Louisiana Hayride Alumni

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

I know this is old news for a lot of you, but there is a live recording from Louisiana Hayride of Elvis doing the LaVern Baker hit Tweedle Dee with Jimmy on steel and Floyd Cramer on piano. A little hint of how it might have been if...

[Bill R. Baker]

From 1955 until 1957 while attending the Baptist Seminary in New Orleans, I worked for a radio station. The station hired a disc jockey and Hayride announcer to come down and take the country music spot. His name was Charles Stokely and called himself Jolly Cholly. He loved to talk about the Hayride. I recall he was a pallbearer for Jim Reeves. Anyone remember him? Also I now teach in college with a lady who tells me her father played steel at one time on the Hayride. His last name is Forrest? Anybody remember him?

[Russ Little]

Bill,
I knew a smiley Forrest in the late 60s
Could have been him.
He played for years at the shanty club
in bossier. he hayride had played out by
then.Buddy Attaway was my next door neighbor.
he was pretty much out of the business by then,and Felton Pruitt was playing at the
local VFW.Buddy was taking up steel as his
hand were in such bad shape from years of
Hard work.He is the one inspired me to play
psg. We lost him shorty after that to a brain
tumor. Smiley is also gone. Felton is still
hard at it.Brings back good memories.
thanks for your post
Russ

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Zb custom s10
pedalmaster d10
Fender 2000 D10
Gibson melody maker

[Bill R. Baker]

Thanks Russell. I am sure this is the man.
Do you remember anyting else about him? I will report this to my colleague next week.
She will be thrilled to know that you remember her father.

[Russ Little]

Bill
I didn't know smiley real well
but a friend of mine played in
the band with him at the shanty club
in Bossier city. His name was Charlie
Ford , he played base and sung lead with
them. At that time late 60s and early 70s
bossier strip was hot. nearly every club had a live band. I was with a group called
The Moodmakers at that time.
By the way Smiley and his band played
at Buddy attaways funeral( back stage of cource)Tell his daughter we all miss him
and sorry for her loss.
Russ

[Russ Little]

Something else I forgot to mention BILL.
Back in those days smiley and T.J Seaman
were building a pedal steel called
Stringfeller. My brother use to build
some parts for them.I think they were
come down on by some of the major brands
for using some of their parts, and had to
cease production.
I bought my first steel from T.J and old
fender 1000.
his daughter mite recall some of this
Russ

[Jim Florence]

Hey Russ, How about this for a small world?
I bought my first Fender 1000, from guess who, T.J Seaman. But I'm talking about a lot of years earlier, Like 1957, maybe 58. And I remember one night in some beer joint, Sunny Trammel blew me off the floor. I was trying to play that new 1000, I was having a bad night and Sunny was having a good one. I don't know how old you are, but if you're anywhere near my age you'll remember, steel players didn't like each other too well in those days. Anyway I bought T.J's 1000, so he could buy some thing no one had ever heard of, something like a Bud=Sho, or something like that, Can you imagine a time when we hadn't heard of a Sho Bud?
T.J. must have wound up with another 1000 which he sold to you.

[Billy Henderson]

Got this very interesting email from Joey Kent. Also a couple more, one very from Frank Page via Jack Harper. Jack also sent a couple more items you will find interesting. Will try to get them on today also:

Billy:

Saw the posting about the David Kent Hayride from Country Jack Harper. Someone alerted Frank Page to your forum and he passed word along to me. I am David's son Joey, and am working with Frank on a giant coffee table book about the Hayride (over ten years in the making) and am about to turn it loose this fall. Kept adding pics and interviews. Up to several thousand photos covering the infancy of KWKH in the 20s up to the present. Will let you guys know when it comes out.

For Country Jack: the "man in black" was Truman Lankford, super nice guy. The steel player was probably Charlie...hmmm the last name escapes me. Will have to look that one up.

For the lady who wrote in about Socko, I've got some nice photos of him playing on the Hayride. His nickname derived from his last name of Sokolosky.

Frank said he was going to post something to your forum. I'm enjoying the stories. Every little bit helps fill in the blanks, and unlike previous Hayride books, the book Frank and I are preparing is the story of the Hayride from ALL of those who were there, not just a one sided (and often distorted) self-tribute.

I put on a giant Hayride reunion weekend in 2003 which was good on many levels but proved to me just how hard putting together a big show like that really is. I tried to do it all myself and failed on several levels. Had way too many people wanting to play and I tried to give each one a song or two. Trouble is, most wanted more. Not sure if a little was better than none at all, but it was great for me to meet many of these people firsthand. Frank and I are putting together several projects in the months ahead including a documentary about the Hayride. We felt there needed to be a more thorough one than the LPB documentary done back in 1984. Would love to sit down and interview anyone with Hayride memories. I welcome any and all Hayride stories. My email is joeykent@shreve.net.

Thanks for the info about your forum. I enjoyed looking in. FYI: This Friday Frank Page will be inducted into the Shreveport "Walk Of Stars" on the riverfront - one of those "feet in cement" deals. 'Bout time. "Big Daddy" is about to start his 59th year at KWKH. Talk about job security! Take care.

Joey Kent

[Kenny Drake]

I was stationed at Barksdale AFB in Bossier City in '81 - 84. Although I got to play the Hayride a few times, JB Van was the regular staff pedal steel guitarist, and a close friend. The music diretor at that time was Roscoe Horton on piano. I usually played steel with "Diana Lee and the Lee Brothers." JB Van had recently left Gilley, and I recall during that time he also teamed up with none other than Lloyd Green on a steel guitar gospel album. I've long since lost the copy JB gave me, but would really like to get another one. It was one of the best I've ever heard. Sadly, JB is no longer with us.

[Billy Henderson]

Man am I enjoying these stories. This is a copy of a email from Jack Harper to Frank Page and a copy of Frank's reply. I found them both very interesting. Courtesy of Jack Harper.

To: Page, Frank
Subject: hayride alumni
From Country Jack Harper

my dear most honorable mr frank page;
permit me to introduce myself. they call me country jack.
i am the guy that lived in shreveport in the mid '90's that came down from
little rock and was a picker & grinner for many years with jack hulett. the
songwritin' guy with the beard and unruly hair. yeah, that's me! i left town
before i could write that song with your wife and it bothers me that we
didn't finish her idea. it was a good idea and i was honored that she
mentioned it to me.
but, that's not the reason for my bothering you at this time. my job led me
to mississippi. i still write and play and entertain.i just wish country
music was similar to how it was. but that's not the reason, either.
if you have a bit of time, would you go to www.steelguitarforum.com and
click on enter.
you will see a heading choice "events and happenings".
it should be the 1st one.
click on that and when it opens scroll down to a subject heading "louisiana
hayride alumni", click on that.
as you will notice there are some valid comments comming in and i think it
is time for a coment from the authority of utmost knowledge, frank page.
it hasn't been posted yet but the questions are comming in
asking why the hayride didn't continue and even a coment
today refering to talk in nashville about "the opry going the way of the
louisiana hayride"
i think this would be a great opportunity to mention your book and how to
obtain this historical masterpiece.
you won't have to give away a long explanation, just what you think, when
you think it.
you can send any correspondence to me and i will have it posted, with
everything but your personal address, e-dress and anything else you prefer
to delete.
thanxxx, jack harper... countryjack@bellsouth.net .

Now Frank's Reply


GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU, JACK. I REMEMBER YOU. WE ALSO TALK TO JACK
HULETT, MY WIFE'S BROTHER QUITE OFTEN. I AM STILL AT KWKH AND SIXOTHER
RADIO STATIONS OWNED BY CLEAR CHANNEL, HERE IN SHREVEPORT.LA. IT WAS
INTERESTING TO READ THE COMMENTS OF YOUR CONTRIBUTORS. ODDLY ENOUGH,
I AM TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE ''THE WALK OF STARS'' THIS FRIDAY AT 3PM,
UNDER THE TEXAS STREET BRIDGE, IN SHREVEPORT. IT'S AN ENTERAINMENT
AND RESTURANT DISTRICT WHERE MY FOOTPRINTS AND HAND PRINTS WILL BE
PUT IN CONCRETE, ALONG WITH ELVIS, JAMES BURTON, JOE FERGUSON, KIX BROOKS,
TILMAN FRANKS, JIMMIE DAVIS, HAL SUTTON, HUDDIE LEDBETTER AND
OTHERS. ALSO, I AM TO INTRODUCE JAMES BURTON SATURDAY NIGHT, AT HIS
INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL, FEATURING A CONCERT BY SOME OF THE
TOP GUITAR PICKERS IN THE WORLD. IT'LL BE HELD IN THE FAMOUS MUNICIPAL
AUDITORIUM WHICH HAS BEEN RENOVATED, MADE INTO A STAGE OF STARS
MUSEUM. JOEY KENT, DAVID KENT'S SON AND I HAVE THE HISTORY OF
THE LOUISIANA HAYRIDE ABOUT READY TO GO TO PRESS, THERE IS A NEW
ELVIS CD AND BOOK IN THE WORKS. ALSO, JOEY HAS WRITTEN A SCREEN PLAY
ABOUT THE FABULOUS FOUNDER OF KWKH, WILLL K. HENDERSON. LPB JUST
SHOWED THE DOCUMENTARY, ''MAKING WAVES'', LOUISIANA'S RADIO STORY,
IN WHICH JOEY KENT TOOK A BIG PART AND I TALKED ABOUT ELVIS.
THIS HAS BEEN MY YEAR, I GUESS, I WAS CERTIFIED AS A LOUISIANA LEGEND,
GIVEN A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM THE LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF
BROADCASTERS, AND SEVERAL YEARS BACK, PUT IN THE LOUISIANA MUSIC
HALL OF FAME.

YOU ASKED THAT I GIVE MY OPINION ABOUT THE DEMISE OF THE LOUISIANA
HAYRIDE. IT WAS A COMBINATION OF THINGS. ELVIS INTRODUCED ROCK AND
ROLL TO THE AUDIENCE, RUNNING OFF THE MATURE AUDIENCE AND PUTTING IN
A YOUNG, FICKLE AUDIENCE WHO LEFT WHEN HE LEFT. TV CAME ON THE SCENE
IN FULL FORCE, THE GRAND OL OPRY HAD A 25 YEAR HEAD START WITH ALL THE
RECORDING STUDIOS, PUBLISHERS, AND MUSCIANS. THEN TOO, THE OWNERS
OF THE HAYRIDE WERE JUST NOT INTERESTED IN OWNING A COUNTRY MUSIC SHOW.
WE FOUGHT TO HANG ON, I WAS THE PRODUCER OF THE SHOW, FROM 1957
UNTIL IT CLOSED PERMANENTLY. IT WAS A MAGNIFICENT ERA. MY INTRODUCTION OF
ELVIS WAS A SEMINAL MOMENT IN HISTORY, THO I HADN'T
THE FOGGIEST IDEA ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. NO ONE DID. BUT, AT
THAT MOMENT, NOT ONLY DID MUSIC STYLES CHANGE, BUT CLOTHING, HAIR
STYLES AND THE WAY PEOPLE ACTED AND REACTED TO EVENTS.

THAT'S IT...DON'T GIVE MY E-MAIL...I DON'T HAVE ANY ADDRESSES
FOR THE BOOKS AND THINGS. BUT STAY IN TOUCH. I WILL HAVE.,
THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT STEELGUITAR ETC. FRANK PAGE