Louisiana Hayride: Radio and Roots Music along the Red River

On a Saturday night in 1948, Hank Williams stepped onto the stage of the Louisiana Hayride and sang "Lovesick Blues." Up to that point, Williams's yodeling style had been pigeon-holed as hillbilly music, cutting him off from the mainstream of popular music. Taking a chance on this untried artist, the Hayride—a radio "barn dance" or country music variety show like the Grand Ole Opry—not only launched Williams's career, but went on to launch the careers of well-known performers such as Jim Reev…