Country Legend Hank Thompson Dies

Country and western swing legend Hank Thompson, who spent seven decades performing in the music industry, has died of lung cancer at his suburban Fort Worth home. His death comes just ten days after the death of fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member, Porter Wagoner, who also passed away from lung cancer. Thompson died Tuesday, November 6, just days after being released from the hospital into hospice care. He was 82.

Hank Thompson was born in Waco, Texas in 1925. He began his career as a teenager, performing on local radio stations. After a stint in the Navy during World War II, Thompson attended Southern Methodist University and Princeton University on his GI Bill. He also continued singing.

In 1946 Thompson signed with a regional label, Globe, before being signed to Capitol Records in 1948. His first hit was the lighthearted "Humpty Dumpty Heart," a song which in many ways set the tone for Thompson's career. Many of his hits had humorous or novel titles ("Waiting in the Lobby of Your Heart," "Rub-a-Dub-Dub"). Thompson quickly became a country music favorite with top ten songs such as "Green Light" and "Whoa Sailor," a song inspired by his time in the Navy. The song was later covered by the Maddox Brothers and Rose and became one of their most popular tunes.

In 1952, William Warren and Artie Carter penned new lyrics to the old melody used in "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" and presented the song to Thompson. The song, "The Wild Side of Life," became the biggest hit of Thompson's career, staying at #1 on the charts for four months and staying on the charts for better than half the year. It was the most popular song on the BillboardOklahoma City radio station. He brought her to the attention of the executives at Capitol Records. Capitol initially refused to sign the then-16-year-old Wanda Jackson, claiming she was too young, but eventually gave her a recording contract in 1956. Billed as "the female Elvis," Jackson's rockabilly career took off thanks to Thompson giving her a job in his Brazos Valley Boys.

Thompson's chart success began to slow in the mid-1970s, nearly 30 years after he began having hits. His last top ten song was "Who Left the Door to Heaven Open," in 1974, and his final top 40 hit was 1980's "Tony's Tank-Up, Drive-In Cafe." Although no longer having charted records, Thompson continued touring nonstop, where he had no problem selling out venues with his blend of country and western swing.

Hank Thompson's last performance came October 8th in his hometown, where "Hank Thompson Day" was celebrated. On November 2, Thompson announced through his web site that he was canceling the remainder of his "Sunset Tour" and retiring from performing. The next day, he was released from a Dallas-area hospital to his home and into hospice care, diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

At Thompson's request, there will be a celebration of his life rather than a funeral. It is scheduled to take place Wednesday, November 14 at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth. Thompson's widow, Ann, has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Thompson's memory to the Heart of Texas Country Music Museum, 1701 South Bridge, Brady, Texas, 76825. country charts of 1952. The song was also partly responsible for the career of "Queen of Country Music" Kitty Wells: a year later, J.D. Miller wrote an "answer song" (a very common theme in country music during the 50s and 60s) to "The Wild Side of Life," titled "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." That song would become Wells' first, and biggest, hit.

Thompson made another significant contribution to country music. In 1955, he and his band, the Brazos Valley Boys, joined with legendary guitar player Merle Travis to record an instrumental version of the Carter Family's mournful lost-love ballad, "Wildwood Flower." Since their top 5 instrumental, the song has become a "must-learn" guitar anthem in country music and is generally forgotten as a vocal performance.

While touring in 1954, Thompson heard a high school girl singer on an