Country Hall of Famer Webb Pierce made his mark in West Monroe and Louisiana Hayride
A country music legend who was born in West Monroe and starred on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport will be honored in his hometown three decades after his death.
Webb Pierce will be honored with a marker on the Northeast Louisiana Music Trail and a tribute concert at 6 p.m. Friday in Alley Park on Trenton Street.
Pierce was considered one of the most popular artists of the honky-tonk genre during the 1950s, chartering more No. 1 hits than any other country artist during the decade.
Following his chart-topping single "Wondering" in 1952, each subsequent release made it into the Top 10 and he continued to make the charts with at least one title every year through 1972.
His 1953 barroom anthem "There Stands the Glass" charted No. 1 for 12 weeks.
Pierce was born in West Monroe, where he learned how to play the guitar before he was a teenager and soon began gaining notice playing at local events. At 16, Pierce landed his own local radio show, "Songs By Webb Pierce."
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Following a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, he moved to Shreveport and worked as a Sears Roebuck shoe salesman while appearing on "Louisiana Hayride," a popular TV country music show broadcasted from 1955 to 1960 where Elvis Presley also made his mark.
Pierce started his own band, whose early members included future country stars such as Faron Young, Lloyd Cramer and guitarist Jimmy Day.
He began recording for Pacemaker, and then in 1950 for 4 Star Records without any success.
But in 1951 Pierce joined Decca Records, and his third release, a cover of the 1936 hit "Wondering" by Louisiana favorite Joe Werner and the Riverside Ramblers stayed at the top spot for four of its 27 weeks' charting in 1952.
Pierce gave the cover a modern honky-tonk feel, a style he used for most of his career. In 1952, he joined the Grand Ole Opry but resigned in 1957 after he refused to pay commissions on bookings and for associated talent.
Pierce died of pancreatic cancer in 1991. He was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Pierce is the latest act to be inducted in the Northeast Louisiana Music Trail. The trail honors and legendary talent with commemorative markers in their hometowns throughout northeastern Louisiana. The historical landmark sign project was founded by Enoch's Pub and Café founder and former owner Doyle Jeter.
"We want to celebrate these performers and make sure people remember them and what they've contributed to our region of the country," Jeter said. "A lot of people have no idea [Pierce] he was born here, then they may have forgotten his name. They know his songs because they've been covered by other people over the years, like Willie Nelson. We want to celebrate the fact that they were born here locally, regionally."
The tribute concert following the landmark sign dedication and unveiling will feature the Monty Russell Trio and surprise guest artists. Food trucks will be on-site and alcoholic beverages will be available at various downtown locations.
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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Honkey-tonk hero Webb Pierce to be honored in hometown West Monroe
