Jay Chevalier at Ogden After Hours
presented in collaboration with Ponderosa Stomp Foundation
June 4, 2009
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Throughout the Ogden Museum's Stephen Goldring Hall

Jay Chevalier, one of the last surviving greats of Louisiana
rockabilly, kicked off his musical career at the age of 17 when he and
his cousin landed their own country radio show on Oakdale, Louisiana?s
KREG. After joining the Marine Corps in 1954, Chevalier formed his
first band while stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Fascinated by current
events, Jay?s records were hillbilly boppers that commented on the
tumultuousness of a changing South during the advent of integration.
It was with 1959?s ?The Ballad Of Marc Elishe? and ?The Ballad Of Earl
K. Long? that the historically-minded Chevalier truly established the
topical style that would set him apart from the thousands of aspiring
rock ?n? rollers. Jay would later meet and work for Long; and from
this time onwards his band has always been known as the Louisiana Long
Shots in honor of the late, great Uncle Earl. After Long?s death,
Chevalier headed west and released a couple of new classics, including
?Come Back to Louisiana.? As late as 1995, Chevalier was still penning
songs, recording the excellent ?Ballad Of Sheriff Harry Lee? which
featured the traditional, twanging sounds of the Long Shots. In 2006,
the Louisiana State senate passed a bill making colorful rocker Jay
Chevalier's song "Come Back to Louisiana" the state's official
hurricane recovery song.