Joy Drive-In
Minden, Louisiana1952-1981
Shop Joy Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. On Friday, July 15, 1955, manager John Cobb booked Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black for $25 and parked a flatbed in front of the snack bar for them to play on. Presley was 20, and the Minden Press-Herald later said it was the first time he saw his name on a marquee. Pick a style below, then read the full Joy history further down. Every shirt is printed to order in the USA and carries the memories of bygone places and teams.
4 products
Joy Drive-In History
The Joy Drive-In in Minden, Louisiana, opened in April 1952 on Shreveport Road, now U.S. 80. Boxoffice reported in March of that year that a 400-car drive-in was going up and should open about April 15, and Cinema Treasures gives that date with room for 440 cars. W.H. Cobb and his sister Ruth Cheshire built it on leased land. The two already ran the walk-in Joy Theatre on Pearl Street, having bought out Joy Houck's share in 1951, so the name came along with the business.
Its best-known night was Friday, July 15, 1955. John Cobb, the manager and another of Ruth's brothers, had seen Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black at the Louisiana Hayride and booked them for $25. There was no stage, so he borrowed a flatbed from Almond's Feed and Seed and parked it in front of the snack bar. The Minden Press-Herald, looking back in 2021, says it was the first time Presley saw his name on a marquee. He was 20. They had recorded at Sun in Memphis four days earlier.
Ruth Cheshire, later Ruth Lowe, bought out her brother's share and ran the Joy until the end. A newspaper story from July 1981 reported the closing, and the last night was August 2, 1981. Storage units stood on the lot by 2010.