Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance / Barnyard Frolic

Joseph Taylor Robinson Memorial Auditorium in Little Rock, Arkansas,
where both the Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance and the Barnyard Frolic
staged from 1946 until 1960

Live from the Rock

Barn Dance Shows from Little Rock, Arkansas

Of the few known country music live stage shows airing out of Arkansas, the "Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance" was one of the better known examples. The show originated out of Little Rock and enjoyed some years of success in the 1940s. It was the creation of female country music singer Alma "Little Shoe" Crosby, who was responsible for the show in its early years. Later on, the Barn Dance was replaced by another show of the same format, the "Barnyard Frolic".

Little Shoe was already a veteran performer by the time she set up the Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance. Born in 1910, Crosby had worked with Frankie More's Log Cabin Girls and Boys before founding her own group, the Cowboy Sweethearts. Like many other country music performers of her era, Crosby moved from radio station to radio station during the 1930s and 1940s. By 1946, she had performed on such stations as KMBS in Kansas City, KMOX in St. Louis, WJBC in Bloomington, Indiana, and WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia (where she also appeared on WWVA's famed Jamboree).

Billboard April 6, 1946

Crosby and her band came to KLRA in Little Rock, Arkansas, likely in late 1945. She had the idea of directing a live stage show in mind for some time by then but none of the stations she had appeared on or auditioned for saw enough potential in it. Then, she persuaded the KLRA executives and on January 1, 1946, the Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance premiered at the Robinson Auditorium. The show was held on Saturday nights and portions of it aired live on radio at 10:30 pm. In addition to the Saturday night live shows, Crosby also hosted a weekday studio version on KLRA. Cast members of the show included Crosby, who also acted as emcee, and the Cowboy Sweethearts, the Armstrong Twins, the Union County Boys, Frank Dudgeon, the Stamp Baxter Rainbow Quartet, the Crystal Mountain Boys, among others.

Around 1949, Crosby left KRLA. She died in 1988. If the Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance came to end or if it was continued is not known to me. By late 1954, KRLA had a replacement entitled the Barnyard Frolic, which was staged at the Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock. Chick Adams produced the show while Sammy Barnhart, who had already performed with his own band and with the Cowboy Sweethearts on the Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance, served as the shows' emcee. It seems that there was also a TV version of the Frolic.

Billboard September 10, 1955

The Barnyard Frolic lasted until 1960 and apart from local talent, also included many better known names such as Sandy and Alvadean Coker, "Texas" Bill Strength, Tommy Trent, Nita Lynn, Lonnie Glosson, the Venables, and others. Also, many of the Memphis rockabilly artists made guest appearances on the show, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Sonny Burgess, Slim Rhodes, and Lloyd McCollough. Reportedly, Presley's performance was received so badly by the rural audience that he had to stop performing and leave the stage.

Most of the information of the "Barnyard Frolic" came from Arkansas record collector Gary Corry, who was based in Little Rock and did some research on the show's history.

Sources

• Hillbilly-Music.com entry

• Little Shoe Hillbilly-Music.com entry