If you’re a fan of Willie Nelson, George Strait or Charley Crockett, cue up “The Wild Side of Life” on Sept. 3 to mark the 100th birthday of a fellow Texan who inspired them: Honky-tonk swing pioneer Hank Thompson.
The Waco-born singer-songwriter lived quietly for years in North Texas and died in Keller in 2007 at age 82. But in his heyday, Thompson rivaled the other Hanks (Williams and Snow) for popularity, charting 79 hits, including “Wild Side,” his bluesy 1952 smash that inspired Kitty Wells’ answer song “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” His career also served as a model for Crazy Heart, the Thomas Cobb novel which spawned the Oscar-winning 2009 film about a struggling country singer.
While his hits dried up by the early ‘80s, Thompson never stopped performing. Even in his later years, he still lit up Billy Bob’s and Sons of Hermann Hall, singing “A Six Pack To Go” with a voice as crystalline as ever.
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