Louisiana
Country Music

Louisiana's country music identity is tangled up with its other musical traditions in productive ways. The Louisiana Hayride, a radio barn dance that broadcast from Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium starting in 1948, launched or significantly advanced the careers of Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Kitty Wells. It was called "the Cradle of the Stars" without much exaggeration. Tim McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana, and became one of the format's best-selling artists of the 1990s and 2000s.

The swamp country and Cajun crossover sounds that come from Southern Louisiana are distinctive. They're not Nashville country, but they're not not country either. Artists like Jo-El Sonnier blended Cajun music with country production in ways that influenced both genres. Shreveport maintains some connection to its Hayride history and the Red River District has live music venues. New Orleans itself runs on jazz, blues, and zydeco, but the surrounding parishes and Central Louisiana have a stronger country identity.

If you move to Louisiana, the country music experience varies considerably by location. North and Central Louisiana are standard Deep South country territory with strong radio and bar culture. South Louisiana, including New Orleans and the Cajun parishes, is a different musical world where country exists alongside more dominant indigenous traditions. The state's music scene is one of the richest in the country, but country is one instrument in a larger band rather than the lead voice everywhere.

The Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport launched more country careers than any venue outside the Grand Ole Opry — Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash all performed there. Tim McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana.

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