Allen "Puddler" Harris

Who is Allen "Puddler" Harris?

Allen W. "Puddler" Harris is a rock and roll and country musician who played piano in the original Ricky Nelson Band in Hollywood, California, and the last Jimmie Davis band in Louisiana. In between, he worked for a decade with Conway Twitty and became Twitty's production manager.

Harris was born in tiny Jigger near Winnsboro, the parish seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Jigger was also the birthplace of perennial Louisiana political candidate L.D. "None of the Above" Knox. Harris's interest in music began as a teenager when he and guitarist Fred Carter, Jr., also from Winnsboro, formed a band which played at parties, drive-in restaurants, and other similar gatherings. Harris joined the United States Marine Corps. On his discharge, he was given the opportunity to substitute for pianist Floyd Cramer at the Louisiana Hayride in the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium. When Cramer moved permanently to Nashville, Harris replaced him as staff pianist at the Hayride, which closed in 1960.