Hank Locklin
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Hankins Locklin (February 15, 1918–March 8, 2009), better known as Hank Locklin, was an American
country music
singer-songwriter
. A member of the Grand Ole Opry
for nearly 50 years, Locklin had a long recording career with RCA Victor and scored big with the hits, "Please Help Me, I'm Falling
", "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
" and "Geisha Girl" from 1957–60. His singles charted from 1949–71.
, Locklin grew up working in the cotton fields to supplement his family’s low income. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine during his recovery after being seriously injured when hit by a school bus.
His first marriage to Willa Jean Murphy ended in divorce. In 1970 he married Anita Crooks of Brewton, Alabama
. He had a son and four daughters, 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and a few close great nieces and nephews such as Sarah Locklin.
Locklin was one of country music's early honky tonk
singers. He first recorded for Royalty, a small label in northeast Texas, but soon moved to 4 Star Records
, a regional country music label, before signing a long contract with the major RCA Victor . He had an estimated 15 million record sales worldwide and his songs were recorded by many other artists, including Willie Nelson
, Dolly Parton
, Roy Rogers
, Dwight Yoakam
and Dean Martin
. He regularly appeared on the Grand Ole Opry beginning in 1960, making his final appearance in 2007.
He had 70 chart singles, including six number ones on Billboard
s country chart. Locklin's biggest hits included "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On", "Geisha Girl" and his signature "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", which went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100
pop music
chart
. Billboards 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll
era. Other hits for Locklin included "Happy Journey" (1961), "Happy Birthday To Me" (1962) and "The Country Hall Of Fame" (1968).
In the 1960s he built a ranch house called The Singing L in the field in McClellan where he had picked cotton as a boy. He was later made the honorary mayor of the town.
Locklin had a strong following in Europe
, and in Ireland
—his popularity was such that in 1963 he recorded an album called Irish Songs Country Style. He has a fan club in Langeli, Bjerkreim
, Norway
. The obituary in The Times
described Locklin as "the last remaining link between country music’s hillbilly roots and the lusher, modern pop sound of Nashville."
In 2006, he appeared on the PBS
special, Country Pop Legends in which he performed "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On," and "Please Help Me I'm Falling". Until his death at the age of 91 in 2009, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry
. Hank had recently released his 65th album, By the Grace of God, a collection of gospel
songs.
He moved to Brewton, where he remained throughout his later years, and died there, at his house, in the early morning on March 8, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. A member of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
for nearly 50 years, Locklin had a long recording career with RCA Victor and scored big with the hits, "Please Help Me, I'm Falling
Please Help Me, I'm Falling
"Please Help Me, I'm Falling" is a 1960 song written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair and first recorded by Hank Locklin. The single was Locklin's most successful recording becoming his second number one on the country charts...
", "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
"Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" is Country-And-Western song written and recorded by Hank Locklin. The song met success and made it to hit No. 5 on the charts, and became a standard for the Nashville sound. It has been covered by both Pop and Country Artists.Locklin first released the song in...
" and "Geisha Girl" from 1957–60. His singles charted from 1949–71.
Biography
Born in McLellan in the Florida PanhandleFlorida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
, Locklin grew up working in the cotton fields to supplement his family’s low income. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine during his recovery after being seriously injured when hit by a school bus.
His first marriage to Willa Jean Murphy ended in divorce. In 1970 he married Anita Crooks of Brewton, Alabama
Brewton, Alabama
Brewton is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,498. The city is the county seat of Escambia County.-History:...
. He had a son and four daughters, 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and a few close great nieces and nephews such as Sarah Locklin.
Locklin was one of country music's early honky tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
singers. He first recorded for Royalty, a small label in northeast Texas, but soon moved to 4 Star Records
Four Star Records
4 Star Records is the name of a record label that recorded many well-known country music acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Rose Maddox, Webb Pierce and T. Texas Tyler...
, a regional country music label, before signing a long contract with the major RCA Victor . He had an estimated 15 million record sales worldwide and his songs were recorded by many other artists, including Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
, Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
and Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
. He regularly appeared on the Grand Ole Opry beginning in 1960, making his final appearance in 2007.
He had 70 chart singles, including six number ones on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s country chart. Locklin's biggest hits included "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On", "Geisha Girl" and his signature "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", which went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Billboards 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
era. Other hits for Locklin included "Happy Journey" (1961), "Happy Birthday To Me" (1962) and "The Country Hall Of Fame" (1968).
In the 1960s he built a ranch house called The Singing L in the field in McClellan where he had picked cotton as a boy. He was later made the honorary mayor of the town.
Locklin had a strong following in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
—his popularity was such that in 1963 he recorded an album called Irish Songs Country Style. He has a fan club in Langeli, Bjerkreim
Bjerkreim
Bjerkreim is a municipality in the Rogaland county, Norway. The parish of Birkrem was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described Locklin as "the last remaining link between country music’s hillbilly roots and the lusher, modern pop sound of Nashville."
In 2006, he appeared on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
special, Country Pop Legends in which he performed "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On," and "Please Help Me I'm Falling". Until his death at the age of 91 in 2009, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. Hank had recently released his 65th album, By the Grace of God, a collection of gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
songs.
He moved to Brewton, where he remained throughout his later years, and died there, at his house, in the early morning on March 8, 2009.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Foreign Love | RCA Victor | |
| 1960 | Please Help Me I'm Falling Please Help Me I'm Falling Please Help Me I'm Falling is the title of a recording by American country music singer Hank Locklin, released in 1960. It marks Locklin's first release considered part of the Nashville Sound.... |
||
| 1962 | Happy Journey | ||
| A Tribute to Roy Acuff–King of Country Music | |||
| 1963 | The Ways of Life | ||
| 1964 | Irish Songs, Country Style | ||
| Hank Locklin Sings Hank Williams | |||
| 1965 | Hank Locklin Sings Eddy Arnold | ||
| Once Over Lightly | |||
| The Best of Hank Locklin | |||
| 1966 | The Girls Get Prettier | 26 | |
| The Gloryland Way (w/ The Imperials The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been around for over 45 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles... ) |
|||
| 1967 | Send Me the Pillow You Dream On | ||
| Nashville Women | 36 | ||
| 1968 | Country Hall of Fame | 20 | |
| My Love Song for You | 40 | ||
| 1969 | Softly | 32 | |
| Lookin' Back | |||
| 1970 | Hank Locklin with Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass (w/ Danny Davis Danny Davis (country musician) Danny Davis was a band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer and founder/leader of the Nashville Brass.-Early life and career:... ) |
||
| Bless Her Heart...I Love Her | |||
| 1972 | Mayor of McLellan Florida | ||
| 1975 | Hank Locklin | MGM | |
| 1976 | Golden Hits | Plantation | |
| 1977 | There Never Was a Time | ||
| Country Hall of Fame | Top Spin | ||
| 2004 | Generations in Song | Coldwater | |
| 2006 | By the Grace of God: The Gospel Album | Yell |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1949 | "The Same Sweet Girl" | 8 | singles only | |
| "Knocking at Your Door" | ||||
| "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" is Country-And-Western song written and recorded by Hank Locklin. The song met success and made it to hit No. 5 on the charts, and became a standard for the Nashville sound. It has been covered by both Pop and Country Artists.Locklin first released the song in... " |
||||
| "Our Love Will Show the Way" | ||||
| 1950 | "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room" | |||
| "Midnight Tears" | ||||
| "Paper Face" | ||||
| "Come Share the Sunshine with Me" | ||||
| "Holy Train" | ||||
| "No One's Sweeter Than You" | ||||
| "Year of Time" | ||||
| 1951 | "Song of the Whispering Leaves" | |||
| "Your House of Love Won't Stand" | ||||
| "Crazy Over You" | ||||
| "Stumpy Joe" | ||||
| 1952 | "Tell Me You Love Me" | |||
| "Down Texas Way" | ||||
| "Harvest Is Ripe" | ||||
| "Who Is Knocking at My Heart" | ||||
| 1953 | "Alone at the Table for Two" | |||
| "Crazy Over You" | ||||
| "Let Me Be the One Let Me Be the One (Hank Locklin song) "Let Me Be the One" is a 1953 song written by Paul Blevins, Joe Hobson and W.S. Stevenson, and made famous by up-and-coming country singer Hank Locklin. In December of that year, the song became Locklin's first No... " |
1 | |||
| 1955 | "Your Heart Is an Island" | |||
| "Who Am I to Cast First Stone" | ||||
| 1956 | "Why Baby Why Why Baby Why "Why Baby Why" is the title of a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records, and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard country charts that year... " |
9 | ||
| "Good Woman's Love" | ||||
| "Seven or Eleven" | ||||
| "She's Better Than Most" | ||||
| 1957 | "Fourteen Karate Gold" | |||
| "Goin' Home All by Myself" | ||||
| "Geisha Girl" | 4 | 66 | Foreign Love | |
| "Livin' Alone" | flip | Please Help Me, I'm Falling | ||
| 1958 | "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" | 5 | 77 | |
| "It's a Little More Like Heaven" | 3 | |||
| "Blue Grass Skirt" | flip | Foreign Love | ||
| "That Inner Glow" | singles only | |||
| "I Gotta Talk to Your Heart" | ||||
| 1959 | "Foreign Car" | Please Help Me, I'm Falling | ||
| "Border of the Blues" | single only | |||
| "Blues in Advance" | Please Help Me, I'm Falling | |||
| 1960 | "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" | 1 | 8 | |
| 1961 | "One Step Ahead of My Past" | 14 | singles only | |
| "From Here to There to You" | 12 | |||
| "You're the Reason You're the Reason "You're the Reason" is a song by Bobby Edwards, released as a single in 1961. The song reached number four on the Country singles chart and number eleven on the Pop singles chart.-Bobby Edwards:-Joe South:-Hank Locklin:... " |
14 | 107 | Happy Journey | |
| "Happy Birthday to Me" | 7 | |||
| 1962 | "Happy Journey" | 10 | ||
| "We're Gonna Go Fishin'" | 14 | The Ways of Life | ||
| "Wabash Cannonball" | A Tribute to Roy Acuff | |||
| 1963 | "Flyin' South" | 23 | singles only | |
| 1964 | "Wooden Soldier" | 41 | ||
| "Followed Closely by My Teardrops" | 15 | |||
| "I Was Coming Home to You" | ||||
| 1965 | "I'm Blue" | |||
| "Forty Nine, Fifty One" | 32 | |||
| 1966 | "The Girls Get Prettier (Every Day)" | 35 | The Girls Get Prettier | |
| "Insurance" | 48 | single only | ||
| "The Best Part of Loving You" | 69 | Nashville Women | ||
| 1967 | "Hasta Luego (See You Later)" | 41 | ||
| "Nashville Women" | 73 | |||
| "The Country Music Hall of Fame" | 8 | Country Music Hall of Fame | ||
| 1968 | "Love Song for You"A | 40 | My Love Song for You | |
| "Everlasting Love" | 57 | single only | ||
| "Lovin' You (The Way I Do)" | 62 | My Love Song for You | ||
| 1969 | "Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day" |
35 | Softly | |
| "Jeannie" | single only | |||
| 1970 | "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" (w/ Danny Davis Danny Davis (country musician) Danny Davis was a band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer and founder/leader of the Nashville Brass.-Early life and career:... ) |
68 | Hank Locklin with Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass |
|
| "Flying South" (w/ Danny Davis) | 56 | |||
| "Bless Her Heart...I Love Her" | 68 | Bless Her Heart...I Love Her | ||
| 1971 | "She's as Close as I Can Get to Loving You" | 61 | Mayor of McLellan Florida | |
| "Only a Fool" | ||||
| "Softly" | singles only | |||
| 1972 | "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" | |||
| "I Forgot to Live Today" | ||||
| "Goodbye Old Ryman" | ||||
| 1973 | "Before My Time" | |||
| "Jonas P. Jones" | ||||
| 1974 | "Wildwood Flower" | |||
| "Send Me Your Coffee Cup" | Hank Locklin | |||
| 1975 | "Sweetest Mistake" | |||
| "Irish Eyes" | ||||
| 1976 | "Baby I Need You" | There Never Was a Time | ||
| "Daytime Love Affair" | ||||
| "You Love Me Don'tcha" | ||||
| 1977 | "There Never Was a Time" |
- A"Love Song for You" peaked at #29 on the RPMRPM (magazine)RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Country Tracks chart in Canada.
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Chet's Tune" | Some of Chet's Friends | 38 |