Can I Get an Amen for Hank Snow?
It is early evening in the late summer of 1954 and a gangly teenage lad with the forehead of Herman Munster and the chin of Prince Charles is sprawled at a table in a fetid basement bodega in Charleston, West Virginia, sipping on a glass of beer and jawing with his older cousin, Paul. They have just sold a truckload of purloined scrap metal and the $30 they’ve netted must be put to immediate recreational use.
A husky, middle-aged woman at the bar swivels on her stool, steps uncertainly onto the sticky floor and totters toward the jukebox in the manner of one confronting a stiff wind. With considerable difficulty, she locates the coin slot, thumbs in a handful of nickels and pushes some buttons. There is a loud click as the record drops into place. Then out of the battered Wurlitzer comes this pinched nasal voice proclaiming, “It don’t hurt anymo-o-o-re / all my teardrops are dried.” Paul eyes the woman skeptically and offers an ungallant conjecture as to why it don’t hurt anymore. But by this time, I am lost in the music. (Yes, I was that teenager.) It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the great Hank Snow but it was surely the best time.
Friends, until you’ve invited Hank Snow into your life you are leading a diminished existence. “The Singing Ranger,” as he dubbed himself, warbled and picked guitar like nobody else. He was influenced by Jimmie Rodgers and mentored by Ernest Tubb yet created his own vivid style. “I Don’t Hurt Anymore” topped the country charts for 20 weeks, a surprise to no one who had followed Snow from his first big hit, “I’m Movin’ On” in 1950, through such dynamos as “The Golden Rocket,” “The Rhumba Boogie” and “The Gold Rush Is Over.”
Clickety-clack train songs, rhumbas, mambos, hulas -- the Canadian-born Snow was fascinated by rhythms and, man, could he surf a lyric! Others have performed the tongue-twisting “I’ve Been Everywhere,” but none has come close to matching Snow’s finesse. He covered pop tunes -- notably Patti Page’s “I Went To Your Wedding” and Joan Weber’s “Let Me Go Lover” -- and transformed them into country staples. A fixture on the charts until 1980, he died in 1999 at the age of 85. Check him out on the Internet and then go buy an album. He’ll change your life. If not, the next beer’s on me.
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Michael Green says:
Wonderful post about a wonderful country–and put country in bold, capital letters–singer, songwriter and (too many forget) guitarist. His autobiography, The Hank Snow Story, tells a lot more about his early life than his musical career, and he’s discreet about some escapades, but it’s well worth reading. The 8:30 and 11:00 portions of the Opry just haven’t been the same, with all due respect to Bill Anderson, who hosts them now.
Steve says:
Hank Snow, like so many of his generation, was a wonderful stylist in addition to being a talented singer. The reason I listen his records (and those of Tubb, Thompson, et al) over and over is that he could “own” a song and listeners knew who they were listening to. I only saw him live in the twilight of his career at the Opry. Even though he had to use printed lyric cards the voice was still incredibly strong and his presence commanded the stage despite his small physical stature.
Another strength of his was song selection. Just because they’re old, doesn’t make all country songs of the 40s and 50s “classics”. However the great bulk of Snow’s catalog is still very listenable and enjoyable today. I second Mr. Green’s recommendation on the autbiography. It’s brutally honest about his hardships but also classy in that Snow didn’t use it to tell tales out of school or settle petty old scores.
Mr. Morris, I hope you continue to spotlight some artists of prior generations. Those that are still active (Dickens, Waggoner) need to be appreciated before it is too late and those that have passed/retired need to be put in the spotlight again before they become footnotes in country music history.
archie butts says:
I am 67 years old and have been a fan of hanks since i was about five years old. I can never tire of listening to his wonderful voice and guitar playing. As a matter of fact my wife and i are going to visit the hank snow museum in nova scotia on the labour day week end.
Jo Anne Behrens says:
Mr. Morris, thanks a million for spotlighting Hank Snow recently (Can I Get an Amen for Hank Snow)! It’s about time someone came forward on Hank’s behalf. Hank Snow was, is and will always remain a true Country Music megastar and legend. He’s been my favorite Country artist since I first heard him sing and play the guitar in the early 1950’s. He was truly multi-talented as evidenced by his outstanding voice, superior guitar playing, exceptional song writing abilities, and overall performing excellence. His repertoire featured numerous styles to the delight of all his fans, including railroad songs, novelty fast-paced tunes, love songs and ballads, religious songs, and beautiful recitations, as well as his terrific and incomparable guitar medleys. Hank was the genuine and authentic master of all these elements. With the ongoing loyalty, commitment and affection of Hank’s devoted fans, his music will carry on and be preserved for the total enjoyment of all Country Music enthusiasts.