Nashville, Tenn. (October 2, 2023) — BFD / Audium Nashville has acquired the rights to release the Louisiana Hayride, a series of historic live recordings by some of the most legendary artists in country music. Five titles — featuring Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, George Jones and Jim Reeves — all part of the Louisiana Hayride Icon Series, are set to release on Black Friday, November 24. Physical releases will come at a to-be-determined date in 2024.
“We are thrilled to partner with this iconic brand and catalog,” says BFE Founder/CEO Bob Frank. “We look forward to bringing out many releases physically and digitally from the legends of country music.”
Seventy-five years ago, as television was in its infancy, a weekly country music radio program out of Shreveport, Louisiana set out to replicate the success of other “barn dance” radio shows of the era: the Grand Ole Opry, the Old Dominion Barn Dance, the Wheeling Jamboree, the Midwestern Hayride, and the Ozark Mountain Jubilee to name a few. The goal of the three-and-a-half hour weekly broadcast was simple — fill a big slot with paid advertising. The Louisiana Hayride premiered on April 3, 1948, and got off to a rocky start as the program director and musical talent worked to figure out the mechanics of the ambitious radio and stage show.
All that changed the first week of August that year when a lanky troubadour hit town from Alabama and the world was introduced to Hank Williams, Sr. From the exposure parent station KWKH could offer with its coverage area of 38 states and a showcase on Armed Forces Radio heard from Japan to Ireland, Williams became the first of dozens to perfect their talents from the Hayride stage on the way to superstardom.
The Louisiana Hayride is a unique collection of recordings that chart the defining years of country music and the birth of rock ‘n’ roll from the place “where it all began” for Williams and those who followed: Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce, Slim Whitman, Faron Young, Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Bob Luman, Bruce Channel, Nat Stuckey and a teenager named Elvis Presley, quickly earning the Hayride the nickname of “The Cradle of the Stars.”
The historic recordings of Louisiana Hayride are owned by Global Media Archives.
About Bob Frank Entertainment
Bob Frank Entertainment (BFE) was formed in 2012 as a multi-faceted entertainment company with current ownership interests in Damson Lane Productions (Film & TV), Red River Entertainment & BFR (Record Labels), Admiral Lane Songs (Music Publishing) and BFD (Distribution). In 2021 BFE launched Red Shark Ventures (RSV) as its private investment division with a focus on catalog master acquisitions.
Visit bobfrankent.com for more information.
About Global Media Archives
Global Media Archives is a cultural institution dedicated to the preservation, monetization and presentation of great historical collections so that they may be enjoyed by generations forward. The company’s model may be used to help the priceless holdings of others find their way to the public interest.
For more information, visit globalmediaarchives.com.
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