In the 1950s, country singers made sure to visit the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium to appear on the Louisiana Hayride, a weekly three-hour broadcast featuring performers like Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, George Jones and, starting in 1954, a newcomer named Elvis Presley who got the crowd roaring. Famous names and local sensations mingle on this exhaustive, chronological collection of fiddle and banjo breakdowns, swinging honky-tonk, torch-y ballads and countrified R&B along with homey radio banter. In live takes around a microphone or two, rural pride meets casual virtuosity. J.P.
