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Hank Thompson (born September 3, 1925) is a country music entertainer whose career has
spanned six decades and who has sold over 60 million records worldwide. His musical style, characterized as Honky Tonk Swing, is a mixture of big-band instrumentation, fiddle and steel guitar that supports his distinctive, gravelly baritone vocals on songs
he often writes himself. His backing band, The Brazos Valley Boys, was
voted the No.1 Country Western Band for 14 years in a row by Billboard
Magazine.
Thompson was born in Waco, Texas. He decided to pursue his musical talent after serving in
the U.S. Navy in World War II as a radioman and studying electrical
engineering at the university level. His first single was "Whoa
Sailor" in 1946. The year 1952 brought his first #1 disc,
"The Wild Side of Life", which contained the
memorable line "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels". Other
hits followed in quick succession in the 1950s and 1960s. Although
not as prominent in later decades, he has remained an active and
respected performer in the field, finding new audiences as a result
of the resurgence of a harder-edged sound in country music.
Hank Thompson was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989
and honored by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation in 1997.
External links
Official Hank Thompson Website (http://www.hankthompson.net/)
Country Music Hall of Fame Bio (http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/inductees/hank_thompson.html)
CMT bio (http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/thompson_hank/bio.jhtml)
Hank Thompson makes it "seven decades" (http://www.countrystandardtime.com/hankthompson2FEATURE.html)
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