On the afternoon that Mr. Alton Warwick, widowed husband and business partner of Margaret “Maggie” Lewis Warwick, sat down with All Y’all and LPB to share his memories of The Louisiana Hayride, only seven months had passed since Maggie’s death. For decades, he and Maggie had worked side-by-side to promote the Hayride as a potential economic driver for Shreveport. Her absence loomed large over our conversation.
Maggie had been a fixture in Alton’s life since his youth in Shreveport; he’d met her through his record-producing, electric guitar-playing cousin, Mira Smith, owner of Shreveport’s Ram Records. Alton saw firsthand how the music industry limited the opportunities of female performers and producers like Smith and Lewis.
“Girl singers were just to sing,” Alton said. “They weren’t supposed to make waves, they weren’t supposed to produce records. They were not supposed to lead the band. But her and Mira, they were not going to go quietly into the night. So, in Nashville and all of those places, they made a mark in a man’s world.”
What began as a conversation about country music history quickly became an oral history of a match made in country music heaven.
“It was her vision. I was along for the ride, and I was privileged to work beside her.”
Alton Warwick
If you’ve not yet heard the other episodes in this series, you can stream them all here. This series of six podcast episodes exploring The Louisiana Hayride was produced by All Y’all with the support of Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Original music for the series was written and performed by AJ Haynes and produced by Alexander Holeman. AJ Haynes’ participation is courtesy of New West Records.
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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