Growing up poor in Marthaville, Louisiana in the 1940s, Big Rob Gentry considered only four things in his hardscrabble world to be indispensable: Jesus Christ, Earl Long, the Sears and Roebuck catalog, and KWKH. The latter was brought into his home courtesy of a cabinet-sized radio that his father saved up to purchase for the family. Each morning and evening, the Gentrys would gather ‘round the radio to listen to country music, news and entertainment beamed out of Shreveport, Louisiana. His favorite program was The Louisiana Hayride.
“The Hayride instilled in me a love of music that has stayed with me all of these years.”
-Robert Gentry
For the second episode in our six-part series produced in partnership with Louisiana Public Broadcasting, All Y’all spoke with Gentry about how the country music showcase—which broadcast live from Shreveport Municipal Auditorium from 1948 until 1960—shaped his life. Gentry is the retired editor and publisher of The Sabine Index and a Louisiana Political Hall of Fame inductee who donated a sizable collection of Hayride-related artifacts, documents and memorabilia to The Cammie G. Henry Research Center at Northwestern State University in 2014.
If you’ve not heard the first episode in this series, give it a listen to hear country music historian and author Dr. Tracey Laird discuss some of the same things that Gentry brings up in this episode, including the “hooping and hollering” that set the Louisiana Hayride apart from its more hidebound competitor, the Grand Ole Opry.
Don’t miss an episode of the All Y’all podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Google Play and several other popular podcast platforms.
The All Y’all podcast is supported by Marilynn’s Place, Rhino Coffee and Maccentric. Please support these outstanding local businesses!
Like this episode?
