ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Hank Thompson (4 songs)

This Waco TX-native singer-songwriter-guitarist was on WACO radio as a teenager, billed as “Hank, The Hired Hand”. He served in the US Navy during World War II & died of lung cancer 11/06/2007.

#1
This song, his 1st release, hit the airwaves 01/31/1948 & spent 38 weeks on the charts, 2 at its peak of #2. It was 1 of 5 releases in 1948 & 1949 that reached the Top 10. Others included 1949’s “What Are We Gonna Do About The Moonlight” (#10), 1948’s “Green Light” (#7) & 1949’s “Whoa Sailor” (#6).

#2
After dropping off the charts in 1950 & 1951, he returned with this song in 1952. Undoubtedly his best hit & signature tune, this single debuted 03/15/1952 & spent 30 weeks on the charts, 15 of those (half of them!) at #1. It sparked a string of 12 straight Top 10s, including 1952’s “Waiting In The Lobby Of Your Heart” (#3) & 1953’s “No Help Wanted” (#9).

#3
Debuting 05/23/1953, this song spent 20 weeks on the charts, 3 of those at #1, his 2nd chart topper & 5th straight Top 10. That streak stretched to 12 straight, including 1953-4’s “Wake Up, Irene” (#1, 2 weeks; answer to Red Foley & Ernest Tubb’s “Goodnight, Irene”), 1954’s “Honky-Tonk Girl” (#9) & 1954’s “The New Green Light” (#3, 4 weeks).

#4
This song debuted 03/24/1956, spent 22 weeks on the charts & peaked at #4, becoming the last of 5 straight Top 10s. It was preceded in 1955 by “Wildwood Flower” (#5), “Breakin’ In Another Heart” (#7), “Most Of All” (#6) & “Don’t Take It Out On Me” (#5). He released tunes through the early 1980s, but managed only 8 Top 10s in that stretch, including 1958’s “Squaws Along The Yukon” (#2, 4 weeks), 1961’s “Oklahoma Hills” (#7) & 1968-9’s “Smoky The Bar” (#5).