Some More Western Swing

By Leocthasme

In the summer of 1964, Hank made his last recordings for Capitol Records as a star recording artist. He would go on to make other recordings, but not for Capitol. The Beatles were in; Hard Country was in, the Nashville Sound. Buck Owens was the new top ranker for Capitol, the Bakersfield Sound. Hank Thompson, Bob Wills and the big Western Swing Bands were on the way out. But stars like Hank or Bob would never compromise their sound. So what we have here are the last efforts of a semblance of Hank’s style of Western Swing.

A lot of the numbers here are somewhat sentimental efforts and not the Best of Hank Thompson. The following tracks were made in December 1963, at Capitol. This record album was not released until 1965, or so the copyright states. Not many are Hank’s compositions, most are just a lot of sentimental drivel, but what is here are good musical numbers as only Hank and his Brazos Valley Boys could do them.

1: Paper Doll: Composer, Johnny Black, made famous by the Mills Brothers.

2: There’s No You: Composers, Hank Thompson, Tom Adair, George Durgon.
Jo Stafford had a hit with this one.

3: You Always Hurt The One You Love: Composers, Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts.
Another Mills Brothers hit.

4: September In The Rain: Composers, Harry Warren, Al Dubin.

5: ‘Til Then: Composers, Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, Guy Wood.

6: That’s All There Is To That: Composers, Clyde Otis, Kelly Owens.

7: Breakin’ In Another Heart: Composers, Hank Thompson, Dorothy Thompson, Billy Gray.

8: How Do You Hold A Memory: Composers, Lyle Gaston, Orville Proctor.

9: Don’t Take It Out On Me: Composer, Hank Thompson.

10: I’d Have Never Found Somebody New: Composer, Hank Thompson.

11: It’s Better To Have Loved A Little: Composer, Hank Thompson.

12: Just An Old Flame: Composer, Hank Thompson, Bob Robertson.

I have found a few singles in my collections that have a Capitol Label on them and they were recorded in 1964. These again are not the best Hank ever did but they are his compositions. One of them I suppose was to answer Merle Haggard’s ‘Okie’ From Muskogee’ and a couple of other Viet Nam era ramblings. So Hank composed one called, ‘I’m Gonna Practice Freedom’.

And he did these other three numbers in 1964, too, all with a Capitol Label. ‘Life’s Sweetest Moment”, 'Then I’ll Start Believing In You,’ and 'In The Back Of Your Mind'. After 1964, Hank began recording with Warner Brothers, however I don’t think that lasted too long. From about 1967, or 1968, on up through 1978, his recordings bore the DOT label. And that is where he did a lot of his ‘Honky Tonk, beer drinkin’ songs such as, ‘On Tap, In The Can, Or In The Bottle’ and ‘Smokey The Bar’, both of which were high on the charts. In 1989, Hank Thompson received a long overdue Country Music Award, and became a Member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. A case of Country Music accepting him more than the other way around, I seem to recall that sometime in Hank’s early career, 1949, thereabouts, he had a hit or two and the Grand Ol’ Opry offered him a spot. He lasted one week there, when he got his first paycheck for about 10 bucks or a little less, he headed back to Dallas, Texas, for a little better minimum wage. Story goes, that on the way out the door, Hank Thompson ran into Hank Williams, so Hank says to Hank “Hey, boy you leavin’? And, Hank from Texas answers Hank from Alabama, “Hell, at these prices I can’t stay”.

And, again, another ‘last’ Capitol Album, which again was not one of Hank’s best either. On the other hand since it was a Christmas Album, it was sort of old standards and a new one or two, and even one Hank might have liked to forget, ‘I’d Like To Have An Elephant For Christmas’. Was he trying to do a funny like Spike Jones’ ‘All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth'? You guess about that one.

Here is what is on this ‘last’ album recorded for Capitol in June 1964 for the Christmas season release.

1: Here Comes Santa Claus, a Gene Autry Composition.

2. Gonna’ Wrap My Heart In Ribbons, Composed by Hank Thompson, Hatchcock, and Allard.

3: It’s Christmas Everyday In Alaska, Composer Hank Thompson

4: Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, Composers J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie.

5. Blue Christmas, Composers Billy Hayes, Jay Johnson.

6. Silver Bells, Composers Billy Hayes, Jay Johnson.

7. It’s Christmas Time, by Ira and Charlie Louvin.

8. I’d Like To Have An Elephant For Christmas, by Hank Thompson.

9. White Christmas, by Irving Berlin.

10. Little Christmas Angel, by Hank Thompson, Hatchcock, and Allard.

11. Mr. And Mrs. Snowman, by Hank Thompson and Lyle Gaston.

12. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, by Johnny Marks.

13. We Wish You A Merry Christmas, a Group Signoff.