Hank Thompson (music)
| Hank Thompson | |
|---|---|
Hank Thompson in 1966.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Henry William Thompson |
| Born |
September 3, 1925 Waco, Texas, USA |
| Died | November 6, 2007 (aged 82) |
| Genres | Country, western swing |
| Occupation(s) | singer and songwriter |
| Instruments | electric guitar |
| Years active | 1946–2007 |
| Website | www |
Henry William "Hank" Thompson (September 3, 1925 – November 6, 2007) was an American country music entertainer whose career spanned seven decades.
Thompson's musical style, characterized as honky tonk Western swing, was a mixture of fiddles, electric guitar and steel guitar that featured his distinctive, smooth baritone vocals.
His backing band, The Brazos Valley Boys, was voted the top Country Western Band for 14 years in a row by Billboard. The primary difference between his music and that of Bob Wills was that Thompson, who used the swing beat and instrumentation to enhance his vocals, discouraged the intense instrumental soloing from his musicians that Wills encouraged; however, the "Hank Thompson sound" exceeded Bob Wills in Top 40 country hits.
Although not as prominent on the top country charts in later decades, Thompson remained a recording artist and concert draw well into his 80s.
The 1987 novel Crazy Heart by Thomas Cobb was inspired by Thompson's life, specifically by his practice of picking up a local band to back him when he toured. In 2009 Cobb's novel was turned into a successful film directed by Scott Cooper and starring Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges.
Born in Waco, Texas, Thompson was interested in music from an early age and won several amateur harmonica contests. He decided to pursue his musical talent after serving in the United States Navy in World War II as a radioman and studying electrical engineering at Princeton University before his discharge. He had intended to continue those studies on the GI Bill following his 1946 discharge and return to Waco. Later that year, after having a regional hit with his first single was "Whoa Sailor" for Blue Bonnet Records, he chose to pursue a full-time musical career.
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