Question for any one who used to play for Hank Thompson

[Tracy Sheehan]

I first saw Hank Thompson back in the 50s. I saw him many times over the years often wondered why he had nothing to do with his band members off stage. Last time Now to my question ND WE TAKKED ALL THROUGH BREA i saw him jim Murphy was playing steel for him. JM was having a problem with his new steel which i fixed for him.
on break HT came and sat at my table and he had quite a long chat. Any way i was going to ask JM why Hank never had any thing to do with his band off stage and forget to ask. Remember i worked on his steel but never played for him. Before i thought to ask him via e mail Big Jim passed away.
I would appreciate any info on this. Please excus any typos as my vision is also shot. Tracy

[Herb Steiner]

I'd bet it was his way of establishing hierarchy in essentially a business relationship. For most of the 50's and 60's, Billy Gray was the bandleader and Hank had "star status."

I never played in Hank's band, but I did back him up on 8 or 9 shows back in 90's - 2000's, when I was with Johnny Bush and Hank travelled as a single using the Bandoleros as his accompaniment.

He usually hung out in Johnny's bus and was generally gregarious with the band, telling jokes, old stories, etc. although he was most definitely "holding court;" he did act with a "royal" demeanor. It was also situational; sometimes during soundcheck Hank could be the nicest and most cooperative in the world, and other times a compete diva, to the soundman's dismay.

[W. C. Edgar]

We were playing a show with Hank in a hockey arena in Oswego NY back in the 90's.
I had heard that Chalker always rode to and from shows with Hank in his private plane while the rest of the band rode the bus.
I asked him about it and he said that was because they both lived in Tulsa at that time.
Thoughts?

[Scott Denniston]

I was in a road band for a bit in the early '80s and we got to back up Hank for a couple of shows in Baker, MT. We were given cassette tapes a couple of days ahead to get his tunes down. I was pretty basic and way below the caliber of steel player he was probably accustomed to but he smiled a lot and actually seemed to be having a great time. We were talking on a break and I remember asking him if it was a particular steel player (can't remember who or what tune) that played on a recording. He said "I don't know who played on all that stuff". He was really friendly and talkative with us though. This was of course long after his major stardom. For me that was quite a treat.

[Ben Lawson]

My friend and super guitar player, Joe Dalton, played a date with Hank. When Hank saw that Joe was playing an Aria Pro, Japanese guitar, he told Joe to just play rhythm. It was a two-part show and Joe did what he was asked to do. On the second part of the show, Joe jumped on some lead guitar. He said, "what's he going to do, fire me? Hank didn't fire him, and Joe played all the lead breaks after that and Hank loved it.

[Tracy Sheehan]

When Curley Chalker was playing for Hank he did a song and asked curly if he could play it like Bobby Garret had done on the record and curly replied my name is Chalker and slowly spelled it out for him. If i recall correctly curly was not very long with HT after that. tracy

[Bill Cunningham]

I was in a road band for a bit in the early '80s and we got to back up Hank for a couple of shows in Baker, MT. We were given cassette tapes a couple of days ahead to get his tunes down. I was pretty basic and way below the caliber of steel player he was probably accustomed to but he smiled a lot and actually seemed to be having a great time. We were talking on a break and I remember asking him if it was a particular steel player (can't remember who or what tune) that played on a recording. He said "I don't know who played on all that stuff". He was really friendly and talkative with us though. This was of course long after his major stardom. For me that was quite a treat.

I did a show with him in 1989 and it was based on that talk tape. I was 31 and had been a fan since birth listening to my dad’s records. I think he was impressed that a kid that age could sorta play the licks in the spirit of the records. He was very easy to work with.

Like Scott mentioned he played in all his songs and wanted almost nothing other than fills. He said “Let’s have the steel player play the bridge on Six Pack and an 8 bar solo on Wild Side of Life. Other than that just pass around the fills.”

I asked him who all the Brazos Valley Boys steel players were and he quickly gave a list he said was complete-Lefty Nason, Bob White, PeeWee Whitewing, Bobby Garett, Bert Rivera, Lynn Frazier, Jim Murphy, and JD Walters. (I don’t think I left anyone out; it was a short list)

Hank was pretty well known as a wine drinker I guess. The county was dry so he had one of the guys to go over the mountain to Helen, GA and get a bottle of wine for dinner between shows

[Rick Campbell]

I was in a road band for a bit in the early '80s and we got to back up Hank for a couple of shows in Baker, MT. We were given cassette tapes a couple of days ahead to get his tunes down. I was pretty basic and way below the caliber of steel player he was probably accustomed to but he smiled a lot and actually seemed to be having a great time. We were talking on a break and I remember asking him if it was a particular steel player (can't remember who or what tune) that played on a recording. He said "I don't know who played on all that stuff". He was really friendly and talkative with us though. This was of course long after his major stardom. For me that was quite a treat.

I did a show with him in 1989 and it was based on that talk tape. I was 31 and had been a fan since birth listening to my dad’s records. I think he was impressed that a kid that age could sorta play the licks in the spirit of the records. He was very easy to work with.

Like Scott mentioned he played in all his songs and wanted almost nothing other than fills. He said “Let’s have the steel player play the bridge on Six Pack and an 8 bar solo on Wild Side of Life. Other than that just pass around the fills.”

I asked him who all the Brazos Valley Boys steel players were and he quickly gave a list he said was complete-Lefty Nason, Bob White, PeeWee Whitewing, Bobby Garett, Bert Rivera, Lynn Frazier, Jim Murphy, and JD Walters. (I don’t think I left anyone out; it was a short list)

Hank was pretty well known as a wine drinker I guess. The county was dry so he had one of the guys to go over the mountain to Helen, GA and get a bottle of wine for dinner between shows

I was hired to play fiddle for Hank for a gig in Maryland in that late 80's - early 90's time frame. He sent me the cassette tape.... I assume the one referenced here. Best I remember, the tape noted that there was a chord that was something different than it sounded like it would be. Unfortunately, the gig got canceled, and I never got to play with Hank.

RC