|
Lawrence Hankins Locklin,
one of country music’s great tenors, was born February 15,
1918, in the small town of McLellan, Florida. His career took
off when he joined the RCA Victor label in the spring of 1955.
Locklin’s work with RCA has
the added advantage that almost all of it was produced by Chet
Atkins, often with Atkins himself on rhythm or lead guitar and
with the added trills and fill-ins of Floyd Cramer on piano.
The extreme simplicity of his early works makes the
combination of his clear voice and these particular sidemen
very effective. Everyone knows
Locklin’s big hits – “Send Me
the Pillow That You Dream On” (written by Locklin), “Geisha
Girl,” and “Please Help Me I'm Falling” -- but real fans are
in love with his very simple heartfelt tunes like “Who Am I To
Cast the First Stone,” “A Good Woman's Love,” “Seven or
Eleven,” “I’m Tired of Bummin’ Around,” “Golden Wristwatch,”
“Sitting Alone at a Table for Two,” and many others. Locklin
stayed with the RCA label until the mid-1960s.
Hank Locklin hit the Top Ten
charts again in the 1968 with “The Country Hall of Fame.” In
the 1970s he toured overseas often, was very popular in
Ireland and Great Britain, and made at least one tour with
Chet Atkins to Japan. After leaving RCA, he went on to record
for a number of labels including MGM and Plantation. He since
has retired and lives in Brewton, AL, only some 20 miles from
his birth place.
Michael Erlewine
|
