Nein CD

Nashville's Grand Ole Opry was the major leagues of country music, but its organizers--like most adults in the '50s--frowned on the upstart rock 'n' roll. But there was another layer of country music showcases around the nation, one that was more tolerant of young rock performers because the owners saw that the music could lure new fans. Among these minor league operations: the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, La.

; Town Hall Party in Compton; and the Big "D" Jamboree in Dallas. Like the Opry itself, several of these "barn dances" were broadcast over radio and/or television, thus offering invaluable experience and exposure for such future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members as Elvis Presley, Cash, Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Given rock's rebellious image, it's interesting to see how folksy and polite some of these rockers sound on the Big "D" Jamboree appearances. The shrieks in the background when Perkins sings "Blue Suede Shoes" indicate that lots of young rock fans were on hand, but the tone of the show is very traditional and adult. Introducing "I Walk the Line," for instance, Cash speaks to the crowd with the same kind of patter you'd expect from a country veteran such as Roy Acuff or Ernest Tubb. "Thank you very much, friends," Cash says during a show that was probably recorded in 1956. "It's a real pleasure to be here with you all tonight at the Big 'D.