The Louisiana Hayride

[dimebag1980]

First, let me say, I'm really not one to dwell on the past. I've done plenty of that in my life and all it's done is kept me in the past. But here recently, I've gotten back into music like I was as a teenager and I've bought 5 guitars here lately. Why so many? Because I'm stupid, perhaps. Or it could be just because of my addictive nature. I never do anything half-assed. When I set out to do something, I go hard.

 

But anyway, this isn't a topic about ME; instead, this is a topic about the Louisiana Hayride. More specifically, this is a topic about what happened to the Hayride. I don't know the whole story behind it, just that Elvis got his start there when the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville told him NO. I also know that many others got their start on the Hayride, such as Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr, Johnny Horton and the list goes on and on.

 

In fact, I know that Johnny Horton and Hank Williams Sr put down roots here, because Hank Williams Jr was born in Bossier City and his family at the time was living in what is now referred to as "Old Bossier", or as I like to call it, the ghetto side of the Louisiana Boardwalk. What a shame that neighborhood has become! My little brother was robbed at gun-point in his own front yard when he was living in that neighborhood. Back on the topic at hand, though, most people don't know this, but Johnny Horton is buried at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Bossier Parish. He has a very nice grave with one of his guitars on display, encased in glass.

 

So, finally to the question at hand: what ever became of the Hayride? Something had to have happened for it to fall apart, because it once rivaled the Grand Ole Opry, and Shreveport was, at the time, very much like what Nashville is today.

 

On a somewhat related note (it has to do with music), Dave Matthews has never performed in Shreveport, but he was here a couple of weeks ago doing some work at Blade Studios, which is a neighbor to Moonbot Studios in the Biotech building. I think that's what it's called anyway.

[Antrell Williams]

Good topic.

[richyb83]

That's an interesting history lesson with Shreveport;  was not aware of til you brought it to my attention here on UP years back....you sure came to UP Posting Full Blast!! You have been away/taking a break from posting here for long periods of time...and with all my posting still have not caught up w your post

[dimebag1980]

That's an interesting history lesson with Shreveport;  was not aware of til you brought it to my attention here on UP years back....you sure came to UP Posting Full Blast!! You have been away/taking a break from posting here for long periods of time...and with all my posting still have not caught up w your post

 

Yeah I had a lot of time on my hands back then, so I could post and post... even from work. There's not much time these days, and even if there were, our internet at work is banned anyway. When I do have time in the evenings, I'm usually playing guitar.