Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)

Subject: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: Arkie
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 08:30 PM

Another of the great country stars of the 50s and 60s who helped to keep me going until Folk music found a way to get played on the radio is gone. Hank Locklin died Sunday, March 8 at the age of 91. Among his hits were "Let Me Be The One" and "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On". A big "thanks" to Hank for helping to make the 50s and 60s great country music decades.

Subject: RE: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 09:00 PM

Thanks Arkie.......I'm sorry to say that I figured he was already gone.

There are so few of the giants of the period left but he certainly fits the definition. Lots of special folks in a special time for their music.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 09:15 PM

That is sad news indeed! He did some great songs! I still love to sing Geisha Girl.
We just lost Ernie Ashworth a few days ago and now Hank. As George Jones said "Who's going to fill their shoes?"
The Opry has pretty well moved from Nashville to Heaven! RIP!

Subject: RE: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 09:16 PM

Hank lived not far from where I do. His family is one of the most respected in this county. The local vocational school is named after his brother, a former high school principle and lifelong advocate for adult and vocational education.

I never met Hank, but I have several friends who were on a first-name basis with him. In fact, I used to own a guitar, purchased from one of those friends, that Hank had a hand in building. He was very close to Billy Grammer of Grammer Guitars, and decided to try his hand at a little building himself. The story I heard is that he built four guitars, kept the best one for himself, and sold or gave away the other three. It was a nice sounding guitar, but the neck was a bit too narrow for me. I sold it to another friend who is quite happy with it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: Beer
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 09:29 PM

i still have his first vinyl. So few are left. Agree sandy, they have just about all moved upstairs.
Sympathies to his love ones.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: Beer
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 09:50 PM

I did a quick search on music folks still alive over 85.

Slim Whitman 86
Kitty Wells 89
Earl Scruggs 86
Little Jimmy Dickens 88
Doc Watson 87

Outside of this group we have;

Vera Lynn 91
Mitch Miller 97
Pete Seeger 90
Ravi Shankar 88

Subject: RE: Obit: Hank Locklin
From: Louie Roy
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 10:41 PM

IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN SLIM WHITMAN PASSED AWAY QUITE SOME TIME AGO

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 11:15 PM

I thought so, too, Louie, but wiki says he is still going strong. And, I had no idea Mitch Miller was still alive, not that Ravi Shankar was 88! Yikes!

It is sad to hear another one has joined the Heavenly Opry.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: topical tom
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 11:22 PM

I remember hearing Hank sing and I always loved his singing. In fact, at the time I actually preferred his music to that of Hank Williams! But I was quite young and naîve at the time. Nevertheless, he had a very good voice. RIP, one of country's best.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: JennieG
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 12:27 AM

'Send me the pillow that you dream on' was one of the songs on the radio in my childhood - at the last meeting of my folk club I sang it, as our theme was songs from the 1950s. Might have to reprise it again on Friday night to honour Hank.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 12:49 AM

Jeez - he was really big in Ireland too. And like Johnny Cash and Slim Whitman, he recorded a few Irish numbers over the years.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 01:27 AM

Slim Whitman let everyone know some time back that he was still ALIVE!

and Lawton Williams, the writer of 2 of Hank Locklin's Hit Songs, Fraulein and Geisha Girl, passed away a couple of years ago.

Another country great, still alive but forgotten by most people, Harold Bradley, brother of Owen Bradley, played guitar for Ernest Tubb, Pee Wee King and on Red Foley's Chattanooga shoe shine boy.

Gene

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Genie
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 04:34 AM

First, thanks, Arkie, for bringing this news here.   AOL had one of those 'mystery headlines' in a little revolving box beside my Mailbox log-in box yesterday.   This one said "Country Music Star Dies at age 91" or something like that.   I DETEST that sort of gimmick they use to get you to click some link, so I refuse to 'bite', but I was curious who it was.

I am very familiar with Hank Locklin's songs and voice but was less so with his name.
Glad he stuck around for so many decades. I vividly remember hearing "Fraulein" on the radio back in the 1950s (when I called that kind of music "hillbilly music").

As to some of the others, wow! I didn't realize how old some of them are. (As Tevye sang: "I don't remember growing older. When did they?)

Mitch Miller's grandparents-in-law (is that a real word?) used to live next door to us in Quincy, Illinois back in the 1950s, and Mitch and his family visited from time to time. I was never a huge fan of his approach to music at Columbia -- at least not after high school -- but he was a very enthusiastic and very nice man with a great family.   I just didn't realize he was nearing the century mark!

Vera Lynn, of course, is the one who made "Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs Of Dover" popular back in 1945, and I know that she returned to Washington DC in 1995 to reprise that song for the celebration for the 50th anniversary of D-Day (or was it VE Day?)

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 04:48 AM

I always liked "We're goin' fishin'" RIP Hank

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Acorn4
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 05:19 AM

There's also a great B side to "We're goin fishin" called "Welcome Home Mister Blues" -both sides have that fantastic Floyd Cramer piano sound that seemed obligatory at the time. Hank didn't write it but puts in a really fantastic performance on this one.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: M.Ted
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 06:59 AM

Let's not forget these musical folks, who are all still around:

Les Paul, 93
Marian McPartland,90
George Shearing,89
Hal David,87
Patty Andrews, 91
Risë Stevens,95
Tony Martin, 95
Lena Horne,91
Dave Brubeck,88

And particularly George Beverly Shea, who is 100!

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,DWR
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 08:38 AM

Happy Journey and Auf Wiedersehn . . . Till We Meet Again.

Hank was a favorite of mine.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 10:01 AM

Sam Hinton, 91 - and he has a new CD

http://www.samhinton.org/

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: The Sandman
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 10:06 AM

PackieByrne 90

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 10:06 AM

regarding Mitch Miller - a bit of trivia:

What was a folk trio with which Mitch Miller recorded as a member?

Scroll down for answer.
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Marais, Miranda, Miller. There was at least one single recorded for Columbia under this title. Marais and Miranda usually recorded as a duo.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Mark Ross
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 10:43 AM

Ken, that CD has been out for at least a year and it's great!

Mark Ross


Sam Hintons' Website

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: pdq
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 12:18 PM

...some more folks who are still with us:

Neville Marriner    87 04/15/1921

Gale Storm         86   04/05/1922                  

Kitty Kallen   86   05/25/1922                  

Kay Starr 86         07/21/1922                  

Norma Zimmer 85   07/13/1923                  

I recently submitted Kay Starr's name to a website for "famous people from Oklahoma". A few weeks, later I got a very nice return email saying "thank you" that she is now listed on that site.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,JohnnyBeezer
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 01:05 PM

I was introduced to the great Hank Locklin by an uncle who was serving in West Germany in the late 50's and brought back some of Hank's records. Absolutely marvellous.
R.I.P Hank and thanks for the memories.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 01:15 PM

Rest in Peace...

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 02:05 PM

He was the last of the four Hanks. I loved the music of all of them!

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: M.Ted
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 03:11 PM

Didn't mention it above, but he was one of the all time greats. "Send Me the Pillow" and "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" are on short list of songs every country singer knows, with several others that were standards in their time, with most of the rest defining what country music was in the 50's and 60's--

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 03:57 PM

Yes, Sandy, but not Hank Jr. or Hank III.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 04:25 PM

Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Hank Thompson and Hank Locklin rank with the all time greats in pre 1980's country music. After the early 80's country evolved into something far from it's roots.
I do like the music of Hank Jr and Hank III and Jett also but there was only one Hank Williams. Only one of the other Hanks as well. Each was distinctive in style, but their songs touched a thread in my heart. RIP all four!

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: open mike
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 04:43 PM

Ralph Stanley is still alive, too. born February 25, 1927

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Arkie
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 04:44 PM

It is nice to see the lists of those who are still with us and to know they have had long and very often quite productive lives. Hopefully, more names will be added to what we have so far.

If memory is working properly today, it seems that back in the 1950s and 1960s radio was dominated by regional airplay and that artists did not necessarily get equal airplay around the country. While Hank Locklin did get airplay in southeast Virginia he was not on any of the packaged tours that I remember and his version of "Fraulein" was not played that often in my listening area. His version of "Geisha Girl" and "Send Me the Pillow" were played a lot.

He released recordings at age 83 and again at 88 and received good reviews. The latter release was his 65th album. He was a Grand Ole Opry Member for over 40 years. Great singer and great songs. He was also the writer of "Send Me The Pillow" if I remember correctly.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Genie
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 04:52 PM

Thanks for reminding me of Hank Thompson. I was pretty sure there was another old country star named Hank (besides Williams, Snow, and Locklin) but Thompson's name was escaping me.   
And thanks for reminding me of Please Help Me, I'm Falling, M. Ted. That's one of my favorite country oldies.

Ken Brock, that's interesting about Mitch Miller teaming up once with Mirais and Miranda. I did not know that.

(FWIW, it was Mitch's in-laws who lived next door to us, not his grandparents in law.
And while I'm correcting my flubs, it was the 50th anniversary of VE Day that was in 1995, not D-Day. D-Day was in 1944.)

Also, it's neat that George Beverly Shea had made it to the century mark!

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Beer
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 05:14 PM

Don't know where you like Arkie, but as a child growing up in Nova Scotia Hank Locklin got lots of air time. As did the other 3 Hanks.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Remembering the SIDEMEN
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 01:43 AM

Tho not a singer, there is another Hank to be included among the Hank Greats.....

Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland, who died December 27th, 2004.

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Walter "Hank" Garland was the talk of Nashville, Tennessee, known for musical riffs that could take a recording from humdrum to dazzling.

He had his first million-selling hit at 19 with "Sugar Foot Rag," a famous country tune.

Heralded as a quintessential Nashville studio guitarist, he enjoyed a prestigious career as a country virtuoso, pioneered the electric guitar at the Grand Ole Opry and inspired jazz instrumentalists such as George Benson.

His detailed session logbook reads like a who's who of country music stars, including Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins, Boots Randolph, Conway Twitty and Hank Williams, Sr.

Garland started playing guitar at age 6 and appeared on radio shows at age 12. He was discovered at age 14 at a South Carolina music store where he had gone to buy a guitar string. He soon would set Nashville on fire.

Gene

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Ron Davies
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 11:05 PM

"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" is so much fun to sing. An absolutely great shower song. As far as I'm concerned, Hank Locklin will be immortal just for that one--let alone the others.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Beer
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 11:44 PM

I agree with you Ron. I know if I bring that song up at the Legion the floor is all taken up.
I have a short story to tell.

When I was to young and hot wiring my brother in law's car, I would listen to a number by Hank called "Foreign Car". I was using his Volkswagen.
A couple of other tunes that I loved by Hank were; "It's a Little Bit Like Heaven Where You Are", and "living Alone"
Adrien

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: goatfell
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 09:12 AM

I liked Hank Locklin and his song send me the pillow it's a shame that he's died

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: bankley
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 09:22 AM

Thanks Hank

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 08:20 PM

The Marais Miranda Miller single had "Zulu Warrior" on one side. A copy recently went unsold on ebay (click)

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Ron Davies
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 10:12 PM

Adrien-

What do you mean by "the floor is all taken up"? The whole place sings it? I don't know that expression.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: Beer
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 10:31 PM

Oh!
Lol,
"The floor is all taken up" is meant that when the song(In this case Please help Me I'm Falling is played.)is played everyone just all of a sudden grabs their partner and gets up to dance.
Ad.

Subject: RE: Obit: Country Star Hank Locklin (8 March 2009)
From: GUEST,a ex of the family
Date: 14 Mar 09 - 10:12 AM

i did not have the pleasure of meeting hank, but he was at one time my grandfather in law. i am friends with his grandkids that live in milton and munson.. and his daughter that still lives in McCellen. he will be greatly missed and the opry in chumuckla will defiently miss him.. my prayers go out to his daughter, beth and his grandkids, kim, kevin and derrick