On November 29, 2024, a renowned Shreveport-based musician, Shawn Stroope, passed way after a two-year battle with cancer, leaving behind a beautiful family and a vast community of Shreveport musicians who had been his friends, bandmates, and mentees.  

In addition to recording and performing with national acts like Brady and Brian Blade, Dave Matthews, James Burton, Daniel Lanois, Jakob Dylan, Leigh Nash, Charlie Sexton, Buddy Miller, Darrell Evans, Anders Osborn, Neil McCoy, Steve Lukather, and Percy Sledge, Shawn had invested much of his life to supporting the Shreveport music community:  He co-founded and managed Foxtrot Studio, located in downtown Shreveport; co-founded Wavelink Booking, which scheduled musicians to perform at local venues in Shreveport-Bossier; and maintained an active performance schedule with many local artists.

In honor of his commitment to Shreveport musicians, his wife Sarah and long-time friend Myles Roberts recruited a small team of volunteers to establish Stroope’s Flatwound Initiative, a nonprofit focused on supporting local musicians.  The organization held its first annual memorial concert fundraiser, the Concert for Stroope, on January 11, 2025, at the Louisiana Grandstand.  This concert featured a wide variety of Shreveport-based musical acts, all of whom had previously played with Shawn.

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Our mission is to support Shreveport–Bossier musicians in times of medical crisis by offering financial help and hope, continuing Shawn Stroope’s passion for caring for local artists.​