HANK THOMPSON : Hank The Hired Hand

Words&music of a western swing legend!!!! Hank Thompson’s key to success lies in his songwriting and his band's consistent sound. Thompson's songs often cast an unflinching eye on the drinking and carousing honky-tonk lifestyle, as exemplified by his signature song "The Wild Side of Life" as well as "Honky-Tonk Girl" and "Six-Pack to Go." From the late 1940s through the 1970s he was consistently in the country charts, landing nearly fifty songs in the Top-10 or Top-20. With record sales well over 60 million internationally, Hank Thompson's career has impacted on seven decades (from the '40's into the 21st century) of recorded music history. Hank Thompson died Nov. 6, 2007, following a battle with lung cancer. This double CD set features a fine selection of tracks from the 40’s and 50’s, including some OPS (Office Of Price Stabilzation) radio transcriptions plus a radio show from 2001 in which the King of Western Swing tells the story of his life; the beginnings, his influences and roots, his mates and colleagues.