Hank Snow
Induction Year: 1978
Birth Name: Clarence Eugene - Hank Snow
Birth Date: May 09, 1914
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada
Deceased: December 20, 1999
Place of Death: Madison, TN
Biography
"The richest child is poor without country music." Hank Snow
Former Occupations:
Cabin boy in the Merchant Marines
Newsboy
Insurance salesman
Fuller Brush salesman
Stevedore
Fish plant worker
Drug store errand boy
Lumberjack
Ranch hand
Horse wrangler
Discography / Career Highlights
Career Milestones:
1920--first started thinking seriously about pursuing music after his mother bought him some Jimmie Rodgers records
1933--auditioned for radio station CHNS in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was hired on the spot for a regular show; formed his band "The Rainbow Ranch Boys," and established himself as "The Singing Ranger"; a month later became host of his own radio program, "The Canadian Farm Hour"
1936--C.H. Landry, manager of CHNS, produced the first Hank Snow record ("Old Rugged Cross" c/w "Old Faithful")
1936--began recording for Canadian Bluebird, a division of RCA Victor-Montreal
1940--first theater appearances in Canada
1944--made first trip to the U.S.; performing around Philadelphia, Hollywood, West Virginia and Dallas, where he met Ernest Tubb
1945--made first major try at American radio; went to Wheeling, WV, where he appeared on station WWVA on two daily shows as well as weekly appearances on the "WWVA Jamboree"
1948--broke into the U.S. market when RCA Victor began issuing a series of Canadian records in the U.S.
1948--first U.S. recording sessions at RCA Victor's Chicago studio
1948--toured in Texas on the same bill as Ernest Tubb, who was instrumental in getting Snow on the Grand Ole Opry
1949--first record to get on the American charts, "Marriage Vow" (written by Jenny Lou Carson)
1949--came to Nashville
late 1940s--performed on radio station KRLD-Dallas
1950--first recording session in Nashville
1950--charted two #1 records, "Golden Rocket" and "I'm Movin' On"
1950--joined the Grand Ole Opry
1953--performed for troops in Korea and Japan with Ernest Tubb
1954--formed a Nashville-based booking agency, Hank Snow Enterprises-Jamboree Productions, with Colonel Tom Parker
1955--became the first guitarist to record an instrumental album with Chet Atkins
1962--"I've Been Everywhere" went to #1 on the charts
1965--toured Japan
1967--performed for troops in Vietnam
1974--had last #1 single, "Hello Love"; used as a theme song on Garrison Keillor's radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion"
1978--lectured on country music at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
1981--ended recording career with RCA
1985--released album of duets recorded with Willie Nelson
1986--ended touring
1994--released autobiography, "The Hank Snow Story"
1996--made last appearance on the Grand Ole Opry
Awards:
1953--Jimmie Rodgers Hall of Fame induction
1963--Nebraska Western Hall of Fame, AK-SA-RB-EN (Nebraska spelled backwards) induction
1963--Billboard\Achievement Award\All Time Favorite Country Record\I'm Movin' On\voted by the nation's top disk jockeys
1979--Canadian Hall of Fame induction\inducted during the Juno Awards
1979--Country Music Hall of Fame induction
1985--Canadian Hall of Honor
1989--Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame induction
Catalog Highlights:
"Golden Rocket"- Artists: Hank Snow (1951), Jim & Jesse (1970)
"I'm Movin' On" - Artists: Hank Snow (1950), Don Gibson (1960), Emmylou Harris (1983)
"Rhumba Boogie" - Artists: Hank Snow
"Bluebird Island" - Artists: Hank Snow and Anita Carter
"Music Makin' Mama From Memphis" - Artists:Hank Snow
"Unwanted Sign on Your Heart" - Artists: Hank Snow
Comments:
"I'm Movin' On" holds the Billboard record as top single of all time (1944-1996); it has the following distinctions: 44 weeks total in the top 100 and 21 weeks at #1
Snow helped to get Elvis Presley a recording contract with RCA
Appeared in the following feature films: "The Road to Nashville" (with Marty Robbins) and "Country Music On Broadway" (with Hank Williams Jr.)
Snow's backup band was the Rainbow Ranch Boys
Known as "The Singing Ranger"
Snow's 45 years with RCA Records is thought to be the longest-running continuous recording association between an artist and a record label in country music history.
The film "Nashville" featured a character said to be based in part on Hank Snow