“A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.”
— Will Rogers (1879 – 1935) American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator.
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I’m a huge Will Rogers fan. But last Saturday afternoon, personal philosophies leaned toward: “A stranger is just someone standing between me and my easy chair.”
The mission was uncomplicated. Pop into the local supermarket, grab a prescription at the pharmacy, find a few pantry basics, and retreat to the laziness of my living room. I was making good time with medication in hand and a basket of culinary delights. Frozen dinners and canned tuna.
I even found an empty checkout lane where a pleasant voice beckoned, “And how are you doing this fine Saturday?”
I recognized her immediately. A checkout regular at the local Brookshires, a genuine breath of fresh air in a retail world where most transactions are processed with the warmth and thankfulness of an IRS auditor. My guard dropped.
“I’m fantastic,” I said. “And you?”
“Good,” she answered.
Acting on her cheerfulness, I dusted off one of my well-worn conversation starters—a line serving as a coded handshake for people of a certain vintage. “As I sometimes say, I’m like Minnie Pearl—I’m just so proud to be here.”
Her expression lightened from “customer service friendly” to “nostalgic reminiscing.”
“I remember Minnie Pearl,” she said. “Her, Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner.”
I couldn’t help myself; the floodgates were open. “The Wilburn Brothers, Ferlin Husky, Faron Young,” I added. “My mother used to clean house on Saturday afternoons. And she made sure every floor was scrubbed before her favorite country music shows came on.”
Then, in a sharp segue from the 1950s Nashville sound to pure Louisiana rock and roll, she uttered a name: “Dale Hawkins.” The name hit me like a power chord in the key of E. “Suzie Q,” I thought, just as she said it aloud.
“Great song,” we agreed in unison.
“I knew Dale,” she continued, still beaming. It turns out she had lived and worked in Shreveport back in the day. “He used to tease my younger sister. He’d tell her he wrote ‘Suzie Q’ just for her. But she’d always tell him, ‘Dale, you couldn’t have written that for me—I wasn’t even born yet!’”
For the uninitiated, Dale Hawkins was the pride of Richland Parish, Louisiana before landing in Bossier City. He was playing the local clubs by 1956, and in 1957, co-wrote and released “Suzie Q.” The record was cut at Radio station KWKH in Shreveport. It was not only a charting success, but was covered by many artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival, and ultimately inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“You know who played that infamous guitar solo on Suzie Q?” I asked?
“James Burton,” we said together, laughing again.
“He played with Elvis and Ricky Nelson,” she added, clearly enjoying the trivia match.
“Another legendary Shreveport musician,” I confirmed. “He played for others, too—Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers.”
I checked to make sure our chat wasn’t creating a logistical logjam in checkout. Seeing the coast was clear, I continued, sharing how I met James Burton through a car club in Shreveport. “One of our members was Dick DeMoss,” I said. “Whose wife was James’s sister. I was lucky enough to sit and listen to him reminisce about his career several times.”
“And Stan Lewis…” she said before hesitating to tally up my purchases.
“Stan’s Record Shop!” I interjected. “I bought records there all the time at the downtown Shreveport location. Also, the home of the Paula Record label.” She told me she still had records she’d bought there before the shop closed its doors.
We shared a brief, silent moment of reverence for a lost era of vintage vinyl and local legends.
“Great music, and even better memories,” I said, picking up my bags.
“I enjoyed the talk,” she said.
“Yes, great visit,” I responded.
On the drive home, the easy chair didn’t seem quite so urgent. I had gone in for a prescription and weekend meals, but I left with much more: a reminder that spontaneity is the best kind of adventure.
And that, once again, Will Rogers was right.
—Leon Aldridge
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Leon Aldridge is a veteran editor, publisher, and communications professional, currently enjoying semi-retirement while awaiting his next challenge. His columns appear in: The Center Light and Champion, The Mount Pleasant Tribune, the Rosenberg Fort Bend Herald, the Taylor Press, the Alpine Avalanche, the Fort Stockton Pioneer, the Elgin Courier, The Monitor in Naples, and Motor Sports Magazine.
© Leon Aldridge and A Story Worth Telling 2026. Feel free to use excerpts with full and clear credit given to Leon Aldridge and ‘A Story Worth Telling.’
A Story Worth Telling 