‘La Jour est la’ – More musical adventures

Show us your biggest and best!
November 28, 2017
TRMC set to honor Wellness Center’s Anniversary
November 30, 2017
Show us your biggest and best!
November 28, 2017
TRMC set to honor Wellness Center’s Anniversary
November 30, 2017

After bringing a festival which brought over 100,000 people, the best name Ernest, Hank and Carrie could get from the Meridian city fathers was “National Hillbilly Music, Trainmen Association and Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Day”.  An old Train was donated which over shadowed Jimmies’ statue.  He would soon be named the “Father of Country Music” with his flame rekindled worldwide. Alabama had lost their “Crown Prince”, Hank Williams just a few months before but they knew what they had.

Hal, being an “old” radio man was up at dawn, had already gotten two interviews, Ray Price and Billy Walker. I took over and by parade time, 1 P.M. we had over 20 with “Leroy Martin” and “KTIB” tag lines. Johnny and Hal would bring me the artists which included, among many others Hank Snow, Sonny James, Jimmy Davis, George Morgan, Marty Robbins, Carl Smith, Minnie Pearl, Red Foley, Webb Pierce, Hank Thompson, Cowboy Copas, and our home boy Jimmie C. Newman. We drove everybody crazy when we conducted our interview in French.


Since everybody was leaving to see the parade and we had the top artists and Johnny and Hal had hauled anyone who was wearing a sequin pants or skirt. Hal said “they might be important someday”. He was right. We almost missed Connie Smith, Stonewall Jackson, Cal Smith, Jack Greene and several others.

This was the only time in many years that the Original Carter Family would give a performance with A.P., Sara and Maybelle. It would also be their last time together.

It was also the only time and the last time that Elvis, Scotty and Bill would play together.


“Pack it up boys, we’ll catch the parade as they enter the stadium, the show starts in half an hour and Hank Thompson and his Brazos Valley boys will star, a seventeen piece band, then it’s off to Mrs. Jimmie Rodgers’ Reception.”

What I did not know:

Hal and Hank Thompson’s manager, Jim Halsy were old friends from Hal’s WMPS Memphis days and as Hal said “Jim owes me one or a few. I talked to him this morning and He said if I go rehearse before the show he’ll let you sing a song with the band and I’ll set up to record it.” Great day in the morning! Joining my old friend Carrie Rodgers and singing with the great Hank Thompson band, all in one day. What could be better than this? 


They dropped me off at the stage gate and right away I saw an old friend from Lafayette, Pee Wee Whitewing, who was instructed to meet me. He was Hank’s steel guitar man and he would write the chord chart for my song. More good news, the song I picked was “Little Cajun Girl” a song Gene Rodrigue and I had written and which was riding the South Louisiana music charts.

“I know that song, when I played with Doc Guidry we played it all the time, so just sit and get ready.” At rehearsal Pee Wee passed out the charts and three fiddles took it off. “Close enough,” he said and I was flat on ready, shacking in my boots, beads of sweat running down my face and scared to death. When I had auditioned for Decca (Now M.C.A.) records in Nashville I had the pleasure to sing with Ernest Tubb and his Texas Troubadours on his Midnight Jamboree with a seven piece band, but seventeen pieces? Lord help me.  

How did it go? How does singing with a seventeen piece band known the world over affect a simple Cajun boy? There’s not enough keys on this keyboard to really express my feelings that afternoon. There is only one more band I had wished and prayed I could have played and it happened during the 1960’s in Fort Worth, Texas.  EEEEEEAA! I’m talking about Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.


How about the reception? How can I put all this happiness in one column? Besides meeting my old friend Carrie Rodgers again there’s another lady, more elderly that you won’t believe I ever met. Hang on dear friends and readers. That’s next week. BYE NOW!  •

‘La Jour est la’ – More musical adventures