Hank Thompson My Side of Life. This item is unavailable.Hank Thompson My Side of Life

NEW BOOK CHRONICLES COLORFUL CAREER OF COUNTRY-MUSIC LEGEND They call me Mr. Honky-Tonk, the King of Western Swing, sings Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Thompson at the beginning of one of his nearly 800 recorded songs. And while some might construe that line as a musical boast, anyone familiar with the stellar career of hardwood-floor hero Thompson knows better. From the late 1940s until his 2007 death, Hank Thompson was a country-music star of the first magnitude, a man who brought his combination of intelligent, honest lyrics and sophisticated, big-band-influenced dance music to legions of fans across the nation and the world, selling some 60 million records and influencing performers ranging from Bob Dylan to George Strait. Now, Hank s longtime friend Warren Kice has crafted My Side of Life, a biographical work as warm, frank, and honest as the entertainer himself. Fully sanctioned by Thompson who spent well over two years working with Kice on the book and Thompson s wife, Ann, My Side of Life engagingly recounts the story of the honky-tonk superstar, beginning with his first performance on the stage of his grade school in Waco, Texas, and extending to the very end of his life, when he was still in high demand as both a recording artist and live performer. Along the way are professional highlights like the gigantic 1952 hit Wild Side of Life, one of the best-selling country singles of all time (and the song that gave the book its name); Hank s groundbreaking success in Las Vegas, which led to his recording the first-ever live album by a country artist; and his 1989 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In addition to Wild Side of Life, Hank Thompson gave the world such enduring numbers as A Six Pack to Go, Humpty Dumpty Heart, and The Older the Violin (The Sweeter the Music), just three of his 79 national hits. Thompson, in fact, started putting singles on the Billboard country charts in the 40s and didn t quit until the 80s.