Hank Snow
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| Hank Snow | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clarence Eugene Snow |
| Also known as | Hank Snow |
| Born | May 9, 1914 |
| Origin | Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia |
| Died | December 20, 1999 (aged 85) |
| Genre(s) | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and Songwriter |
| Years active | 1936 – 1999 |
| Label(s) | RCA Victor |
| Website | www.hanksnow.com |
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian - American country music artist. In his career, he charted more than seventy singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980. This total includes the Number One hits "I'm Movin' On", "The Golden Rocket", "I Don't Hurt Anymore", "Let Me Go, Lover!", "I've Been Everywhere", and "Hello Love", as well as several more Top Ten hits.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
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Snow was born in Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada. When he was 14, he ordered his first guitar from Eaton's catalogue for $5.95, and played his first show in a church basement in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia at the age of 16. He then travelled to the nearest big city, Halifax, where he sang in local clubs and bars. Hank married Minnie Blanche Aalders in 1935 and had one son, (Rev.) Jimmy Rodgers Snow. The couple would remain together for their whole lives.
[edit] Canadian Years
A successful appearance on a local radio station led to his being given a chance to audition for RCA Victor in Montreal, Quebec. In 1936, he signed with RCA Victor, staying with them for more than 45 years. A weekly Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio show brought him national recognition and he began touring Canada until the late 1940s when American country music stations began playing his records.
[edit] Nashville Calls
He headed to the "Country Music Capital of the World," Nashville, Tennessee,in 1945 and Hank Snow, the "Singing Ranger" (modified from the nickname "Yodelling Ranger" given him before his high voice changed to the baritone that graced his hit records), would be invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry in 1950. That same year he released his mega-hit, "I'm Movin' On." The first of seven Number 1 hits on the country charts, "I'm Movin' On" stayed at Number 1 for nearly half a year. The song, which stayed in the number 1 position for 21 weeks, holds the all time record for most weeks in the number 1 spot. While performing in Renfro Valley, Snow was walking with a young unknown performer by the name of Hank Williams when someone yelled out, "Hey, Hank," at which Williams turned around and Snow tapped Williams on the shoulder and said, "No, Hank, he means me." Hank remained Hank's idol for the rest of his career.
Along with this hit, his other "signature song" was "I've Been Everywhere," in which he portrayed himself as a hitchhiker bragging about all the towns he'd been through. This song was originally written and performed in Australia by Geoff Mack, and its re-write incorporating North American place names was brilliantly accomplished. Rattling off a well-rhymed series of city names at an auctioneer's pace has long made the song a challenge for any country-music singer to attempt.
[edit] Elvis
A regular at the Grand Ole Opry, in 1954 Hank Snow persuaded the directors to allow a new singer by the name of Elvis Presley to appear on stage. Snow used Elvis as his opening act, before introducing him to Colonel Tom Parker. In August 1955, Snow and Parker formed the management team Hank Snow Attractions. This partnership signed a management contract with Presley but before long, Snow was out and Parker had full control over the rock singer's career.
[edit] Legacy
Performing in lavish and colourful sequin-studded suits, Snow had a career covering six decades during which he sold more than 80 million albums. Although he became a proud American naturalized citizen in 1958, he still maintained his friendships in Canada and remembered his roots with the 1968 Album, "My Nova Scotia Home". That same year he performed at campaign stops on behalf of presidential candidate George Wallace.
In Robert Altman's 1975 film Nashville, Henry Gibson played a self-obsessed country star loosely based on Hank Snow.
Despite his lack of schooling, Snow was a gifted songwriter and in 1978 was elected to Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Canada, he was ten times voted that country's top country music performer. In 1979, Hank Snow was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Nova Scotia Music Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985.
In 1994 his autobiography, "The Hank Snow Story," was published, and later The Hank Snow Country Music Centre would open near his ancestrial home in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
A victim of an abusive childhood, he set up the Hank Snow International Foundation For Prevention Of Child Abuse.
Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Ashley MacIsaac, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, among others, have covered his music. One of his last top hits, "Hello Love," was, for several seasons, sung by Garrison Keillor to open each broadcast of his Prairie Home Companion radio show. The song became Snow's seventh and final No. 1 hit on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in April 1974. At 59 years and 11 months, he became the oldest (to that time) artist to have a No. 1 song on the chart. It was an accomplishment he held for more than 26 years, until Kenny Rogers surpassed the age record in May 2000 (at 61 years and nine months) with "Buy Me a Rose." Snow remains the second-oldest artist to have a No. 1 song as a solo or primary artist, though Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson have subsequently reached the top of the chart at older ages as secondary duet partners on records fronted by other artists.
He was also mentioned in the film "Smokey and the Bandit". In the scene in the trucker's bar, Cletus Snow (The Snowman) asks to make a collect call and gives his name "Cletus Snow", what the operator says is not given, but Cletus replies "No, I'm not related to Hank Snow"
[edit] Passing
Snow died in 1999 at his Rainbow Ranch in Madison, Tennessee and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville. Minnie passed away in 2003.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1952 | Country Classics | RCA Victor | ||
| Hank Snow Sings | ||||
| 1953 | Hank Snow Salutes Jimmie Rodgers | |||
| 1954 | Hank Snow's Country Guitar | |||
| 1955 | Just Keep a-Movin' | |||
| Old Doc Brown and Other Narrations by Hank Snow | ||||
| 1957 | Country & Western Jamboree | |||
| 1958 | Hank Snow Sings Sacred Songs | |||
| 1959 | Hank Snow Sings Jimmie Rodgers Songs | |||
| 1961 | Hank Snow Souvenirs | |||
| Big Country Hits (Songs I Hadn't Recorded Till Now) | ||||
| 1963 | I've Been Everywhere | |||
| Railroad Man | 7 | |||
| 1964 | More Hank Snow Souvenirs | 1 | ||
| Songs of Tragedy | 11 | |||
| Reminiscing (w/ Chet Atkins) | ||||
| 1965 | Your Favorite Country Hits | |||
| Gloryland March | ||||
| Heartbreak Trail: A Tribute to the Sons of the Pioneers | 26 | |||
| The Best of Hank Snow | ||||
| 1966 | The Guitar Stylings of Hank Snow | 26 | ||
| Gospel Train | ||||
| This Is My Story | 21 | |||
| 1967 | Snow in Hawaii | |||
| Christmas with Hank Snow | 72 | |||
| Spanish Fire Ball and Other Hank Snow Stylings | 35 | |||
| 1968 | Hits, Hits and More Hits | |||
| Tales of the Yukon | 35 | |||
| 1969 | Snow in All Seasons | 43 | ||
| Hits Covered by Snow | 35 | |||
| C.B. Atkins & C.E. Snow by Special Request (w/ Chet Atkins) | ||||
| 1970 | Hank Snow Sings in Memory of Jimmie Rodgers | 45 | ||
| Cure for the Blues | ||||
| 1971 | Tracks & Trains | 45 | ||
| Award Winners | ||||
| 1972 | The Jimmie Rodgers Story | |||
| The Best 2 | ||||
| 1973 | Grand Ole Opry Favorites | |||
| 1974 | Now Is the Hour | |||
| Hello Love | 4 | |||
| That's You and Me | 35 | |||
| 1975 | You're Easy to Love | 48 | ||
| 1976 | Live from Evangel Temple (w/ Jimmy Snow) | |||
| 1977 | #104 - Still Movin' On | 47 | ||
| 1979 | The Mysterious Lady | |||
| Lovingly Yours (w/ Kelly Foxton) | ||||
| Instrumentally Yours | ||||
| 1981 | Win Some Lose Some Lonesome (w/ Kelly Foxton) | |||
| 1985 | Brand On My Heart (w/ Willie Nelson) | Columbia | ||
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | ||
| 1949 | "Marrige Vow" | 10 | ||
| 1950 | "I'm Moving On" | 1 | ||
| "The Golden Rocket" | 1 | |||
| 1951 | "The Rhumba Boogie" | 4 | ||
| "Bluebird Island" (w/ Anita Carter) | 4 | |||
| "Down the Trail of Achin' Hearts" (w/ Anita Carter) | 2 | |||
| "Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart" | 6 | |||
| "Music Makin' Mama from Memphis" | 4 | |||
| 1952 | "The Gold Rush Is Over" | 2 | ||
| "Lady's Man" | 2 | |||
| "Married by the Bible, Divorced by the Law" | 8 | |||
| "I Went to Your Wedding" | 3 | |||
| "The Gal Who Inventing Kissin'" | 4 | |||
| "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such As I" | 3 | |||
| 1953 | "Honeymoon on a Rocket Ship" | 9 | ||
| "Spanish Fire Ball" | 3 | |||
| "For Now and Always" | 10 | |||
| "When Mexican Joe Met Jole Brown" | 6 | |||
| 1954 | "I Don't Hurt Anymore" | 1 | ||
| "That Crazy Mambo Thing" | 10 | |||
| "Let Me Go, Lover!" | 1 | |||
| 1955 | "The Next Voice You Hear" | 15 | ||
| "Silver Bell" (w/ Chet Atkins) | 15 | |||
| "Yellow Roses" | 3 | |||
| "Would You Mind?" | 3 | |||
| "Cryin', Prayin', Waitin', Hopin'" | 7 | |||
| "I'm Glad I Got to See You Once Again" | 7 | |||
| "Mainliner (The Hawk with Silver Wings)" | 5 | |||
| "Born to Be Happy" | 5 | |||
| 1956 | "These Hands" | 5 | ||
| "I'm Moving In" | 11 | |||
| "Conscience I'm Guilty" | 4 | |||
| "Hula Rock" | 5 | |||
| "Stolen Moments" | 7 | |||
| 1957 | "Tangled Mind" | 4 | ||
| "My Arms Are a House" | 8 | |||
| 1958 | "Whispering Rain" | 15 | ||
| "Big Wheels" | 7 | |||
| "A Woman Captured Me" | 16 | |||
| 1959 | "Doggone That Train" | 19 | ||
| "Chasin' a Rainbow" | 6 | |||
| "The Last Ride" | 3 | |||
| 1960 | "Rockin', Rollin' Ocean" | 22 | 87 | |
| "Miller's Cave" | 9 | 101 | ||
| 1961 | "Beggar to a King" | 5 | ||
| "The Restless One" | 11 | |||
| 1962 | "You Take the Future (And I'll Take the Past)" | 15 | ||
| "I've Been Everywhere" | 1 | 68 | ||
| 1963 | "The Man Who Robbed the Bank at Santa Fe" | 9 | ||
| "Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)" | 2 | 124 | ||
| 1964 | "Breakfast with the Blues" | 11 | ||
| "I Stepped Over the Line" | 21 | |||
| 1965 | "The Wishing Well (Down in the Well)" | 7 | ||
| "The Queen of Draw Poker Town" | 28 | |||
| 1966 | "I've Cried a Mile" | 18 | ||
| "The Count Down" | 22 | |||
| "Hula Love" | 21 | |||
| 1967 | "Down at the Pawn Shop" | 18 | ||
| "Learnin' a New Way of Life" | 20 | |||
| 1968 | "I Just Wanted to Know (How the Wind Was Blowing)" | 70 | ||
| "Who Will Answer? (Aleluya No. 1)" | 69 | |||
| "The Late and Great Love of My Heart" | 20 | 5 | ||
| 1969 | "The Name of the Game Was Love" | 16 | 1 | |
| "That's When the Hurtin' Sets In" | 53 | |||
| 1970 | "Come the Morning" | 57 | 33 | |
| "Vanishing Breed" | 52 | |||
| 1971 | "(The Seashores) Of Old Mexico" | 6 | ||
| 1972 | "Governor's Hand" | 34 | ||
| 1973 | "North to Chicago" | 71 | 20 | |
| 1974 | "Hello Love" | 1 | 1 | |
| "That's You and Me" | 36 | 5 | ||
| "Easy to Love" | 26 | |||
| 1975 | "Merry-Go-Round of Love" | 47 | 36 | |
| "Hijack" | 79 | |||
| "Colorado Country Morning" | 95 | |||
| 1976 | "Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone" | 87 | ||
| "You're Wondering Why" | 98 | |||
| 1977 | "Trouble in Mind" | 81 | ||
| "I'm Still Movin' On" | 80 | |||
| "Breakfast with the Blues" | 96 | |||
| 1978 | "Nevertheless" | 93 | ||
| "Ramblin' Rose" | 93 | |||
| 1979 | "The Mysterious Lady from St. Martinique" | 80 | 26 | |
| "A Good Gal Is Hard to Find" | 91 | |||
| "It Takes Too Long" | 98 | |||
| 1980 | "Hasn't It Been Good Together" (w/ Kelly Foxton) | 78 | 39 | |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hank Snow Country Music Centre (Official Website)
- At the Country Music Hall of Fame
- Hank Snow Discography at Discogs
- Rev. Jimmy Rodgers Snow Ministries
[edit] References
- Wolfe, Charles. (1998). "Hank Snow". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 494–5.
