Qualla: Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music https://qualla.com/shreveport en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:06 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/hero-small.webp Qualla: Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music https://qualla.com/shreveport Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music: Introduction https://qualla.com/shreveport/ Photo credit JB Galloway, Public domain. Shreveport is Louisiana but not the Louisiana you're thinking of - no French Quarter, no Cajun cuisine, no Mardi Gras tradition. This is North Louisiana, culturally more Texas than New Orleans, Baptist rather than Catholic, country music rather than jazz. The city of 180,000 sits on the Red River where Louisiana meets Texas and Arkansas, the tri-state area creating a regional center that serves a multistate hinterland. Shreveport's claim to fame is the Louisiana Hayride, the radio program that launched Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams before Nashville's Grand Ole Opry claimed them. The riverboat casinos arrived in the 1990s; the oil and gas industry has always been here. Shreveport is the other Louisiana.

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/9vv3-shreveport-the-other-louisiana-where-casinos-meet--intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music: The Hayride https://qualla.com/shreveport/ Photo credit JB Galloway, Public domain. The Louisiana Hayride broadcast from Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium from 1948 to 1960, the 'Cradle of the Stars' that introduced Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and dozens of others to national audiences. Elvis's first radio appearance was on the Hayride in 1954; he...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/9vv3-shreveport-the-other-louisiana-where-casinos-meet--the-hayride.mp3 0:06 2 full Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music: The Casinos https://qualla.com/shreveport/ Photo credit JB Galloway, Public domain. Riverboat casinos arrived in the 1990s when Louisiana legalized gambling, the boats lining the Red River downtown, the industry providing jobs and tax revenue. The casinos transformed Shreveport's economy and downtown, bringing entertainment that the city previously lacked. The c...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/9vv3-shreveport-the-other-louisiana-where-casinos-meet--the-casinos.mp3 0:06 3 full Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music: The Oil https://qualla.com/shreveport/ Photo credit JB Galloway, Public domain. Shreveport sits near the Haynesville Shale, one of North America's largest natural gas deposits, and has been oil country since the 1920s. The oil and gas industry provides boom-and-bust cycles that shape the economy - prosperity when prices are high, layoffs when they crash. The...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/9vv3-shreveport-the-other-louisiana-where-casinos-meet--the-oil.mp3 0:06 4 full Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music: The Texas https://qualla.com/shreveport/ Photo credit JB Galloway, Public domain. Shreveport is closer to Dallas than to New Orleans - 190 miles versus 330 - and the culture reflects the proximity. The accents sound more Texan than Cajun; the food is more barbecue than gumbo; the religion is more Baptist than Catholic. The Texas influence extends to politics (...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/9vv3-shreveport-the-other-louisiana-where-casinos-meet--the-texas.mp3 0:06 5 full Shreveport: The Other Louisiana Where Casinos Meet Country Music: Visiting Shreveport https://qualla.com/shreveport/ Photo credit JB Galloway, Public domain. Shreveport is served by Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV). The Municipal Auditorium tells Louisiana Hayride history; performances occasionally revive the tradition. The riverboat casinos offer gambling and entertainment. The R.W. Norton Art Gallery has a surprisingly strong colle...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/v/3/shreveport-city-wk/9vv3-shreveport-the-other-louisiana-where-casinos-meet--visiting-shreveport.mp3 0:06 6 full