Editing Hank Snow

{{Short description|Canadian musician (1914–1999)}}
{{Infobox musical artist|<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name = Hank Snow
| image = Hank Snow 1970.JPG
| caption = 
| image_size = 
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Clarence Eugene Snow
| alias = Hank, The Yodeling Ranger<br />Hank Snow, The Singing Ranger
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|05|09}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia|Brooklyn, Nova Scotia]], Canada
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|12|20|1914|05|09}}
| death_place = [[Madison, Tennessee]], U.S.
| instrument = Vocals, guitar
| genre = [[Country music|Country]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|composer|musician}}
| years_active = 1936&ndash;1996
| label = [[RCA records|RCA Victor]]
| associated_acts = [[Carl Smith (country musician)|Carl Smith]], [[Anita Carter]], [[Chet Atkins]], [[Stephen H. Sholes]], [[Ernest Tubb]], [[Eddy Arnold]], [[Hank Williams]]
| website = 
}}

'''Clarence Eugene''' "'''Hank'''" '''Snow''' (May 9, 1914<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2315/6}}</ref> – December 20, 1999)<ref name="AllMusic">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hank-snow-mn0000662800/biography|title=Hank Snow Biography, Songs, & Albums|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=11 October 2021|archive-date=28 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028165736/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hank-snow-mn0000662800/biography|url-status=live}}</ref> was a Canadian [[country music]] guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' country charts between 1950 and 1980. Snow had success on country music record charts with his songs including: "[[I'm Moving On (Hank Snow song)|I'm Moving On]]", "[[The Golden Rocket (song)|The Golden Rocket]]", "[[The Rhumba Boogie]]", "[[I Don't Hurt Anymore]]", "[[Let Me Go, Lover!]]", "[[I've Been Everywhere]]", and "[[Hello Love (song)|Hello Love]]".<ref name="NYT">{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/21/arts/hank-snow-country-singer-is-dead-at-85.html| title = Hank Snow, Country Singer is Dead at 85| author = Neil Strauss| newspaper = New York Times| date = 21 December 1999| access-date = January 16, 2013| archive-date = March 25, 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140325074441/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/21/arts/hank-snow-country-singer-is-dead-at-85.html| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="HankSnow" />

Hank Snow wrote songs about a wide range of topics including joy, freedom, travel, anguish, and love. His work was often inspired by his personal experiences, such as his childhood in a small town in rural [[Nova Scotia]]. He experienced [[extreme poverty]], [[Child abuse|abuse]], and physically punishing labor during the [[Great Depression]]. His mother encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming an entertainer like his idol, country star [[Jimmie Rodgers]].<ref name="NYT" /><ref name="HankSnow" />

Snow received various music awards and is a member of the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum|Country Music Hall of Fame]], the [[Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame]], and the [[Canadian Music Hall of Fame]].<ref name="HankSnow" /> The Hank Snow Home Town Museum in [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia]], is dedicated to his life and work.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hanksnow.com/ | title = Hank Snow Museum | publisher = Hank Snow Home Town Museum | access-date = January 16, 2013 | archive-date = January 23, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130123063926/http://www.hanksnow.com/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name = "Schneider">Jason Schneider. (2009) ''Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music from Hank Snow to The Band''. Toronto: ECW Press.</ref>

==Early life==
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was born on May 9, 1914 in the small community of [[Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia|Brooklyn]] in Queens County, [[Nova Scotia]],<ref name="LarkinGE" /> to George Snow (1886&ndash;1966) and Maude Marie Hatt (1889&ndash;1953).<ref name="Hatt-1983">{{Cite book |last=Hatt |first=Dr. William Swasey |title=Hang on to your Hatts! A genealogy of the Hatt family in America. |year=1983 |location=Sarasota, Florida |page=98}}</ref><ref name="TannerObit-1953">{{Cite news|title=Obituary of Maude Tanner (Nee Hatt)|last=Tanner (nee Hatt)|first=Maude|date=October 22, 1953|publisher=Liverpool Advance, Liverpool Nova Scotia}}</ref> He was the fifth of six children, of whom the two eldest died in infancy. His parents were married on November 10, 1909, in [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia]].<ref name="Hatt-1983" /> In his autobiography, Snow describes his parents' struggle to feed their four remaining children during hard financial times. His father worked for low pay as a foreman in [[sawmill]]s, often far from home, while his mother helped support the family by washing clothes and scrubbing floors. Both parents showed musical talent. Snow said his father loved to sing, and described his mother as an accomplished singer who played piano during [[silent film]]s at the local theatre and sometimes performed in [[minstrel show]]s. She also enjoyed playing her [[pump organ]].<ref name="HankSnow">Hank Snow with Jack Ownbey and Bob Burris. (1994) ''The Hank Snow Story: Hank Snow, the Singing Ranger''. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.</ref>

Snow's parents legally separated when he was eight, and the local [[Overseer of the Poor]] decided he and his siblings should be taken from their mother due to her financial difficulties. One sister moved in with an aunt while the other two were sent to separate foster homes. Snow went to live with his paternal grandmother, who forbade him from mentioning his mother and abused him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Hank Snow |url=https://hanksnow.com/about-hank/ |website=Hank Snow Home Town Museum}}</ref> After divorcing his father, Hank's mother married Charles Tanner in 1930.<ref name="TannerObit-1953" /> Tanner was frequently violent and abusive towards Snow.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hank Snow Biography |url=https://alancackett.com/hank-snow-biography |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=alancackett.com}}</ref> Gradually, Snow began visiting his mother in nearby [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia|Liverpool]], and eventually, after his grandmother's attempt to send him to [[reform school]] failed, he was allowed to rejoin his mother.<ref name="HankSnow" /> 

===Musical beginnings===
After his mother's remarriage, she ordered a Hawaiian [[steel guitar]] and lessons, along with 78 rpm [[gramophone record]]s. Initially, she forbade Snow from touching it, but later, she was amazed by his skill. He was soon playing for neighbours and others.<ref name="HankSnow" />

===Life at sea===
[[File:The Famous Bluenose.jpg|thumb | Photo of the ''[[Bluenose]]''. Snow painted the schooner on cardboard winning 1st prize at the Lunenburg Fisheries Exhibition.]]

In 1926, Snow worked on a fishing [[schooner]] as a "flunky" or [[cabin boy]].<ref>The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines ''flunky'', in this sense, as "one performing menial or miscellaneous duties." Snow's duties included forking cod from the deck into a bin where a "throater" would grab the fish, slit its throat and belly before passing it on to another crew member who would remove its head.</ref><ref name="AllMusic"></ref> The job was unpaid, but Snow was allowed to sell cod tongues and fish he caught. After one trip, he used his earnings to buy a guitar and chord book. In 1927 or 1928, he heard radio broadcasts of country artists like [[Vernon Dalhart]] and [[Carson Robison]], which inspired him to sing and play for his crewmates.<ref name="HankSnow" />

In August 1930, Snow's schooner nearly wrecked on [[Sable Island]], but they were saved by a change in wind. Witnessing other vessels lost in the storm, he vowed to never return to sea.<ref name="HankSnow" />

===Life after sailing===

Snow returned home and worked at various odd jobs, including peddling fish, transporting passengers, unloading ships, and working in the woods. In September 1935, he married Minnie Blanche Aalders.<ref>NS Scotia vital statistics, [https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=77-970&Event=marriage&ID=221136 marriage record] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303200943/https://archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics/ItemView/?ImageFile=77-970&Event=marriage&ID=221136 |date=2023-03-03 }}</ref> Their son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, was born soon after.<ref name="HankSnow" />

==Career==
===Early music career===
Snow bought a new guitar and, playing in the style of Jimmie Rodgers, performed in a fish house and a [[minstrel show]] in [[Bridgewater, Nova Scotia|Bridgewater]]. He later auditioned for Halifax radio station [[CHNS-FM|CHNS]], and was hired for a Saturday evening show. He adopted the stage name "Hank, The Yodeling Ranger," and performed in various venues, gaining popularity through radio broadcasts.<ref name="HankSnow" />

===Canadian years===
Snow auditioned for RCA Victor in [[Montreal, Quebec]] in 1936, securing a recording contract. His weekly CBC radio show and touring brought him national recognition in Canada, and in the late 1940s his records began to gain popularity with American country music stations.

===Nashville===
Snow moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee]] in 1949, releasing records for RCA Victor under the name "Hank Snow, the Singing Ranger." His performance at the [[Grand Ole Opry]] in 1950 brought him widespread attention in the United States. His song "[[I'm Moving On (Hank Snow song)|I'm Moving On]]" became a number-one hit, holding the top spot for 21 weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Streaming Statistics of Hank Snow |url=https://spacemedia.uk/stats/artist/3fq6r0bSIm4McymHKNMk4S |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=spacemedia.uk}}</ref> Other number-one hits followed, including "[[The Golden Rocket]]" and "[[The Rhumba Boogie]]".<ref>{{Citation | title = Boogie Bobs records | url = http://www.boogiebobsrecords.com/component/page,shop.cart/func,cartAdd/product_id,38949/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/vmcchk,1/ | access-date = 14 December 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708082651/http://www.boogiebobsrecords.com/component/page,shop.cart/func,cartAdd/product_id,38949/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/vmcchk,1/ | archive-date = 2011-07-08 | url-status = dead }}</ref> His rendition of Australian country singer [[Geoff Mack]]'s "[[I've Been Everywhere]]" popularized the song in North America. While performing in [[Renfro Valley]], Snow worked with a young [[Hank Williams]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jim |date=2012-10-17 |title=DUQUESNE PENNSYLVANIA – THE SONG! |url=https://duquesnehunky.com/2012/10/17/duquesne-pennsylvania-the-song/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=The Duquesne Hunky |language=en}}</ref> In 1953, ''Billboard'' reported that Snow's son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, had signed with RCA Victor and would record with his father.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QwEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Jimmy+Rogers+Snow%22&pg=PA42|title=Billboard|page=42|date=7 February 1953|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|access-date=11 October 2021|via=Google Books|archive-date=3 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303220937/https://books.google.com/books?id=8QwEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Jimmy+Rogers+Snow%22&pg=PA42|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Rainbow Ranch===
After the success of "I've Been Everywhere" and "I'm Movin' On," Snow purchased a ranch home in [[Madison, Tennessee]], which he named [[Rainbow Ranch (Nashville, Tennessee)|Rainbow Ranch]]. In recent years the home has been restored by Snow's family.<ref name="WOC">{{cite news |last1=Sawyer |first1=Bobbie Jean |title=You Can Spend the Night at Hank Snow's Ranch |url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/can-spend-night-hank-snows-ranch/ |access-date=7 December 2022 |publisher=Wide Open Country |date=21 December 2019 |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207160818/https://www.wideopencountry.com/can-spend-night-hank-snows-ranch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The home was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Davidson County, Tennessee]] on November 27, 2018.<ref name="NRHP">{{cite web |title=National Register Digital Assets - Rainbow Ranch |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100003154 |website=npgallery |publisher=National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=7 December 2022 |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207003659/https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100003154 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Elvis Presley===
Snow helped launch the career of [[Elvis Presley]] by giving him stage time at the Grand Ole Opry and by introducing him to [[Colonel Tom Parker]]. They formed a management partnership, but Snow eventually left the management team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Amy |date=2022-11-15 |title=Memories of Elvis Presley and Col. Tom Parker from an Insider |url=https://countryreunionmusic.com/memories-of-elvis-presley-and-col-tom-parker-from-an-insider/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=Country Reunion Music |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Later career===
Snow continued to reference Canada in his work, such as in his 1968 album ''My Nova Scotia Home''. He was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1978 and several Canadian music halls of fame. His autobiography, ''The Hank Snow Story'', was published in 1994. He also established the Hank Snow International Foundation For Prevention Of Child Abuse.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hall of Fame Inductees - Canadian Country Music Association |url=https://members.ccma.org/cgi/page.cgi/hall_of_fame_inductees.html?log=view&log_id=5 |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=members.ccma.org}}</ref>

==Illness and death==
Snow retired in 1996 due to respiratory problems. He died on December 20, 1999, at his Rainbow Ranch in [[Madison, Tennessee]], and was buried in Nashville's [[Spring Hill Cemetery (Nashville)|Spring Hill Cemetery]].<ref>{{Cite news | date = 1999-12-20 | newspaper = [[The Chicago Tribune]] | title = Hank Snow, movin country music hall | url = http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-12-20/news/9912210013_1_hank-snow-movin-country-music-hall | access-date = 2011-07-31 | archive-date = 2012-10-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121001222750/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-12-20/news/9912210013_1_hank-snow-movin-country-music-hall | url-status = dead }}</ref> His wife Minnie died on May 12, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.tributes.com/show/Minnie-B.-Snow-48444893 | title = Tributes | website = Tributes.com | access-date = 2013-04-02 | archive-date = 2016-05-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160513205301/http://www.tributes.com/show/Minnie-B.-Snow-48444893 | url-status = live }}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:NS-01204 - Hank Snow Statue (26921085594).jpg|alt=From Dennis Jarvis|thumb|Hank Snow's statue at the Hank Snow Hometown Museum in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.]]
Many artists have covered his music, including [[Elvis Presley]], [[the Rolling Stones]], [[Ray Charles]], [[Ashley MacIsaac]], [[Johnny Cash]], and [[Emmylou Harris]]. His song "[[Hello Love (song)|Hello Love]]" was used to open broadcasts of ''[[Prairie Home Companion]]''. At 59 years and 11 months old, he became the oldest country artist to have a number-one hit, a record that stood for more than 26 years. In Robert Altman's 1975 film ''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]'', a character was partly based on Snow.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=William Michael |title=Lonesome Onry and Mean: Hank Snow, "Movin' On" to Altman's Nashville... and George Wallace |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/lonesome-onry-and-mean-hank-snow-movin-on-to-altmans-nashville-and-george-wallace-6513034 |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Houston Press |language=en}}</ref> He is portrayed by [[David Wenham]] in [[Baz Luhrmann]]'s ''[[Elvis (2022 film)|Elvis]]''.<ref name="Screen Jalali">{{cite news |last1=Jalali |first1=Jessica |title=Elvis (2022): Where You've Seen The Cast Before |url=https://screenrant.com/elvis-2022-cast-previous-movies-tv-shows/ |access-date=December 31, 2022 |work=ScreenRant |date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=January 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101000554/https://screenrant.com/elvis-2022-cast-previous-movies-tv-shows/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He is referenced in [[Jimmy Buffett]]'s song "The Wino and I Know".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buffettnews.com/resources/songs/?song=17 |title=Jimmy Buffett Song & Lyrics Database |website=BuffettNews.com |date=18 February 2008 |access-date=2013-04-02 |archive-date=2012-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807020128/http://www.buffettnews.com/resources/songs/?song=17 |url-status=live }}</ref> The fictional Finnish snow god, Heikki Lunta, from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is named after him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hough |first=Lucy |date=June 23, 2013 |title=The Legend of Heikki Lunta |url=https://upsupply.co/journal/heikki-lunta-finnish-snow-god |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=upsupply.co |language=en}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|Hank Snow discography}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada}}
*[[Music of Canada]]
*[[List of best-selling music artists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*Wolfe, Charles. (1998). "Hank Snow". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.&nbsp;494–5.

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.hanksnow.com/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130702133625/http://countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/hank-snow Hank Snow at the Country Music Hall of Fame]
* {{discogs artist|Hank Snow}}
* {{IMDb name|0811271}}
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hank-snow Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca]
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hank-snow-emc Second article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca]
* [https://archive.today/20130411053334/http://kingwoodkowboy.com/hanksnow.html Hank Snow Tribute Song]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20230727105312/http://www.jimmysnow.com/ Rev. Jimmie Rodgers Snow Ministries]}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.593149.39|name=Country Style USA Recruitment: Episode 39}}

{{Hank Snow}}
{{Grand Ole Opry members}}
{{1970s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Canadian Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Hank}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male composers]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:American yodelers]]
[[Category:Burials at Spring Hill Cemetery (Nashville, Tennessee)]]
[[Category:Canadian country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Grand Ole Opry members]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:People from Queens County, Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:RCA Records Nashville artists]]
[[Category:Singers from Nova Scotia]]