Dissecting Shreveport’s Country Music Legend Faron Young
Faron Young was a country music musician who took Nashville by storm from the 50s through the 70s. But, his beginnings were a little more humble. Faron was born in Shreveport Louisiana on February 25th, 1932 to a family that worked on a dairy farm on the outskirts of town.
The future country music star, according to his six siblings was the only one of the six that could carry a tune. Apparently he was good at it as well. Faron use to hang out on his porch near the fence where the cows were kept, and would play guitar and sing for the cows.
Faron stayed in the Shreveport area through high-school where he attended Fair Park High School. Fair Park was a fairly new school at the time he attended, having been built in 1928, only a few years prior to Young's birth. While a senior at Fair Park, Young ran in to another Louisiana music legend Webb Pierce. Not long after, Faaron Young was fronting Pierce's band, and made his solo debut on the infamous Louisiana Hayride in 1951.
After years of success in his home town of Shreveport, Faron decided to follow the action to Nashville. Things only picked up from there after he recorded his first chart-topping hit "Going Steady" in Nashville in 1952.
Faron Young had continued success throughout his career and went on to influence many other musicians, most notably Willie Nelson.
Faron's life wasn't all glitz and glamor though. The talented singer was known to have bouts of depression as well as a drinking problem. After battling failing health and depression, Faron Young committed suicide in 1996.
Though Young's life ended tragically, the echoes of his influence can still be heard ringing through country music today.