On this day (November 6) in 2007, Country Music Hall of Fame singer-songwriter Hank Thompson, 82, died at his home in Keller, Texas, after a brief battle with lung cancer. Blending honky-tonk and Western swing with his unmistakable baritone, Thompson landed 30 singles in the U.S. Country Top 10 in nearly as many years — including the 1952 No. 1 hit “The Wild Side of Life”, which later inspired Kitty Wells’ historical chart-topper “It wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”.
Making his recording debut in 1946, Thompson worked nearly until the day he died. He gave his last public performance on October 8, 2007, in his hometown of Waco, Texas, before being diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer.
On November 1, Thompson canceled his 2007 Sunset Tour and officially retired from singing before entering hospice care at his home.
He died five days later “surrounded by his friends and family,” spokesman Tracy Pitcox told the Associated Press.
Today, we’re taking a trip through the illustrious life and career of Hank Thompson on the 19th anniversary of his passing.
Hank Thompson’s Musical Passion Started Early
Born September 3, 1925, in Waco, Texas, Henry William “Hank” Thompson initially dabbled in the harmonica, winning several amateur contests as a child. However, he switched to the guitar after falling under the spell of singing cowboy Gene Autry. Thompson got his start on local radio before earning his high school diploma.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduation, furthering his musical interests by playing local clubs while stationed in San Diego, California. Often writing songs to entertain his shipmates, Thompson also studied electrical engineering at Princeton University.
Following his 1946 discharge and return to Waco, he planned to put those studies to use and pursue an engineering career. However, after scoring a regional hit with his single “Whoa Sailor”, Thompson decided to try his hand at music instead. He had put together a Western swing band called the Brazos Valley Boys, who would become Billboard’s top-ranked band from 1953 to 1965.
Three Decades of Hits
Embracing a lighter version of the Western swing sound popularized by fellow Texan Bob Wills, Hank Thompson signed with Capitol Records in 1947. The following year, his self-penned single “Humpty Dumpty Heart” fell just short of the No. 1 spot on the U.S. country chart.
The hits kept coming after that, with his version of “The Wild Side of Life” spending 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart following its 1952 release.
Famously inspiring the feminist answer song “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” — which put country singer Kitty Wells on the map — “The Wild Side of Life” also cemented Thompson’s superstar status.
His other hits included “Waiting In the Lobby Of Your Heart”, “Rub-A-Dub-Dub”, “Wake Up Irene”, “Honky Tonk Girl”, “Wildwood Flower” and “Squaws Along the Yukon”.
Thompson left Capitol Records in 1965 and signed briefly with Warner Brothers before switching to Dot Records. He softened his rough honky-tonk style somewhat on ensuing hits like “On Tap”, “In the Can Or In The Bottle”, “Smoky The Bar” and “The Older The Violin, The Sweeter The Music”.
[RELATED: On This Day in 1952, Hank Thompson Released a Country Classic That Inspired a History-Making Song Six Months Later]
Even after his chart success declined, Hank Thompson remained in demand as a performer. The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him into its ranks in 1989. He joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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