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Hank Snow
and The Rainbow Ranch Boys
Born:  May 9, 1914
Died:  December 20, 1999
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame
Country Music Hall of Fame (1979)
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1978)
Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame (1997)
WSM Grand Ole Opry
WWVA Original Jamboree
WWVA Wheeling, WV
CHNS Halifax, NS (1933)


About The Artist

Hank Snow
By Mark Brine

Throughout the years, I've heard much said of Hank Snow and his temperament and nature. This was much to the contrary of what I found him to be truly like. Of course, all I can speak of is what I knew of him, the kind of person he really was from my first hand observations.

The very first thing that comes to mind, in my recall, is a particular situation that I think best relates his true and deeper nature. It was an event that occurred in his Grand Ole Opry dressing room, the night before my debut there. I had come to see him and as well, appear on the Friday Night Opry's taping of the Grand Ole Gospel show (The Gospel show was recorded after the Opry went off the air on Friday night and was aired on Sundays I believe.)

In any event, all of the Rainbow Ranch Boys were there in the dressing room. They were just as friendly a group of fellas as could be. In all the conversations, at last, one broke out with a story that recalled a 'voluptouous' woman that they had encountered in their touring days. One that literally 'threw herself' (again, voluptuously and literally speaking...!) upon them. I believe you understand what I mean by that. She was speaking right up in their faces, purposely and shamelessly flaunting her wares! That's all it amounted to ... and every one sort of got a chuckle out of it and moved on to other conversation subjects. I really didn't think much of that story as you hear so much of that kind of talk, in and about the business and life, in general.

The next morning, in my hotel room, I get a call from Hank ... apologizing for the incident and assuring me that he had told the band not to be carrying on like that in the dressing room with guests present. I assured him it hadn't bothered me and that I've heard much of the like, many times before. Besides, it was almost 'innocent' humor ... few details supplied and well, just mild, compared to what else I'd heard in my time.

This greatly impressed me! This to me, was 'the man' - Hank Snow! High moral fiber, willing to risk whatever ridicule, etc. that might come of his speaking out for the 'decent way'! Not that what the band had said, had even bordered on the more infamous trash-mouths of our time! Again, it was mild comparatively, but again, Hank was that kind of man! A real, super decent man!

Another incident related to the appearance on the Opry shows more Hank's nature. BMI was supposed to send out a photographer that night (per my label at the time) and shoot some promotional shots for the forthcoming CD, "Rig Rock Jukebox" (which featured my "New Blue Yodel" and my 'debut' song for that night), but had something else come up.

Hank employed his friend, Ruth Bauer, to shoot the photos instead. This, was all unbeknownst to me, until much later. He was a top-rate person! A quiet man, which is often misread as a stuck-up, etc. (for its reclusive similarities...) but he had a big heart. A good heart. One...that had probably been abused by 'takers' in the past and so, the retreat. I am truly proud to have known him and blessed by his acquaintance.

Credits & Sources

  • Article courtesy of Mark Brine, a singer/songwriter and guitarist who hails from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He spent eleven years in Nashville and performed on the Grand Ole Opry as a guest of Hank Snow. His style of music is a blend of folk, traditional country and blues, that ultimately creates his own unique style of Americana. Baltimore's "Citypaper" summed it up: "Brine knows his stuff well enough to know that there was a time in this country when blues, country, jazz, gospel and popular song were not nearly as isolated from each other as they are today."
  • Mark Brine Music
    www.markbrine.com

Related Web Links

Hank Snow Country Music Centre

Sound Sample—(YouTube Video Format)


Nobody's Child

Appearance History This Month

Read More...



Buy this Book
Hank Snow Story
By Hank Snow, the Singing Ranger
with Jack Owenbey and Bob Burris
University of Illinois Press
1994
555 Pages
ISBN:  0-252-02089-8
 

Printer Friendly Version

Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)

 
RCA Victor
Rec. No. Side Song Title
  20-2835 A My Mother
  20-2835 B My Sweet Texas Blue Bonnet Queen
  20-2962 A Brand On My Heart
  20-2962 B I'll Not Forget My Mother's Prayer
  20-3126 A Just A Faded Petal From A Beautiful Bouquet
  20-3126 B I'm Gonna Bid My Blues Goodbye
  20-3240 A Little Buddy
  20-3240 B You Played Love On The Strings Of My Heart
  20-3241 A Little Buddie
  20-3241 B Maple On The Hill
  20-4095 A The Wreck Of The Old 97
  20-4095 B Hobo Bill's Last Ride
  20-4096 A Ben Dewberry's Final Run
  20-4096 B The Engineer's Child
  20-4097 A The Mystery Of Number Five
  20-4097 B One More Ride
  20-4346 A Music Makin' Mama From Memphis
  20-4346 B The Highest Bidder
  20-4398 A These Things Shall Pass
  20-4522 A The Gold Rush Is Over
  20-4522 B Why Do You Punish Me?
  20-4593 A I'm Movin' On
  20-4593 B Marriage Vows
  20-4594 A Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts
  20-4594 B Music Makin' Mama From Memphis
  20-4595 A Rhumba Boogie
  20-4595 B Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart
  20-4596 A Bluebird Island
  20-4596 B Golden Rocket
  20-4632 A I Just Telephoned Upstairs
  20-4632 B My Mother
  20-4733 A Married By The Bible, Divorced By The Law
  20-4733 B Lady's Man
  20-4856 A I'm In Love With Jesus
  20-4856 B Jesus Wept
  20-4909 A The Boogie Woogie Flying Cloud
  20-4909 B I Went To Your Wedding
  20-4973 A Golden River
  20-4973 B Zeb Turney's Gal
  20-4974 A I Knew That We'd Meet Again
  20-4974 B Moanin'
  20-4975 A Yodeling Cowboy
  20-4975 B My Little Golden Horseshoe Fas
  20-4976 A Confused With The Blues
  20-4976 B On That Old Hawaiian Shore With You
  20-5021 A He'll Understand And Say Well Done
  20-5021 B I'm Moving On To Glory
  20-5034 A A Fool Such As I
  20-5034 B The Gal Who Invented Kissin'
  20-5153 A Honeymoon On A Rocket Ship
  20-5153 B There Wasn't An Organ At Our Wedding
  20-5155 A Honeymoon On A Rocket Ship
  20-5155 B There Wasn't An Organ At Our Wedding
  20-5190 A Treasure Untold
  20-5190 B Why Did You Give Me Your Love?
  20-5191 A Jimmy The Kid
  20-5191 B Southern Cannonball
  20-5220 A My Blue-Eyed Jane
  20-5220 B Jimmie The Kid
  20-5221 A Treasure Untold
  20-5221 B When Jimmie Rodgers Said Goodbye
  20-5222 A Anniversary Blue Yodel
  20-5222 B The Southern Cannonball
  20-5223 A Mississippi River Blues
  20-5223 B Why Did You Give Me Your Love
  20-5249 A Glory Land March
  20-5249 B In Daddy's Footsteps
  20-5296 A Spanish Fire Ball
  20-5296 B Between Fire And Water
  20-5340 A The Reindeer Boogie
  20-5340 B Christmas Roses
  20-5341 A Frosty The Snowman
  20-5341 B Silent Night
  20-5380 A A Message From The Tradewinds
  20-5380 B For Now And Always
  20-5490 A When Mexican Jose Met Jolie Blon
  20-5490 B No Longer A Prisoner
  20-5548 A I'm Glad I'm On The Inside (Lookin' Out) (w/Blackwood Brothers Quartet)
  20-5548 B Invisible Hands (w/Blackwood Brothers Quartet)
  20-5592 A Panamama
  20-5592 B Act 1, Act 2, Act 3
  20-5651 A My Empty Arms
  20-5651 B Stolen Moments
  20-5698 A My Arabian Baby
  20-5698 B I Don't Hurt Anymore
  20-5794 A The Alphabet
  20-5794 B My Religion's Not Old-Fashioned
  20-5912 A The Next Voice You Hear
  20-5912 B That Carzy Mambo Thing
  20-5960 A I've Forgotten You
  20-5960 B Let Me Go, Lover
  20-5995 A Silver Bell (w/Chet Atkins)
  20-5995 B The Old Spinning Wheel (w/Chet Atkins)
  20-6057 A Would You Mind?
  20-6057 B Yellow Roses
  20-6154 A I'm Glad I Got To See You Once Again
  20-6154 B Cryin', Prayin', Waitin', Hopin'
  20-6269 A Mainliner (The Hawk With Silver Wings)
  20-6269 B Born To Be Happy
  20-6326 A In An Eighteenth Century Drawing Room (Guitar Solo)
  20-6326 B La Cucaracha
  20-6379 A I'm Moving On
  20-6379 B These Hands
  20-6500 A It's You, Only You That I Love
  20-6500 B Keep Your Promise, Willie Thomas
  20-6558 A Reminiscing (w/Chet Atkins)
  20-6558 B New Spanish Two-Step (w/Chet Atkins)
  20-6578 A Conscience, I'm Guilty
  20-6578 B Hula Rock
  20-6715 A Stolen Moments
  20-6715 B Two Won't Care
  20-6772 A Carnival Of Venice
  20-6772 B Oh Wonderful World
  20-6831 A Calypso Sweetheart
  20-6831 B Marriage And Divorce
  20-6955 A My Arms Are A House
  20-6955 B Tangled Mind
  20-7060 A Squid Jigglin' Around
  20-7060 B Unfaithful
  20-7121 A Blue Danube Waltz
  20-7121 B Under The Double Eagle
  20-7123 A Loves Call From The Mountain
  20-7123 B Unfaithful
  20-7154 A I Wish I Was The Moon
  20-7154 B Whispering Rain
  20-7233 A Big Wheels
  20-7233 B I'm Hurting All Over
  21-0028 A Only A Rose From My Mother's Grave
  21-0028 B Blue Ranger
  21-0062 A Marriage Vow
  21-0062 B The Star Spangled Waltz
  21-0089 A The Blind Boy's Dog
  21-0089 B The Anniversary Of My Broken Heart
  21-0101 A My Filipino Rose
  21-0101 B The Law Of Love
  21-0143 A Nobody's Child
  21-0143 B The Only Rose
  21-0303 A I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
  21-0303 B The Drunkard's Son
  21-0356 A I Cried But My Tears Were Too Late
  21-0356 B The Night I Stole Old Sammy Morgan's Gin
  21-0363 A My Tow-Timin' Woman
  21-0363 B Wasted Love
  21-0364 A Somewhere Along Life's Highway
  21-0364 B Within This Broken Heart Of Mine
  21-0400 A The Golden Rocket
  21-0400 B Paving The Highways With Tears
  21-0431 A The Rhumba Boogie
  21-0431 A The Rhumba Boogie
  21-0431 B You Pass Me By
  21-0431 B You Pass Me By
  21-0441 A Bluebird Island
  21-0441 B Down The Trail Of Achin' Hearts
  21-0498 A Your Locket Is My Borken Heart
  21-0498 B Unwanted Sign Upon Your Heart
  21-5034 A (Now And Then) There's A Fool Such As I
  21-5034 B The Gal Who Invented Kissin'
  210328 A I'm Moving On
  210328 B With This Ring I Thee Wed
  6713 A Stolen Moments
  6713 B Two Won't Care
  9012 A Hula Love
  9012 B A Letter From Viet Nam


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