Hank Thompson, R. I. P.

A list of Thompson's hits would fill the page, and they're part of the soundtrack of my youth. One of the all-time greats. My son worked on a recording session with him only months ago.

Star-Telegram.com: | 11/07/2007 | Country singer Hank Thompson dead at 82: "Waco native and Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Thompson passed away Tuesday evening at his Keller residence, four days after cancelling the remainder of an ongoing tour. He was 82.

“He was battling aggressive lung cancer,” said Thompson spokesman and Heart of Texas Records President Tracy Pitcox in a statement. “He remained conscious until the last couple of hours and passed away peacefully at about 10:45 p.m. ... surrounded by his friends and family.”

According to his bio, Thompson began playing the guitar and working local talent shows as a teenager. His first radio program was on WACO where he was featured as “Hank the Hired Hand.” In addition, Thompson was the first country entertainer to travel with his own light-and-sound systems, the first to have a corporate sponsor, the first to record in high fidelity stereo and the first to broadcast his television show in color. In 1961, Thompson recorded Live at the Golden Nugget, which would become the first live album ever produced.

“He was one of a kind,” says D.D. Bray, Thompson’s manager and booking agent for 25 years. “It’s a long, long legacy ... his songs will live forever.”"