Most important town/area of Louisiana outside of New Orleans?

idk, but I always thought it was cool/random that Neutral Milk Hotel originated in Ruston.

Crowley

Crowley.., lol

My hometown and my office is right by the studio that has a bit of history to it. I'm A King Bee originated there. There are a few others.

I am from Shreveport, and I fricking hate Shreveport, but it is pretty cool that Elvis made his radio debut there on the Louisiana Hayride and the phrase "Elvis has left the building" was also coined there.

There are essentially three areas of LA that have made significant contributions to music: NO, Acadiana, and Shreveport w/ the LA Hayride.

I've asked several times on TD re the rivalry between BR and S'port: what from BR has had the cultural impact of the LA Hayride? I've never gotten an answer. At one point in the '50s it was unclear whether Nashville or Shreveport would be the base for country music, or if there would be more than one. Throw in the Hayride promoting the rawer sound of people like Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, and Elvis inventing honky tonk and rockabilly and you understand just how important S'port was.

Aside from isolated performers like Slim Harpo BR never really had much of a music scene of real significance. It was just too close to NO.

NO was never really a big blues town. Music there invariably went "uptown" with horns and jazz influenced arrangements.

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what from BR has had the cultural impact of the LA Hayride? I've never gotten an answer. At one point in the '50s it was unclear whether Nashville or Shreveport would be the base for country music, or if there would be more than one. Throw in the Hayride promoting the rawer sound of people like Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, and Elvis inventing honky tonk and rockabilly and you understand just how important S'port was

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Damn right Kafka.

In addition to those you mentioned... Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, James Burton, Lead Belly, and probably others I can't think of now. And S'port was neck and neck with Nashville for a while. I think it was the publishers that pushed N'ville ahead.

Edgard....the Malone Brothers (Radiators and Subdudes).

Less known are the sidemen from the Monroe area.....
Doug Duffey - Parliament/Funkadelic
Derek Mixon - Chris Stapelton
James Cook - Luke Bryan
Gene King - Jody Miller
Joe McGuffie - Eddie Rabbit/Dolly Parton
Fred Carter - Nashville Producer who worked with Simon and Garfunkel
Lon Wilson - Played drums on practically every county hit in the 90's
Michael Rhodes - Another guy who played on tons of Nashville hits/Brook and Dunn bass player
Joe Osborn - Member of the World Famous....Wrecking Crew
Rustee Allen - Bass player for Sly and the Family Stone
Carl Fontana - Jazz Trombonist
Toussaint McCall - R&B Singer and Organist
Ricky Minor - Musical Director for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Pee Wee Whitaker - Trombonist with Louis Armstrong
Kenny Bill Stinson - Great, great musician

Artists include Tony Joe White (Polk Salad Annie and Rainy Night in Georgia)
Tim McGraw

Webb Pierce from West Monroe. I think owned KMLB radio for a bit

Joe Osborn is from Mound.......67 miles from Monroe. Would you be happier if I'd just titled my post.....northeast Louisiana musicians?

I can promise you when he played live and was introduced, he told them to say he was from Monroe. My Dad did the same for years working with Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, even though he was from Mangham. LOL