The site where Kool Point was located, three miles west of Oil City on Caddo Lake, had been a recreational area going back to the 1890s. The earliest appearance of the name (initially "Cool Point") came in the early 1920s, where it was touted as a spot for swimming, boating, and picnicking. Of note, a Fourth of July celebration held there by the American Legion was reported to have attracted 10 thousand attendees.
Below is an early instance of the "Kool" Point spelling as it appeared in this April 1932 advertisement, noting among amenities provided - dining and dancing.
Shreveport Times 06-Apr-1932, Page 12
Bert Benton and his Original Night Hawks were advertised to be playing there on 19-May-1934 per that day's Shreveport Journal. The accompanying photo of the group, taken in 1929, was published in the Journal in 1983. This was when Kool Point was operated by Katie Cheshier, who later owned the Cheshier Hotel in OC (between the Ford place and Eggleston's), which had previously been the Hotel Norman.
Shreveport Times 18-Jan-1935, Page 4
Shreveport Times 28-Nov-1935, Page 9
Listed under unnamed "new management."
Shreveport Times 09-Jul-1936, Page 11
The night club had a shady reputation to some. Here is an example, where a 21 year-old man was fined for disturbing the peace at a high school function held at the dance pavilion..
Shreveport Times 06-Jun-1942, Page 2
In 1946 Willie Hendricks and sister Winnie Deemer publicized the opening of their new night club - in Longview, Texas where they had operated another venue, the LaJolla Club.....
Longview Daily News 27-Aug-1946, Page 3
...and also in Shreveport.
Shreveport Times 27-Aug-1946, Page 10
Mrs. Deemer is pictured below in an article about the grand opening of Club La Jolla in Kilgore, Texas; with which she was associated at that time.
Longview Sunday News Journal 29-Jun-1947, Section 2 Page 14
An advertisement for the LaJolla Club noted Rollins' band as being 10 pieces, including pianist and vocalist.
Longview Daily News 21-Apr-1946, Section 2 Page 9
Shreveport Times 05-Oct-1946, Page 2
Odis "Pop" Echols and his Melody Ranch Boys headed a day-long Fourth-Of-July celebration at Kool Point in 1947. Pop had been an original member of gospel group, the Stamps Quartet. He was an employee of KWKH in the 1940s where he had a radio program, and performed on the Red River Valley Roundup, a Louisiana Hayride predecessor, as well as on the Hayride; of which he was one of the original owners. He later purchased a radio station in Clovis, New Mexico and relocated to there. Of note, he co-wrote the song "Sugartime" (Sugar in the morning, Sugar in the evening, Sugar at suppertime).
Photo, unknown source, circa 1947
Melody Ranch Boy member Jack Ford later performed as a solo artist on the Hayride.
Otho Swank, a western swing musician and bandleader from Arkansas played there in February 1948.
What a hoppin' place Kool Point must have once been! Yet another dance advertisement. A. M. "Pappy" Covington had a radio program on KWKH and was a performer on the very first Louisiana Hayride show, that took place a couple of months later. He was the Hayride's booking agent and instrumental in bringing Elvis Presley to the Hayride, and for getting breaks for later performers including David Houston, Claude King, Nat Stuckey, and others.
Shreveport Times 08-Feb-1948, Page 39
More Kool Point trouble.....
Shreveport Times 03-Sep-1948, Page 18
Shreveport Times 09-Oct-1948, Page 12
One of the men charged, Edgar Hardin, and wife Hilda (who went by Pete & Peaches respectively) played in and/or operated several Shreveport-Bossier nightclubs back in the 1950s-1960s including the House Of Blue Lights, Skyway Club, and (aptly named) Pete & Peaches Club. Pete is pictured below in a 1967 ad for their club. Peaches is shown later in life when commenting about a Bossier growth issue to the Times.
Times 02-Jul-1998, Page 2-A
More trouble: Local resident Dan Gus Owens was sentenced for hitting a deputy who had admonished him to behave.
In what is likely the high watermark of entertainment featured at Kool Point, a day long event was held 02-Jul-1950, with three shows and a dance later that evening.
Shreveport Times 30-Jun-1950, Page 7
Headliner Paul Howard and his Arkansas Cotton Pickers played on the Grand Ole Opry for several years, where Paul had given starts to the careers of Grady Martin (played guitar on Marty Robbins' "El Paso") and Hank Garland ("Sugarfoot Rag"). He was also the first to use drums at the Opry. He later relocated to Shreveport where his Western Swing style was better accepted. Below he's shown at the Grand Ole Opry.
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| Paul Howard and his Arkansas Cottonpickers |
A recording of his song "Drinking All My Troubles Away."
Webb Pierce, billed second, was a singer later inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Originally from West Monroe, LA; Webb Pierce moved to Shreveport after being discharged from the army. In 1947, he began appearing on local radio as a duet with his then wife Betty Jane, while working in the men's department at Sears and Roebuck. The couple divorced around the time of this Kool Point performance, as his solo career took off. He appeared on the Louisiana Hayride until moving to Nashville in early 1952. He eventually replaced Hank Williams on the Grand Ole Opry and by the mid-1950s was arguably country music's biggest star. He was known for wearing flashy suits, as were also popular with other artists such Porter Wagoner. Here's a longer bio.
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| Webb Pierce |
Here he sings one of his early hits "In The Jailhouse Now," aided by another country music legend Red Sovine who, according to local guitarist Jack Green, had also played at Kool Point.
George "Sleepy" Jeffers and the Davis Twins (siblings Honey and Sonny) were from West Virginia, but migrated to Shreveport where Sleepy had a radio program. Honey was actually Mrs. Jeffers. Later Sleepy hosted a local television show back in their home state. Here are links to more information on them:
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George "Sleepy" Jeffers
Davis Twins
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| George "Sleepy" Jeffers |
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| Honey and Sonny Davis |
Sleepy and the Davis Twins singing "Pretending Is A Game."
The Blue Sky Boys were Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride veterans who played a mixture of folk, country, and gospel. Around this time they had a morning radio show in Shreveport. Read more about them here.
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| The Blue Sky Boys |
Here the Boys perform Woody Guthrie's "Greenback Dollar."
Fourth on the bill, though second only (or now comparable) to Webb Pierce in name recognition, is Slim Whitman. According to the memoir of Horace Logan, one of the founders of the Louisiana Hayride, Slim once made an appearance in Vivian, LA (10 miles north of Oil City) that netted 75 cents after expenses. Two years later he would have a million-selling record in "Indian Love Call."
Some may remember playing that song was used to destroy the Martians in the 1990 film "Mars Attacks." Known for his yodeling, being able to hit extremely high notes, he was called "America's Favorite Folk Singer." Actually though, over his career he had greater fame in Europe and particularly the UK.
Read more about Slim here.
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| Slim Whitman |
Slim's beautiful "Rose Marie."
The Tri-State Quartet (pictured below) was a gospel group, and the aforementioned Blue Sky Boys included gospel numbers in their repertoire, so at least the daytime portion was likely more family friendly.
Shreveport Times 27-Aug-1950, Page 31
No recording of the Tri-State group has been found, however it was noted that the quartet won first prize at a singing contest held at Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium.
Silly Willie - All that has been found is that Willie was a comedian shown to have toured around the country with Sleepy Jeffers and the Davis Twins. He may have actually been Sleepy's alter ego as in the 1970s, Sleepy hosted a country music show in West Virginia as "Uncle Willie," with funny hat and blacked out teeth - a typical hick character type included on most country music programs of the day.
Per two independent sources, the "King of Western Swing" Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys performed at Kool Point on at least one, possibly two occasions. Wills passed through the area five times during the nightclub era (1947-1955), and based on the age of the sources this was likely in 1950, 1951, or 1952. The pic shown is from an advertisement appearing in an Austin newspaper from that general time period.
This October 1952 advertisement identifies H. F. Treese as owner.
Shreveport Times 11-Oct-1952, Page 6
Tommy Trent And His Dixie Mountaineers played a Halloween dance in 1952.
Shreveport Times 31-Oct-1952, Page 34
Tommy and band appeared on the Louisiana Hayride and additionally had a radio program on KWKH.
Shreveport Times 22-Feb-1952, Page 15
Listen to his recording, "Paper Boy Boogie."
Floyd Gentry and band were slated to perform Christmas Eve and News Year's Eve in 1952.
Photo by John Patrick Rich
Shreveport Times 24-Dec-1952, Page 9
Another musician who played out at Kool Point during its night club days. Earl Byrne Blessey, Sr. (1919-1990) was originally from Biloxi, MS; and moved to New York where he played for several well-known bandleaders of the day. He ended up in Shreveport in 1948 as a member of an unnamed radio station's orchestra. While there he had a group that regularly played popular Shreveport/Bossier clubs including Club Coronado and the Skyway Club. Here he performed on 12-Sep-1951.
He later returned to Biloxi, and the pic below is from a 1960 advertisement for WROA, a radio station there, where he was sales manager.
Per two independent sources, the "King of Western Swing" Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys performed at Kool Point on at least one, possibly two occasions. Wills passed through the area five times during the nightclub era (1947-1955), and based on the age of the sources this was likely in 1950, 1951, or 1952. The pic shown is from an advertisement appearing in an Austin newspaper from that general time period.
Shreveport Times 11-Oct-1952, Page 6
Tommy Trent And His Dixie Mountaineers played a Halloween dance in 1952.
Shreveport Times 31-Oct-1952, Page 34
Tommy and band appeared on the Louisiana Hayride and additionally had a radio program on KWKH.
Shreveport Times 22-Feb-1952, Page 15
Listen to his recording, "Paper Boy Boogie."
On 20-Dec-1952, saxophonist Bill Rolland and orchestra performed. Though not advertised as such, given the proximity to the holiday, there must surely have been decorations and possibly a tree on display; and a few Christmas songs played. Note "Rowland" was a common misspelling. He was a regular on the nightclub scene in Shreveport/Bossier from the 1930s to 1960s and twice served as president of the musicians union local.
Floyd Gentry and band were slated to perform Christmas Eve and News Year's Eve in 1952.
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| Floyd Gentry |
Shreveport Times 24-Dec-1952, Page 9
Tex Dean and his Carefree Cowboys appeared at Kool Point in Jan-1953. It's not clear who was owner at the time as this was around the time N. J. "Jimmy" King acquired it, but between Jimmy and Winnie some people named Treese owned it. Tex appeared on KWKH about this time and various ads show him performing around the country in Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Note capacity is billed as seating 300 persons.
Shreveport Times 31-Jan-1953, Page 6
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| Tex Dean |
Here is Tex's recording of Naponee, a song similar in theme and melody to Bob Will's hit, Cherokee Maiden.
In February 1953 KTBS, now a television but then a radio station, announced a weekly live broadcast direct from Kool Point. Performing were Ray Belcher and his Echo Valley Boys. That group had come to Shreveport years earlier with Red Sovine who had by this time moved on to Nashville. Ray (1928-1990) was born in Arkansas and grew up in Shreveport where his day job was being a policeman. He and several other officers later performed as the "Singing Policemen."
Shreveport Journal 20-Feb-1953, Page B-5
Ray appeared on the Louisiana Hayride and additionally had his own radio program on KTBS. Around the time of this scheduled broadcast, the attached picture with caption of Nita Lynn (Parrish) stated she was the featured singer of the group.
The advertisement is from the Shreveport Journal 21-Feb-1953, Page A-7, while the picture of Ray and band are from 31-Jan-1953, Page 6-B. Nita Lynn's pic is from the Journal 08-Feb-1953, Page 10-A.
Jack "Guitar" Davis was the stage name of Johnnie Clarence "Jack" Pistole (1909-1988). He had been a professional musician since at least the early 1930s, once having a radio programs on KWKH and later KENT, and for a time was a member of Jimmie Davis's band.
He received billing on a "Hillbilly Jamboree" show at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, headed by William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd in 1943, and was once described the "cityfied synthetic hillbilly" and performed around the area with his group the Westernaires; and twice hosted radio shows. I can't confirm for certain but it appears he may have played with Jimmie Davis (now verified, per son) in the 1930s. A Jack Davis is listed as playing steel guitar on some of Davis's songs from that time.
Shreveport Journal 10-Nov-1933 Page 17
Times 15-Jan-1944, Page 10
Shreveport Times 17-Jul-1949 Page 10-A
Shreveport Journal 10-Nov-1933 Page 17
Times 15-Jan-1944, Page 10
Shreveport Times 17-Jul-1949 Page 10-A
Later in life, Jack took up banjo and performed at the Shakey's Pizza Parlor near Shreve City. Somewhat eccentric, he wore long hair in a ponytail and had a beard long before Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and the later "Outlaw Country" movement.
By April 1953, Jimmy King was advertised as owner.
Shreveport Times 15-Apr-1953, Page 11-A
Hobson pictured below from an advertisement for a different venue.
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| Al Hobson |
Playing also were Woodie and the Bayou Boys (sometimes referred to as simply The Bayou Boys), a group that included:
- Woodie Keller
- Ben Bryant
- Jack Green
- Don Holt
- T. J. Semon
Per member Jack Green, they were pretty much the house band at Kool Point during that time.
Below are two of the Bayou Boys - Don Holt (left) and Jack Green (right), from Vivian and Oil City respectively.
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| Don Holt, Jack Green |
Below Don sings "My Baby Still Loves Me" backed by the Ranch Boys, that included Jack on guitar.
During his professional career, Jack, who grew up in the nearby Ferry Lake community, played with several notable artists; including Webb Pierce and Red Sovine. Below Jack (sitting left) is shown performing in Austin, Texas with another member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Floyd Tillman (sitting right).
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| Left to Right: Jack Green, Hub Sutter, Johnny Bush, Tiny Smith, Floyd Tillman (seated) |
According to Jack, the following singers performed at Kool Point:
- Claude King
- Webb Pierce
- Red Sovine
- Bob Wills
- Johnny Horton
- Faron Young
In fact it was after playing there one night that Red Sovine stopped at the nearby American Legion hall to check out a square dance in progress. Jack's father Harvey Green called the dances while Jack was in the band. Sovine offered Jack a job on the spot, and he began his professional career playing with Red on the Louisiana Hayride.
Appearing again at "Cool" Point in January 1955 was Al Hobson, joined by "T Tommy" Cutrer. Al (1924-2003) was an area musician and bandleader who appeared around Shreveport and Bossier at places such as the now long-gone Skyway Club and Club Coronado.
Cutrer (1924-1998) was a DJ for several years at Shreveport radio station KCIJ, where he hosted the weekday program "T Tommy's Corral" from 1951-1956.
T Tommy moved to Nashville and in addition to deejaying and television hosting, eventually became announcer for the Grand Ole Opry. He was also CMA disc jockey of the year in 1957. Also a singer of country and gospel music, and a drum-playing band leader; T Tommy returned to Shreveport to headline the Louisiana Hayride.
Additionally of note, he ran for U. S. Congress in 1976, losing to Al Gore, Jr. (later U. S. Vice President and inventor of the internet). He was elected to the Tennessee state senate in 1978 where he served one term.
In this video from 1961, Tommy introduces singer Ernest Tubb on the Grand Ole Opry television program, and chats briefly after the country music legend sings.
BTW, the "Paul Jones" was a type of mixer dance popular in the early 1900s, where people changed partners at various intervals.
The night club burned on 08-Jun-1955.
A few years later a popular catfish restaurant was opened by Mr. and Mrs. King that also burned in 1979 and was never reopened. Today, all that remains is this road sign to hint at what once was.
Return to North Caddo Music.
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