The History of Mira Smith and Ram Records

Shreveport has tons and tons and tons of music history. From the Hayride to famous locals to iconic performances, our little corner of the world has had a huge impact on the musical world. But, as often as we talk about James Burton, Lead Belly, Stan Lewis or Faron Young...we never really mention Mira Smith, who was the founder of Ram Records in Shreveport.

Mira, better known as her stage name Grace Tennessee, founded Ram Records in Shreveport in 1955. Smith was a huge fan of the Louisiana Hayride and thought that the community needed a recording studio for those artists. So, Smith opened Royal Audio Music (Ram) Recording Co., located at 2439 Lakeshore Drive in Shreveport. Ram was the first commercial music studio in Shreveport, and Smith was one of the first women to own her own record company.

The label for most of its run featured regional rockabilly, country and blues acts.

Mira was quite the lady and local business leader. She founded the Ram recording studio, Ram record label, and Ram record shop. She was also a songwriter, recording engineer, and musician. Many in the musical sphere called Mira Smith "the female Sam Phillips".

While she never discovered an Elvis level talent (...and honestly how many people have), she did have a huge impact on the national music scene. Smith and Maggie Lewis (Warwick) were song writing partners and penned some Jeannie C. Riley's biggest hits.

During her career, Smith received tons of praise and awards...including being the first woman inducted into the Women in Music Hall of Fame.

As for Ram Records, its influence is still being felt today. Six songs from the Shreveport label were featured in last year's critically acclaimed movie Green Book.