Louisiana Insider

Louisiana has long inspired the artist finding natural beauty, Kings and Queens, Jazz roots and the passion of many cultures. Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer, Kelly Massicot, join guest John Kemp, art columnist for Louisiana Life magazine, in painting a vivid picture of the state’s art scene.  Oh yes, we will also discover the city that John James Audubon and The Beatles had in common.

Monroe, Louisiana is the town that put the pop in Coca Cola and is near prehistoric mounds and a crop duster service that turned into a major airline. Monroe and its sister city West Monroe are separated by the Ouachita river that wins accolades for being scenic.  Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer, Kelly Massicot join guest Sheila Snow of the Monroe/West Monroe CVB in discussing the northeast corner of the state.  Oh yes, they WILL talk about how bottling Coke revolutionized an industry.

Lake Charles is close enough to Texas to the west to have a cowboy influence; close enough to the Atchafalaya to the east to have a Cajun influence and close enough to the swamps to the south to have once been a hangout for pirates. Unfortunately, it is also close enough to have been on the path of Hurricane Laura. This week’s  Louisiana Insider talks about grit and determination in Southwest Louisiana. Our guest is Eric Cormier a former journalist who is now an official of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Alliance.

Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer, Kelly Massicot join Cormier in discussing heritage and recovery in Southwest Louisiana. Oh yes, we will talk about the Hackberry Ramblers and about the piles of fish seen along the Creole Nature trail. 

He grew up listening to swamp pop music. The only difference was that his Pop was one of the swamp poppers. This week’s Inside Louisiana podcast is a fun romp through the music that echoed across Louisiana during the early days of rock and roll. Historian Shane Bernard has stories to tell not only about his dad, Rod Bernard, but about the music that echoed across Louisiana during the early days of rock and roll. Bernard also has intriguing insights about Cajun and Creole history and about the evolution of the Tabasco empire. This is Louisiana with rhythm and spice. Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot join Bernard in discussing music and heritage of Louisiana. Oh yes, we will also join the debate about the difference between a Cajun and a Creole.

Several times Lake Pontchartrain has faced serious pollution issues and each time it has survived largely because the lake, when given a chance, has had the ability to cleanse itself. Once closed to public swimming, folks these days are invited to jump it to an amazingly clean body of water. The sea life provides more proof. Carlton Dufrechou knows the lake probably better than anyone. He is the director of the commission that runs the lake-spanning Causeway Bridge and the former director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation – recently rebranded as the Pontchartrain Conservancy. In this week's episode, Errol Laborde, along with producer Kelly Massicot, joins Dufrechou in discussing the lake and its amazing recovery. Oh yes, we will talk about the blue crabs and the manatees, too.

There are more legends about life along the Mississippi river than there are curves in its path. (Well, almost as many.) This week’s “Louisiana Insider” podcast examines the legends and the dynamics of the mightiest of rivers. Mary Ann Sternberg, who has written extensively about River Road, is our guest this week. Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life Magazine, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, join Sternberg in discussing the river, its grandeur as well as the plantations and the slavery controversies. Where is the deepest point in the entire Mississippi river? That and other facts are awaiting your discovery.

The best of what is new in Louisiana is the subject of the latest edition of “Louisiana Insider.” This week Melanie Spencer, managing editor of Louisiana Life Magazine, joins us to celebrate the winners of La Nouvelle Louisiane awards as announced in the September/October edition of Louisiana Life. The magazine selected the best of the new around the state in several categories including events and attractions; craft breweries; chefs, restaurants; museums; outdoor spaces and celebrities. In the year of the quarantine the feature presents insights into the world around us.

This week, Mark Romig, chief marketing officer for tourism development at New Orleans & Company, joins host Errol Laborde to explore one of the world’s most colorful cities – New Orleans. They talk about the future, tourism, the Saints and Pelicans, traditions, hard times and good and things to do. There are even song interludes including the first commercially recorded jazz record, an Indians chant and Louis Armstrong remembering a favorite street. Romig is also the stadium announcer for Saints games. The broadcast ends with a Saints call that we hope to hear often.

This week Jeremy Alford, the publisher and editor of LaPolitics Weekly, joins host Errol Laborde to explore the state’s capitol city. They talk about politics, LSU, favorite haunts and things to do. Enjoy songs, stories about Earl and Huey Long are recalled and wicked comments from Mark Twain of why he disliked the old state capital.

In this week's episode, listeners will hear from Elvis, early blues singer Leadbelly and stories about Hank Williams. The latest episode is about Shreveport, which was once the site of the Louisiana Hayride, a Saturday night country music show in the style of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Winston Hall, a Shreveport musician and musical historian, brings a clip of the night when 19 year old Elvis Presley made his debut on the Louisiana Hayride, discusses one of Leadbelly’s hits “Midnight Special” and other elements of Shreveport’s history including Sept. 11, 2001 when Air Force One landed at Bossier City’s Barksdale Airforce base so that President George W. Bush, who had been in Florida, could address the nation about that morning’s terrorist attacks.

---

Winston Hall is a Shreveport-based piano entertainer and music history enthusiast who performs live more than 300 times a year. In his spare time, he is a tireless advocate for Northwest Louisiana's incredible music history.