Genres: Traditional Country, Western Swing, Honky Tonk, Bakersfield Sound, Country Boogie Active: 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's Born: September 3, 1925 in Waco, TX
Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Spade Cooley, Pee Wee King, Floyd Tillman, Roy Acuff, Tex Ritter, The Maddox Brothers & Rose, Red Foley, The Carter Family, Gene Autry, Milton Brown & His Brownies Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, Charlie Walker, Cowboy Copas, Tex Williams, Harlan Howard, Webb Pierce, Wynn Stewart, Hank Penny, Kitty Wells, Gary Stewart, Hank Snow, Curtis Potter, Willie Nelson, Hank Locklin, George Jones, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Merle Haggard Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Wanda Jackson, Jean Shepard, Jody Reynolds, David Frizzell, Melvin Endsley, Roy Heinrich, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Vern Gosdin, Moe Bandy, Chet Atkins, Asleep at the Wheel, Joey + Rory |  |
Hank Thompson was perhaps the most popular Western swing musician of the '50s and '60s, keeping the style alive with a top-notch band, tremendous showmanship, and a versatility that allowed him to expand his repertoire into romantic ballads and hardcore honky tonk numbers. Born September 3, 1925, in Waco, TX, Henry William Thompson was the son of immigrants from Bohemia and grew up idolizing Western swing and country musicians like Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers, and Gene Autry. He began learning harmonica and guitar as a child, and appeared in local talent shows as a teenager, which eventually led to his own local radio program (billed as Hank the Hired Hand). After graduating from high school in 1943, Thompson joined the Navy as a radio technician and often wrote songs to entertain his fellow soldiers. Following his discharge, Thompson studied electrical engineering at Princeton through the G.I. Bill, but eventually decided to pursue music as a career.
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Release: 2010
Label: El Toro Records
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Release: August 11, 2009
Label: Raven
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