Hank The Hired Hand [2010]
El Toro
24 songs + interview.

If you don’t have anything by Hank Thompson, this double cd compilation is for you.
CD one features 24 of his best tracks. Rovin Gambler and Dry Bread are close to Ernest Tubb and The Wild Side Of Life shows the influence of Hank Williams. But the style in which Thompson excels his late 50’s western swing mixed with Honky Tonk with and incisive steel and guitars solos and twin fiddle arrangements not far fromSpade Cooley’s and of course there’s Thompson’s deep and clear voice. The set is rounded with a serie of radio transcriptions. All the classics are here (Woah Sailor, Humpty Dumpty Heart, Drivin Nails In My Coffin, The Wild Side Of Life). These are essential recordings and must have for any decent 50’s country fan.

The second features an interview with the singer made in 2001 by Rodolphe Guiheux for a radio show in France. The artist talks about his life, his recordings and his influences. A nice plus to a good compilation.

Fred "Virgil" Turgis