Hank Locklin
Hank Locklin (born February 15, 1918 as Lawrence Hankins Locklin in McLellan, Florida , † March 8, 2009 in Brewton, Alabama ) was an American country singer, whose greatest success in 1960 was Please Help Me I'm Falling .
Life
Beginnings
At the age of ten, Hank Locklin won a talent competition. First radio appearances followed. It was the time of the economic depression and he was struggling to keep himself afloat by doing odd jobs. In 1942 he first appeared at the KWKH Louisiana Hayride . The small label Four Star signed him. One of the early records was the first version of Send Me the Pillow You Dream on in 1949 ; that same year he achieved a top 10 hit with The Same Sweet Girl . Four years later he reached number one on the country charts with Let Me Be the One .
Career
The initial success led to a record deal with the renowned RCA Victor label in 1955 . Here the singer with the high voice was supported by top musicians such as Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer . One of his first singles, Geisha Girl , moved up to fifth. Other hits on RCA were Send Me the Pillow You Dream on and It's a Little More Like Heaven in 1959 . His final breakthrough came a year later with the self-written song Please Help Me I'm Falling . The single stayed at number one for fourteen weeks and earned him a gold record.
In the same year he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry . He toured Europe, mainly to Great Britain and especially to Ireland, which almost became his second home. In Ireland he became the most popular country singer and was often featured in the charts. Hit parade successes became rarer. His last top 10 placement was in 1967 with the Country Hall of Fame . In addition to his musical activities, he found time in the late 1960s to take on the office of mayor in his (albeit very small) hometown of McLellan.
In 1972 he lost his contract with RCA and moved to MGM and later to the Plantation label. He was no longer in the charts, but continued to appear in the Grand Ole Opry. Hank Locklin died on March 8, 2009 at the age of 91 in Brewton, Alabama.
Discography
- 1958: Foreign Love (RCA)
- 1960: Please Help Me I'm Falling (RCA)
- 1962: Happy Journey (RCA)
- 1964: Irish Songs, Country Style (RCA)
- 1966: The Girls Get Prettier (RCA)
- 1967: Nashville Women (RCA)
- 1968: Country Hall of Fame (RCA)
- 1968: My Love Song for You (RCA)
- 1969: Lockin 'Back (RCA)
- 1970: Bless Her Heart… I Love Her (RCA)
- 1972: Mayor of McLellan, Florida (RCA)
- 1975: Hank Locklin (MGM)
- 1977: There Never Was a Time (Plantation)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Locklin, Hank |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Locklin, Lawrence Hankins (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 15, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | McLellan, Florida |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 8, 2009 |
| Place of death | Brewton, Alabama |