Cat. No. BCD 15551: HANK GARLAND ~ HANK GARLAND & HIS SUGAR FOOTERS. BEAR FAMILY BCD 15551. (IMPORT).
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD HANK GARLAND HAD BEEN A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN THREE YEARS WHEN HE WAS SIGNED TO DECCA RECORDS IN THE SUMMER OF 1949. HANK GREW UP LISTENING TO MAYBELLE CARTER AND ARTHUR ‘GUITAR BOOGIE’ SMITH AND LIKE GUITAR-OBSESSED TEENAGERS THEN AND NOW PRACTICED INCESSANTLY, INTENT ON LEARNING AS MUCH AS HE COULD ABOUT HIS INSTRUMENT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. HIS FIRST BREAK CAME WHEN ONE DAY WHILST BUYING A GUITAR STRING AT ALEXANDER’S MUSIC STORE IN SPARTANBURG IN 1945 WHEN HE WAS INTRODUCED TO GRAND OLE OPRY STAR PAUL HOWARD. SALES-CLERKS AT ALEXANDERS WHO KNEW HANK’S PLAYING, PRAISED HIM LAVISHLY, THEN HANDED HIM A GUITAR TO PLAY FOR THE VISITING CELEBRITY. HOWARD OFFERED HANK A JOB ON THE SPOT AND INVITED HIM TO COME TO NASHVILLE AND PERFORM WITH HIS BAND ON THE OPRY. HE AMAZED HOWARD AND THE OPRY AUDIENCE WITH A FURIOUS BOOGIE INSTRUMENTAL. UNFORTUNATELY, FOR HANK THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS DISCOVERED THAT HANK WAS ONLY FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE, A YEAR SHORT OF LEGALLY QUALIFYING FOR WORK SO HIS CAREER WAS PUT ON HOLD.
ON HANK’S SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM HOWARD AND RETURNED TO NASHVILLE SHORTLY AFTER. FROM THAT DAY ON MUSIC WAS HIS ONLY PROFESSION. BOTH HAROLD BRADLEY AND GUITARIST BILLY BYRD TUTORED HANK ON GUITAR PLAYING. OVER THE YEARS HANK PLAYED GUITAR ON MANY A RECORDING AT DECCA RECORDS AND EVEN AT TIMES RECORDED SOME VOCAL TRACKS ALONG WITH HIS SOLO GUITAR EFFORTS. HIS GUITAR STYLE CAN BE HEARD ON MANY A COUNTRY HIT AND HE EVEN WORKED WITH ELVIS PRESLEY FROM TIME TO TIME. HOWEVER, HANK IS BEST NOTED FOR HIS SIZZLING INSTRUMENTAL “SUGARFOOT BOOGIE” THAT SPUN INTO A VERITABLE LIFE OF ITS OWN. SADLY, IN 1961 HANK WAS INVOLVED IN A HIGH-SPEED CAR CRASH. HANK SURVIVED BUT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS IN A COMA. WHEN HE AWAKENED, HIS FRIENDS WERE DEVASTATED TO FIND THAT HIS CO-ORDINATION WAS IMPAIRED AND HE NEVER RECORDED AGAIN. HANK DIED ON DECEMBER 27, 2004, OF COMPLICATIONS FROM A STAPH INFECTION. A GREAT OVERVIEW OF ONE OF THE FINEST COUNTRY GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME *****
TRACK LISTING: Sugarfoot Rag / The Third Man Theme / Flying Eagle Polka / Sugarfoot Boogie / Hillbilly Express / Seventh And Union / Lowdown Billy (Billy In The Lowground) / Sentimental Journey / Doll Dance / Baby Guitar / Hank’s Dream / Red Foley – Sugarfoot Rag / E-String Rag / Guitar Shuffle / I’m Moving On / This Cold War With You / I’ll Never Slip Around Again / Some Other World / It Is No Secret / I’m Crying (with Dottie Dillard & Jack Shook).
CD incl. 16 PAGE BOOKLET NEW
