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
Sound Sample(YouTube Video Format)
Appearance History This Month
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Binkley, AR Hank Snow
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Harrisburg, PA Hank Snow
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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 |
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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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