Clarence Eugene Snow, famously known as Hank Snow (aka “The Yodeling Ranger” in Canada; “The Singing Ranger” in the United States) was born in May 9, 1914. He grew up in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, the fifth of six siblings born to George and Marie Snow, two of which died in infancy. Canada was also hit hard during The Great Depression and Hank grew up impoverished child. His mother was an accomplished musician and singer, and allowed him to learn and play her steel guitar.
Around the age of eight, after his parents legally separated, Hank was sent to his paternal Grandmother’s home to live, where he experienced years of both physical and psychological abuse. Hank revealed in his autobiography that he would get beaten for even bringing up his mother’s name (the experience would later lead to his establishment of the Hank Snow International Foundation for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect of Children, Inc.).
In 1925, Snow took a job as a cabin boy, a job that served him well for five years. However, in August, 1930, Hank survived a shipwreck while out on a fishing expedition. 132 men died in the same storm. When asked if he would ever return to the open sea he answered, “I was finished, no more fishing trips for me.”
In the years following the shipwreck, Snow wanted to focus his energy in pursuing a career in music. Hank moved to Nashville in 1949 with his first stateside single, “Marriage Vow,” hitting the top-10. In 1950, Hank was invited to play the Grand Ole Opry and his career took off. His next single,“I’m Moving On,” hit the top of the charts and stayed at number one for 21 weeks (a record at the time), which was immediately followed by “The Golden Rocket,” and “The Rhumba Boogie (both hit the number one position, with the latter remaining in the No. 1 slot for eight weeks). In all, Snow charted 85 singles on Billboard (44 hit the Top-10, seven went to No. 1) in his over five-decade career.
Hank Snow passed away in late 1999 due to heart failure but left an incredible legacy of music behind. He has been honored with induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, Nova Scotia Music Hall of Fame, and Songwriters Hall of Fame.
To learn more about the Hank Snow legacy, please visit: https://hanksnow.com
