Living Legends of Shreveport – Danny Fox’s Top 5

Frank Page came to KWKH in 1947. He was an announcer on the Louisiana Hayride and did the Morning Show. Frank hired Jim Reeves as a Hayride announcer, and introduced Elvis Presley on his first appearance on the show, Saturday, 16th October 1954.
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When I came to Shreveport-Bossier, LA, in 1961 to go to work at KSLA TV, I planned to stay a year or so and then move on. Now it's 2011 and I'm 77 years young and by choice still here. I'm now with KTBS 3 anchoring, the weekend early morning First News. I also do a travel segment, Griffin's Arklatex, on KTBS 3 's Monday morning First News. When I first came to Shreveport-Bossier, I quickly learned that I really loved the community and wanted to make it my home. But Through the years, as much as I love living in what I now refer to as America's Caring Community, I also developed a love of travel. And because of my career in television, radio and news print , I've had the opportunity to do a lot of that. As someone with a strong faith in God, I'm a big believer that just because you hit the big Five-Oh doesn't mean you automatically have to slow down. Anyone who says that healthy, mature-audults can't still stay active, have fun and learn new things are wrong. I know. I do. On BobGriffinOnLine.com you'll find what I hope is interesting information about two things: Shreveport-Bossier America's Caring Community and travel destinations which appeal to mature-adults. It's a diverse mixture, which for me and I hope for you, go hand-in-hand. I call it all “People to Meet, Places to Go and Things To See and Do.

On August 21, 1939, James Burton was born in Dubberly, Louisiana, but he grew up in Shreveport. He used to listen to KWKH in Shreveport. Through KWKH, Burton was exposed to Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Elmore James, Lightnin' Hopkins, etc. He soon would astonish everybody with his ability to play the instrument. At only 14, Burton went professional, working club gigs and private parties. He would skip school just to be able to play guitar. In '55 James was playing with the Dale Hawkins band. They recorded a demo tape of “See You Soon Baboon” at the KWKH studio. While in Hollywood with Luman, Ricky Nelson heard them rehearse and shortly after that, James got a telegram, asking him and bass player James Kirkland to meet Ricky Nelson. They were offered to be on the Ozzie and Harriet show as Nelson's backing band.

King made his best known recording in the spring of 1962. “Wolverton Mountain,” written with Nashville veteran Merle Kilgore, was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Woolverton Mountain in Arkansas.

Randall Hank Williams, better known as Hank Williams, Jr. was born on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father, Hank Williams, a country music pioneer, nicknamed him Bocephus after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield’s ventriloquist dummy. After his father’s untimely death in 1953, he was raised by his mother, Audrey Williams. While he was a child, a vast number of contemporary musicians visited his family, who influenced and taught him various music instruments and styles. Among these figures of influence were Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Earl Scruggs, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Williams first stepped on the stage and sang his father’s songs when he was 8 years old. In 1964 he made his recording debut with “Long Gone Lonesome Blues,” one of many of his father’s classic songs.