Hank Snow

Hank Snow (born May 9, 1914 in Brooklyn near Liverpool , Nova Scotia , Canada , † December 20, 1999 in Madison, Tennessee ; real name Clarence Eugene Snow ) was a Canadian country singer whose career began in the mid-1930s and almost lasted five decades. The "Singing Ranger" had its greatest successes in the 1950s, its most famous hit was I'm Movin 'On .

Life

Beginnings

Hank Snow grew up in the province of Nova Scotia in the far east of Canada . His childhood was only happy for the first eight years, then his parents divorced. After his mother remarried, a period of suffering began with his violent stepfather. At the age of twelve, Hank left his home and hired himself as a cabin boy on a freighter. Four years later he turned his back on seafaring and took a number of odd jobs on land. He first heard Jimmie Rodgers records around 1929 and was instantly fascinated. He bought a cheap mail order guitar and started playing songs from his new idol.

In 1933 he moved to the provincial capital Halifax . It was the time of the Great Depression and surviving as an unskilled worker was difficult. Snow took every opportunity to (unpaid) musical performances. Eventually he managed to find a place on a local radio station as "Hank, The Yodelling Ranger". Still, his financial situation was desperate and he lived for a time on public support. In 1936 he married Minnie Blanch Aalders. In the same year he applied to RCA-Victor for a record contract. The first recording session was held in Montreal on October 29th .

His first single, with the self-composed songs Prisoned Cowboy / Lonesome Blue Yodel , was not yet a success. In the next recording session in late 1937, more songs were produced for the Canadian market. His popularity rose steadily, the intervals between his publications became shorter. He got his own radio show on a national broadcaster in Montreal and later in New Brunswick . Trying to gain a foothold in the United States proved difficult. A first attempt in Hollywood failed in 1947. It was only two years later that Hank Snow's first record was released in the United States. By now he had dropped his Jimmie Rodgers-inspired Blue Yodeling and appeared as the "Singing Ranger".

Career

In the late 1940s, Ernest Tubb became aware of the young Canadian and made it possible for him to appear in the Grand Ole Opry . However, he was not yet able to convince the audience. Only when he was placed in the country top 10 with Marriage Vow at the end of 1949 , the spell was broken. The final breakthrough came a little later with the self-written song I'm Movin 'On , which stayed at the top of the country charts for almost half a year. The number 1 hits The Golden Rocket and The Rhumba Boogie followed in 1951 . Part of the success was thanks to his backing band, the Rainbow Ranch Boys , who worked for him until the end of 1956 and contributed significantly to an unmistakable sound.

Hank Snow's success lasted until the mid-1950s. The biggest hit of that time was 1954 I Don't Hurt Anymore . He briefly became a sponsor of a young country singer named Elvis Presley . During those years, the overwhelming success of rock 'n' roll brought country music into the deepest crisis in its history. In response, the Nashville Sound was developed, with which commercial survival could be ensured through an approach to pop music. Snow had problems adjusting to the changed situation. His half-hearted rockabilly recordings didn't sound very convincing, and he couldn't get used to the Nashville sound either. Inevitably, his sales dropped, although he was still in the charts. In 1962 he had another number 1 hit with I've Been Everywhere , followed by the single Down A Dead End Street , which placed in second place. It was mainly his appearances in the Grand Ole Opry that kept him in the public eye.

Somewhat surprisingly, he had another number 1 hit in 1974 (after 38 years in the music business) with Hello Love . It was his last big single success. He then focused on the production of long-playing records and appearances in the Grand Ole Opry. In 1978 he was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and a year later to both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame . In the German-speaking countries it unexpectedly gained popularity at the end of the 1970s, after the Hamburg country band Truck Stop with the song "I would like to hear Dave Dudley " (... Hank Snow and Charley Pride ...) a big one Had hit.

In 1981 RCA released him from the record contract against his will (after 45 years). In addition to his appearances in the Grand Ole Opry, he was committed to social issues. Remembering the bitter experiences of his childhood, he founded an organization against child abuse. In 1974 he wrote his autobiography, "The Hank Snow Story".

Hank Snow, the singing ranger, died on December 20, 1999 at the age of 85.

Discography

Albums

• 1955 - Just Keep A-Movin '
• 1955 - Old Doc Brown & Other Narrations
• 1957 - Country & Western Jamboree
• 1957 - Hank Snow's Country Guitar
• 1958 - Hank Snow Sings Sacred Songs
• 1958 - When Tragedy Struck
• 1959 - Hank Snow Sings Jimmie Rodgers' Songs
• 1961 - Hank Snow's souvenirs
• 1962 - Together Again
• 1963 - I've Been Everywhere
• 1964 - More Hank Snow souvenirs
• 1964 - Songs of Tragedy
• 1964 - Reminiscing
• 1965 - Gloryland March
• 1965 - Heartbreak Trail-A Tribute to the Sons of the Pioneers
• 1966 - The Guitar Stylings of Hank Snow
• 1966 - Gospel Train-Hank Snow
• 1967 - Snow in Hawaii
• 1967 - Christmas with Hank Snow
• 1967 - Spanish Fire Ball and Other Great Hank Snow Stylings
• 1968 - Tales of the Yukon
• 1969 - Snow in All Seasons
• 1969 - Hits Covered by Snow
• 1970 - CB Atkins & CE Snow by Special Request
• 1970 - Hank Snow Sings (In Memory of Jimmie Rodgers)
• 1970 - Cure for the Blues
• 1971 - Tracks & Trains
• 1971 - Award Winners
• 1973 - Hank Snow Sings
• 1974 - Hello Love
• 1976 - Hank Snow Sings Grand Ole Opry Favorites
• 1976 - Live from Evangel Temple
• 1977 - Still Movin 'On
• 1979 - Mysterious Lady
• 1979 - Lovingly Yours
• 1979 - Instrumentally Yours
• 1981 - Win Some, Lose Some, Lonesome

Singles (selection)

• 1949 - Marriage Vow
• 1950 - Golden Rocket
• 1950 - I'm Movin 'On
• 1951 - The Rhumba Boogie
• 1951 - Unwanted Sign upon Your Heart
• 1951 - Music Makin 'Mama from Memphis
• 1952 - The Gold Rush Is Over
• 1952 - I Went to Your Wedding
• 1953 - Honeymoon on a Rocket Ship
• 1953 - Spanish Fire Ball
• 1953 - For Now and Always
• 1954 - I Don't Hurt Anymore
• 1954 - Let Me Go, Lover
• 1955 - Silver Bell
• 1956 - These Hands
• 1956 - Stolen Moments
• 1958 - Whispering Rain
• 1958 - Big Wheels
• 1959 - Doggone That Train
• 1959 - Chasin 'a Rainbow
• 1959 - The Last Ride
• 1960 - Rockin ', Rollin' Ocean
• 1960 - Miller's Cave
• 1961 - Beggar to a King
• 1961 - The Restless One
• 1962 - I've Been Everywhere
• 1963 - The Man Who Robbed the Bank at Santa Fe
• 1965 - The Wishing Well
• 1965 - The Queen of Draw Poker Town
• 1965 - I've Cried a Mile
• 1966 - The Count Down
• 1966 - Hula Love
• 1967 - Down at the Pawn Shop
• 1967 - Learnin 'a New Way of Life
• 1968 - The Late and Great Love (Of My Heart)
• 1969 - Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
• 1969 - That's When the Hurtin 'Sets In
• 1970 - Vanishing Breed
• 1970 - Come the Morning
• 1973 - North to Chicago
• 1974 - Hello Love
• 1974 - That's You and Me
• 1974 - Easy to Love
• 1975 - Merry-Go-Round of Love
• 1975 - Hijack
• 1975 - Colorado Country Music
• 1976 - Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone
• 1976 - You're Wondering Why
• 1977 - Trouble in Mind
• 1978 - Nevertheless
• 1978 - Ramblin 'Rose
• 1979 - The Mysterious Lady from St. Martinique
• 1979 - It Takes Too Long
• 1980 - Hasn't It Been Good Together

Awards and honors

• Induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame
• 1978: Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
• 1979: Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame
• 1994: Honorary Doctorate from Saint Mary's University Halifax
• 1997: Induction into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame

biography

• 1994 - The Hank Snow Story

Web links

• Sound carrier by Hank Snow in the catalog of the German National Library
• hanksnow.com/abouthank (English)
• Lyrics of the songs Hank Snows
• Hank Snow on hillbilly-music.com

Individual evidence

1. ^ Canadian Music Hall of Fame - Inductees. Canadian Music Hall of Fame , accessed August 6, 2017 .