MAGGIE WARWICK- The Louisiana Hayride was a groundbreaking radio program that began broadcasting April 3rd, 1948 from the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. It was a live music program that was heard over a large portion of the United States and even in the Pacific on the Armed Forces Network. The Louisiana Hayride featured a variety of country music performers including local and regional acts, some which became famous like Johnnie Horton, Johnny Cash, Kitty Wells, Slim Whitman, Hank Williams, George Jones and also the one and only Elvis Presley who debuted on the radio show in 1954. The program’s first-run ended in 1960 and then was partly revived mostly as a live performance showcase until 1987.
The rights to the Louisiana Hayride were the part of a year’s long litigation battle in which a court ruled belonged to Margaret Lewis Warwick, who first
performed on the show in 1958. Known to most as Maggie Warwick, she would carve out a career as a singer-songwriter and toured as a back-up singer with Dale Hawkins, and then later co-wrote a hit single “Mountain of Love” for David Houston. While her career would eventually focus mostly on songwriting, Maggie along with husband Alton Warwick would devote many years to keeping the Louisiana Hayride brand alive through occasional live performances and helped prevent the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium from being neglected.
Maggie Warwick passed away last week due to a short illness. I spoke with John Howe who is a former president of the American Federation of Musicians – Local 116 and original member of the Shreveport band: A-Train. He shared some reflections on Maggie Warwick and her legacy.
"There are very few players and performers left from the original Louisiana Hayride," explained Howe. "And she kind of made it her life's mission to keep the Louisiana Hayride going and keep that name in the forefront and in people's minds. And she did a really great job at that, she and Alton both. She was a real innovator, a real one-of-a-kind. She had incredible energy , was great at promoting and she was very, very open to bringing everybody into the same tent."
In February, a 20 CD-Collection titled: titled “At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight," featuring music from KWKH's Louisiana Hayride was nominated for a Grammy. There was a Grammy Preview party at the Municipal Auditorium attended by dignitaries such as the Governor of Louisiana and many others, including Maggie Warwick who shared her thoughts with Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
"It's like a birthday gift," explained Warwick. "It's like God had opened up the skies and brought all these wonderful people together and this event . And of being nominated for a Grammy. It's like a miracle."
Maggie Warwick’s visitation will be held Tuesday, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. A Celebration of Life service will immediately follow.
