In this episode of Back in the Day, Sarah chats with Chicago lawyer and author Thomas Patterson. After years of research into Louisiana politician Huey Long—including studying his papers and other primary sources—Patterson published his book American Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana in February of this year (2025). Patterson’s book is currently on order at the library, so be sure to place a hold and get on the list for this great read!

Now you might be wondering: What does Huey Long have to do with Nashville history? There’s a connection—an unforgettable one. If you’re both a Nashville history buff and a sports fan (especially of Vanderbilt or LSU), you may already know this story.

If not, here’s your chance to discover a fascinating piece of sports history that encouraged a spirited cross-state rivalry between Vanderbilt and LSU. The excitement wasn’t limited to Baton Rouge—it swept through Nashville too. The event? Huey Long bringing thousands of LSU fans and students to Nashville for a football game on October 27, 1934. The press even dubbed it “the greatest peace time railroad excursion in the history of America.”

Along with this momentous occasion, Sarah and Thomas discuss the inspiration for Patterson’s book, some intriguing facts about Huey, another Nashville tie through Vanderbilt’s own Robert Penn Warren, and even the Southern staple dish, potlikker. And since several other books come up in the conversation, I've included some library recommendations for further reading.

I mention this in the podcast and guessed that it was one of the Nashville Reads picks—and I was right, it was in 2018: The Potlikker Papers: a Food History of the Modern South by John T. Edge 

I also mention the author, Erik Larsson, in comparison to Patterson's writing style. One of my favorite books by him is: The Devil in the White City

Lastly, I’d like to give a shout-out to Kris, the Production Services Technician who recorded and edited this episode. The Production Services team always does great work for us, but this time Kris had the extra challenge of editing out my many “mmhmms” while Thomas was talking. My apologies—and a lesson learned—for future episodes! Thank you, Kris, and thank you to the entire Production Services team!

~ Sarah