SHREVEPORT, WHERE LOVE NEVER DIES: OUR CITY'S SONGS (1928-1980)
Compiled in December 2014, liner notes revised July 2019.
Songs about Shreveport, songs recorded in Shreveport, songs by Shreveporters, songs on Shreveport record labels.
Listen online: https://www.mixcloud.com/shreveportsongs/10-shreveport-where-love-never-dies-our-citys-songs-1928-1980/
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1 JIMMIE DAVIS The Davis Limited (Victor 23601, 1931)
Shreveport -- where polecats smell like perfume. Shreveport -- where policemen portray guitar-playing hobos in song (thanks to Buddy Jones). Shreveport -- where the clerk of the criminal division of the city court moonlights as a country singer and grows up to be Louisiana governor (none other than Jimmie Davis).
2 DOUGLAS WILLIAMS FOUR Kind Daddy (Victor 21695, 1928)
Clarinetist DW performed in Shreveport’s early jazz orchestras: Happy Eagle Orchestra (1914), Echo Orchestra (1914-1915), and Frank Neal and his DeLuxe Jazz Orchestra (1923). While residing in Memphis during the late 1920s, he recorded a dozen records issued on Victor.
3 JAP MAGEE AND BANJO Barrel House Blues (Brunswick 4267, 1928)
Banjoist JM was connected to Shreveport’s KWKH in the early 1930s according to the radio station’s business records. A few years earlier, Magee performed in bands based out of South Texas cities such as Brownsville and Bay City. He recorded this song, taken from his only record, at a session in Dallas, Texas.
4 LEAD BELLY Mister Tom Hughes' Town (Library of Congress 121, 1934)
This song relates the formative experience of Huddie Ledbetter visiting Shreveport’s red light district (St. Paul’s Bottoms neighborhood) against his mother’s wishes. Over the years, he recorded it nearly a dozen times with slight variations on the lyrics and title. This earliest recording contains a few risqué lyrics omitted from subsequent recordings of the song. John Lomax made this recording for the Library of Congress while Lead Belly served time at the Louisiana state penitentiary in Angola.
5 DICK HART I'll Do As I Cotton Pickin' Please (1946)
Born a few miles south of Shreveport in the Forbing community, DH adopted the life of an itinerant country music radio performer as a teenager. This included stints on Shreveport’s KWKH. At the time of this homemade recording, he worked at KARK in Little Rock, Arkansas.
6 HOT ROD HAPPY Worried Blues (Pacemaker 1014, circa 1950)
Blues guitarist James Bledsoe (aka Country Jim, aka Hot Rod Happy) also made recordings for the Imperial and Specialty record labels. This song appears on his only record released by a Shreveport label -- Pacemaker -- which primarily focused on country music.
7 NORMAN NETTLES I've Got The Right Key Baby (But I Can't Get In) (Delta 100, 1954)
During the 1930s and 1940s, NN played guitar for his brother’s group, Bill Nettles and his Dixie Blue Boys, who performed over KWKH radio station. In the 1950s, Norman led his own band, NN and the Blue Mountain Boys. This song, from their second record, appeared on the first (and perhaps only) release on the local Delta label.
8 HOOT & CURLEY You Get What You Pay For (Starday 195, 1955)
Originally members of Slim Whitman’s band, steel guitarist Thomas Houston “Hoot” Rains and guitarist Cornell “Curley” Herndon branched off as a duo. They regularly appeared on the Louisiana Hayride and recorded a handful of singles.
9 PETE HARDIN Baby Be My Chicadee (Peach 748, 1959)
Although this song features prominent piano, PH was known as a fiddle player...as well as a barber and local nightclub owner (Skyway Club, House of Blue Lights, Pete ‘n’ Peaches Club). He released a few records featuring his own music such as this song written by his wife Peaches.
10 EVER-READY GOSPEL SINGERS All My Sins (Peacock 1802, 1959)
Formed in 1946, the ERGS recording tenure spanned 1950 to 1997. The record containing this song marks the largest label they recorded for -- Peacock Records in Houston, Texas. Lead vocals provided by Robert Broussard.
11 MERLE KILGORE I Take A Trip To The Moon (D 1042, 1959)
Shreveport native and Byrd High School graduate MK is especially remembered as the writer of songs popularized by other musicians -- Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Claude King’s “Wolverton Mountain.” His solo recordings include this one with a co-writer’s credit for record store owner Stan Lewis.
12 DOUG DAVIDSON Star (Of My Teenage Dream) (MOA 1003, circa 1960)
DD recorded two singles for the local label, Music of America. Backup vocals provided by sisters Margaret and Rose Lewis. Davidson had a lengthy career in Shreveport radio and television.
13 BLUES KINGS Half-Baked (K-Dee 1000, circa 1960)
The few bits of known information are as follows: Maurice Varnado (arranger), Dale Hawkins (producer and songwriter credit), Bossier Music Company (publisher).
14 JOE STAMPLEY Teenage Picnic (Chess 1798, 1961)
Before he joined The Uniques, JS recorded this track for his second solo record. Local record store owner Stan Lewis appears listed as co-writer of this song. His friendship with record label owner Leonard Chess of Chicago led to this release.
15 WOLFMAN JACK AND THE RHYTHM KINGS Yea Yea Yea (UBC Productions, 1963)
In 1962, disc jockey Robert Weston Smith took a job at local radio station KCIJ. While working there, he developed his Wolfman Jack persona. This live recording finds him on stage at the Peppermint Lounge in Bossier City.
16 TRACY TYLER Bossier City (Manco 1073, 1964)
Across the Red River from Shreveport, Bossier City was once known for its nightclubs on the Bossier Strip located on Highway 80. According to this song’s protagonist, he lost his woman there.
17 NOEL ODOM & THE GROUP Come on Down to Earth (Tower 441, 1968)
Regulars on the local 1960s teen dance and nightclub circuits, this band released three 45s. Trivia: An overdubbed guitar solo replaces Ron DiIulio’s original organ solo; however, the vocalist still introduces the solo by yelling “Alright, Ron, organ!”
18 GENE & ROBBIN The Angels Are Crying (Travis 50, circa 1970)
Based on other releases from the local record label Travis, this duo may have been connected to the Keithville Jamboree, a live music show operating a few miles south of Shreveport. This record was produced by George Armstrong, who played drums and served as host of the Jamboree.
19 JOHNNY BULLOCK & THE JAMBOREE SHOWBOYS Note Tripping (Travis 51, circa 1970)
Like the previous song, another record released on Travis. Keyboardist Johnny Bullock continues to perform for local audiences.
20 GAY POPPA Gay Poppa’s Cha Cha (Custom Sound 1007, circa 1970)
When you ask Shreveporters about KOKA disc jockey Sunrose Rutledge (aka Gay Poppa), some people shout “Gay Poppa Cha Cha!” From his only record, here’s the song that cemented those memories.
21 ABRAHAM AND THE CASONOVAS Kangaroo I & II (Peermont 1057, 1971)
Abraham Ester recorded over half a dozen r&b/soul/funk 45s for local record labels run by Dee Marais. After this record’s initial release on Peermont, it received wider exposure thanks to a licensing deal re-releasing it on Wand Records from New York.
22 DOROTHY WHITEHEAD Rain, Rain, Rain (Hy Sign 711, 1973)
Gospel shouter DW relays the story of Noah. Produced, published, and released by Harding Guyon Desmarais (aka Dee Marais, who ran the Bayou Record Shop on 70th Street and co-founded Murco Records). P.S. Watch out for the creepin’ things.
23 UPC TRIO Baptized In His Name (UPC, circa 1980)
Members of the New Testament United Pentecostal Church in Shreveport make up this music group. The label on the record identifies them as Sister Lucy Frazier (alto), Helen Hunt (soprano), and Luella P. Taylor (soloist).
24 RAY BARTLETT Stan's Record Revue radio segment (December 1951)
RB moved to Shreveport in 1947 to work as a disc jockey for KWKH. There he developed his jive-talking “Groovie Boy” persona and played the latest blues and gospel records. One of the radio shows he hosted involved advertising records available for mail order from Stan Lewis. Just remember late folks, “This is not one big hit record and four records that you never heard of before in your life.”