Show 0 S Sr fi ii r r i. i HANK THOMPSON AND his Brazos Valley Volley Boys were voted Country Music's No 1 band bond for 13 consecutive years I They will be In Vernal July 20 Hank Thompson Show scheduled July 20 at The Vernal Elks announce their booking of Hank Thompson Thomp Thomp- son and his Brazos Valley Boys July 20 Wed at atthe the junior high auditorium from 8 6 to 10 pm p.m. The Elks Lodge needs roofed re-roofed before it rains There are few other names active today in country music that command as much respect and admiration as Hank Thompson Chances are there are few entertainers who have reached more people or earned higher accolade than the tall 6 2 lanky Hank during the past twenty-five twenty years Now he heis heis heis is more popular than ever as the forerunner of the resurgence of western swing music HANK THOMPSON has sold more than 33 million records during his career scoring better than chart hits including including including in in- two dozen or more that climbed to the Top Ten One music trade publication Billboard compiling country makers hit-makers of the past two decades has Hank in the Top Ten bracket with performers such as Eddy Arnold Jim Reeves Hank Snow Red Foley Hank Williams and Webb Pierce Hank and His Brazos Valle Valley Boys were annually vote voted country m music's lc's Number One OnG band for thirteen consecutive years No other band comes close Hank hunk and the band tour every state annually averaging concerts and personal appearances appearances appearances ap ap- ap- ap each year drawing capacity crowds at clubs colleges rodeos au auditoriums and outdoor arenas An And return engagements are any sign of perpetual popularity Hank was Texas State Fair headline attraction for 14 years for six years the top evening attraction attraction attraction at at- traction of the Cheyenne Wyoming Frontier Days rodeo celebration for the past three years headliner at the Nuggett in Sparks Nevada and the past two years headliner at atthe atthe atthe the Landmark in ih Las Vegas Television regularly beckons for Hank Thompson and his special brand of entertainment whether as a performer or articulate conversationalist on numerous subjects Among shows Johnny Carson Dinah Shore Mike Douglas H Hee Haw Merv Griffin and many others His own TV show Easy Country has been in syndication syndication syndication syn syn- for several years Hank was born in Waco Texas and remembers I always like to sing and my boyhood heroes were Gene Autry and Jimmie Rodgers I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess its it's not too surprising I picked the guitar to work woth Hanks Hank's first guitar was a Christmas gift from his parents purchased in a secondhand secondhand secondhand second second- hand store for 4 Until then Henry William Thompson had satisfied his musical inclination with the harmonica regularly winning local amateur contests His first appearance as a guitar pick in singing cowboy was on the bill of a stage show at a local theater broadcast Saturday mornings by WACO Radio He was heard by executives of a local flour company who hired him to host the program they sponsored as Hank The Hired Hand After six months Hank hired out to the US U.S. Navy ultimately serving on a month 37 tour of 16 states and assorted islands in inthe inthe inthe the South Pacific Officers made him send home his boots early when he reached San Diego but the guitar traveled with Hank throughout his hitch ONCE WHILE he was on Guadalcanal a native boy offered him a kayak filled with beads and trinkets In exchange for his beloved guitar When h he refused the boy threw in the kayak-but kayak it was still no deal The boy returned later with a basket of money the boat the beads and a native girl but Hank still refused Hank made good use of his guitar in this campaign to remind the troops to take their pills against malaria There was a chain of radio sta stations set up in the islands described as The Mosquite Network If Hank was introduced introduced in in- on each of his broadcasts as follows This is your Mosquito Network Its It's Ala rine Cocktail Hour under the banyans by the musty River on only Guadalcanal miles from the sunny shores of California The canteen cups are clinking the conversation is intimidating its it's time to throw that pellet down the palate Then Hank would come on to sing Deep in the Heart of Texas or some other song reminiscent of home Following his discharge Hank was hired for a noon show by Radio Waco and during this period assembled the group of musicians he dubbed The Brazos Valley Boys The band began traveling throughout Central Texas playing for dances and shows Their first recording was made in 1946 Whoa Sailor a song Hank wrote while in the Navy and Swing Wide Your Gate of Love Both sides were hits The contract with Capitol Records a relationship that lasted 18 years was in- in by another country music legend Tex flitter Ritter who heard Hank on the radio and set the wheels in motion THOMPSON THOMISON NOW NOV records exclusively for ABC Records Still theres there's more to the man manthan manthan than Ihan his music Hanks Hank's educational background includes the University of Texas Southern Methodist University and Princeton He lie is as versed in the state of the world today as he is in the state of country music An accomplished pilot with an rating he flies his own twin engine Cessna 30 for pleasure and to make those dates on the packed concert calendar Hank also is an avid sportsman sport with big game hunting a particular pleasure Ills His home in Sand Springs Oklahoma ison is ison ison on the Keystone Reservoir Dam |