Kix Brooks, the Shreveport native and bona fide country music superstar, was only five years old when the original Louisiana Hayride produced by KWKH came to an end in 1960. He grew up in the Highland and Shreve Island neighborhoods, graduated from Louisiana Tech University, and honed his songwriting chops at downtown Shreveport nightclubs like Humpfrees.
These days, Brooks calls Nashville home, but visits Shreveport often. During one of those visits, he sat down with All Y’all and Louisiana Public Broadcasting to discuss how his hometown shaped his career in music. Brooks reminisces on his early days gigging in Shreveport, shares some incredible advice for aspiring songwriters, and sings the praises of his favorite Shreveport eatery, Herby-K’s.
“To me, there’s two kinds of songwriting: there’s perspiration, and there’s inspiration. And you gotta be able to do them both.”
Kix Brooks
Brooks believes in the work of songwriting. Over the course of his 40-year career, he has written and recorded thousands of songs and forged lifelong friendships with the likes of Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker. During our conversation, Brooks reflects on these friendships and the lessons they taught him. It is an intimate, inspiring conversation about roots music, life in Shreveport, and the daily habits of a working songwriter.
Other Episodes in This Series
If you enjoyed this conversation, you should check out the other episodes in our six-part series exploring The Louisiana Hayride. We also hope that you’ll consider subscribing to the All Y’all podcast. This series of episodes was produced in partnership with Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
The All Y’all podcast is supported by Marilynn’s Place, Rhino Coffee and Maccentric. Please support these outstanding local businesses!
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