In 1954, he joined Shreveport-based radio show "The Louisiana Hayride", where he performed alongside
Johnny Horton,
Elvis Presley, and others. The Grand Ole Opry invited him to join in 1956, after he had five straight top-10 records. In 1957, he notched his highest-charting record with "A Fallen Star", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard country chart and No. 23 on the pop chart.