage show would begin on April 3, 1948 at 8:00pm. It would be held and broadcast at the Municipal Audorium every Saturday night. The admission charge was to be held to a minimum to allow fans to see their favorite perofrmers.

The article stated while the show was for three hours, due to network commitments, the show would not broadcast during the 8:30pm to 9:30pm hour. The radio log listing for KwKH that night shows the Vaughn Monroe Show and the Saturday Night Serenade filling that timeslot.

The article goes on to list which artists would be on that inaugural broadcast, which would have Horace Logan acting as master of ceremonies:

  • Bailes Brothers and their West Virginia Home Folks
  • Johnny and Jack and their Tennessee Mountain Boys with Johnny Wright as Nimrod for comedy
  • The Four Deacons (formerly known as Wally Fowler's Oak Ridge Quartet)
  • Curley Kinsey
  • Harmie Smith, the Ozark Mountaineer
  • Tex Grimsley and His Texas Playboys
  • The Mercer Brothers
  • Pappy Covington's Band

Dean Upson was to be the producer of the show. He had been identified with the Grand Ole Opry for some 17 years and for four years, produced NBC's Grand Ole Opry.

Louisiana Hayride Ad - April 3, 1948

Whatever we might tell you here would be pale in comparison to a book that Horace Logan wrote about the show. Be sure you check that out. At times it rivaled the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, at other times it was a stepping stone to the Opry. Or for some, an alternative to the Opry.

The legendary Hank Williams was on the Hayride back in 1948, then he recorded the "Lovesick Blues" and the Opry came calling. The legend is that Hank got seven encores when he did that song on the Opry.

The Hayride was the starting point in many artist careers. Their roster includes folks like Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Goldie Hill, Janet Hicks, Elvis, Hank, Slim Whitman, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Johnny Horton, Jimmy Lee, Claude King, the legendary Jim Reeves and a boat load of others.

Horace Logan was the big cheese of the show back then, producing it and even helping the artists on it gain recording contracts. Read the book by Logan - it will bring the Hayride to life more than we can here. Horace had a few others that helped out at the time as co-emcees that included Frank Page, Hi Roberts and Jim Reeves.

Around August of 1953, the headliners were:

  • Slim Whitman
  • The Maddox Brothers and Rose
  • The Carlisles
  • Billy Walker
  • Red Sovine
  • Johnny Horton
  • Van Howard
  • The Rhythm Harmoneers
  • Jimmy Lee
  • Claude King
  • Janet Hicks
  • Tommy and Goldie Hill
  • Jimmy Reeves aka Jim Reeves

The last radio broadcast of the KWKH Louisiana Hayride was August 27, 1960.

Louisiana Hayride Ad - August 27, 1960

Credits & Sources
  • Louisiana Hayride Years, Horace Logan and Bill Sloan, First St. Martin's Griffin, Paperback, 1998, ISBN: 0-312-20661-5 (Hardback, 0-312-18573-1)
  • KWKH Inaugurates New Radio-Stage Show; The Times; March 28, 1948; Shreveport, LA
  • Saturday Evening Programs - KWKH; The Times; April 3, 1948; Shreveport, LA

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