Hank Thompson (July 2006)
Gene Watson's peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east
Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as
'the singer's singer' - and rightly so!
All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2006 were most gracious with
their time & words. It is here, within this special
part of gene-watson.com, that you have an opportunity to
read
Hank Thompson's quote, which he submitted to this site on Sunday 16 July 2006.
I (Sean Brady)
would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Hank Thompson who has made a special contribution to a unique part
of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
 Hank
Thompson
This quote was submitted on Sunday 16 July 2006
'I have known Gene for many years and
worked with him on many occasions.
I have always considered him to be one
of the best in the business. Good
luck with Gene's website'.
About Hank Thompson...
Hank Thompson
is
from Waco in Texas where he was born on 3
September 1925 & initially became a
harmonica ace. He later graduated to
the guitar. During the 1940s, he began
broadcasting on a local radio station where
he was sponsored by a flour company.
In 1943, Hank joined the US Navy and, upon
his discharge three years later, he secured
a spot on KWTX, a radio station in Waco.
It was at this time that he formed a Western
Swing band called The Brazos Valley Boys.
Hank began his recording career (with Globe
Records) in August 1946 where his initial
session for the label produced the track
'Whoa sailor' which became a regional hit.
Upon the recommendation of Tex Ritter, Hank
signed with Capitol Records where, between
1948 & 1965, he enjoyed a very successful
period of hit songs with the label.
His first hit was 'Humpty dumpty heart',
which went to No.2 & remained on the country music charts for 38 weeks.
Hank also saw the re-release of 'Whoa sailor' on the
Capitol label reaching No.6 in late 1949.
From the 1950s through to the mid-1970s,
Hank Thompson enjoyed an enviable list of
hit songs including 'The wild side of life'
(No.1 in 1952), 'Wake up Irene' (No.1 in
1953), 'A six pack to go' (No.10 in 1960),
'Oklahoma hills' (1961), 'Hangover tavern'
(1961), 'On tap' (1968), 'In the can or in
the bottle' (1968), 'Smokey the bear'
(1968), 'I've come awful close' (1971), 'Cab
driver' (1972), 'The older the violin, the
sweeter the tune' (1974) & 'Who left the
door to heaven open?' (1974).
Hank quit Capitol Records in 1965, moving to
Warner Bros. Records in 1966 & then to Dot
Records in 1968. In the intervening
years, Hank & his Brazos Valley Boys
continued to play dates worldwide & logged
occasional hits on record labels such as
ABC, MCA & Churchill.
Hank Thompson has made a significant
contribution to country music, fusing honky tonk & western swing and his talents were
justly rewarded when he was inducted into
the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.
Visit Hank Thompson's
Official Website
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