Country Music in Louisiana

Country Music in Louisiana

The diversity of country music is displayed across Louisiana including old-time, bluegrass, honky-tonk and more. Grab your boots and get on the dance floor.

The Music: Country

Country music developed across the South, and Louisiana has produced some of its best-known artists. Songs of love and loss, Southern traditions and the everyday lives of the rural working class come alive in country music songs, and considering that Louisiana’s full of stories, there’s no shortage of songwriting material that comes from here.

The Country Music Icons

Radio station KWKH in Shreveport is central to the story of country music in Louisiana. Owned and run by radio pioneer W. K. Henderson, the station helped promote acts such as singer and later two-term governor of Louisiana Jimmie Davis (“Nobody's Darlin' But Mine” and "You Are My Sunshine"). After World War II, KWKH began broadcasting Louisiana Hayride, a weekly program that became known as "The Cradle of the Stars" for its role in launching the careers of artists such as Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Slim Whitman, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, as well as Webb Pierce of West Monroe and Faron Young of Shreveport.

Also from Louisiana came early rock pioneer and country star Jerry Lee Lewis, who grew up performing with his cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley. Other noted Louisiana performers include the Cox Family, Joe Stampley and Buzz Busby. 

And since country music's national resurgence in the 1980s, several more stars have risen here including Kix Brooks (of Brooks and Dunn), Tim McGraw, Lucinda Williams, Trace Adkins and Hunter Hayes.

Landry Vineyards Concerts in West Monroe

Landry Vineyards in West Monroe.

Louisiana Country Music Museum

Louisiana Country Music Museum.

Louisiana Country Music Museum

Louisiana Country Music Museum.

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium.

Hear it Here

The Stage at Silver Star

Bossier City

The Stage at Silver Star is an indoor/outdoor live music venue that frequently hosts performances by touring country acts – especially contemporary country. This venue has seen the likes of hosted countless musicians over the years, including Pat Green, Sam Hunt, Ted Nugent, Jana Kramer, John Michael Montgomery and Dustin Lynch. This venue can hold up to 900 excited guests, but for a unique experience, reserve a private cabana or live like a celebrity in their VIP lounge. The Stage at Silver Star is connected to the Silver Star Smokehouse & Tavern, a world-class barbecue joint, and what goes together better than country music and barbeque?

Squeaky Pete's

Baton Rouge

Get your honky-tonk on at Squeaky Pete's, a country bar in downtown Baton Rouge. Plan a visit to enjoy one of their country legend themed burgers - appropriately named The Waylon, The Willie, The Wynonna, and the George - to fuel up for when country acts take the stage and the dance floor opens. Or stop in for a good time at their Outlaw Karaoke, featuring specials on pints and ribs. Yeehaw!

Landry Vineyards Concert Series

West Monroe

Landry Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery located in the rolling hills of West Monroe. Visitors can sample these wines with cheese and bread, while enjoying the picturesque views from the beautiful tasting room. Their Outdoor Concert Series is not to be missed, with music ranging from country to jazz and everything in between. Patrons bring picnic blankets and chairs and enjoy live music and dancing on the hillside.

Texas Club

Baton Rouge

If you're looking for the hottest acts in country, head to the Texas Club. Formerly known as the Texas Dance Hall, it opened in 1981...and just a few months later Hank Williams Jr. put this location on the map. Feel the presence of early country pioneers like Ernest Tubb and George Jones, as well as modern stars such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Chris Stapleton. And other genres have been heard here as well, with artists like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Blue Oyster Cult, The Allman Brothers Band and Taylor Dayne delighting audiences from this stage. Some local legends, like Sammy Kewshaw can attribute this venue to their growing careers as well. Pay a visit to see what burgeoning legend you may cross paths with!

 

Learn more about country music's history in Louisiana at the Louisiana Country Music Museum. Located at Rebel State Historic Site in Marthaville, this museum honors the contributions of the many Louisiana natives who have become prominent in both country and gospel music. One of the most popular exhibits on display in the museum is the Louisiana Hayride exhibit, which discusses the history of the Louisiana Hayride program as well as its historic impact on country music. This two-room exhibit features costumes, instruments and pictures that have been donated by various country-western and folk performers – including one of Hank Williams Jr.'s shirts. Enjoy the musical petting zoo and visit an amphitheater on the historic site’s grounds that showcases bluegrass, country, gospel and folk concerts throughout the year. Further north, take a tour of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium where many of country music’s stars have played (including Hank Williams and Johnny Cash), and where you can still catch a show today.