He embarked on his last concert tour in 1989, made his final appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1996, and passed away in Tennessee in 1999. But country music legend Hank Snow is still attracting large audiences on the South Shore.
“I’ve been a big fan for at least 60 years or more,” said Fenton McAllister, who travelled from Summerside to Liverpool for the August 16-19 Hank Snow Tribute at Queens Place Emera Centre. “I saw Hank Snow in Edmonton on his last tour. It was just unbelievable. Standing ovations and everything.”
McAllister spoke to LighthouseNow while sporting a Hank Snow-themed baseball hat and T-shirt. He was standing beside his car, which boasts a P.E.I. licence plate that reads HANKSNOW.
“I wasn’t sure if I could do it or not because of trademarks and that sort of thing,” he said about his application for the vanity plate. “But the government folks made a few phone calls and determined it was alright.”
Snow’s name is synonymous with country music. The Brooklyn-born musician recorded 120 studio albums and had 85 singles on the Billboard charts. He was inducted into Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in Merritt, B.C.
The Hank Snow Tribute exists to honour the man known as the “Yodeling Ranger” and to support the Liverpool museum that celebrates his legacy.
This year’s event easily accomplished both objectives, said Kelly Inglis, manager of the Hank Snow Home Town Museum. “Our numbers were great and we saw a lot of new faces,” she said. “We had about 120 RVs, which is consistent with the last number of years. Over the four days, we definitely had more than a 1,000 unique people attend.”
One of the RVs that was camped out for the weekend belonged to Charlie and Sandy Skelton of Decatur, Texas. The couple, who attended the event with friends from Arizona, raved about this year’s theme, A Tribute to Two Hanks.
“We loved the Hank Williams show,” Charlie said about headliners Blue Yonder, featuring John Lilly and special guest Rob McNurlin. “We really enjoyed their performance.”
Another performer who may have caught the Skeltons’ attention was Autumn Carver, a 15-year-old musician from Middlefield who is quickly making a name for herself on the local country music scene.
The North Queens Community School student won South Shore Idol in Bridgewater last year and was one of the openers for Washboard Union’s Liverpool concert in June.
Carver, who was playing at her second Hank Snow Tribute, received a better – and longer – time slot this year. “I got 30 minutes,” she told LighthouseNow after her set. “I only had 15 minutes last time.”
Performing close to home in front of hundreds of people was a big opportunity for the aspiring singer/songwriter. “It’s awesome because you can get noticed by people from other places,” she said. “The word can get out about you.”
Carver was introduced on stage by Vina Moses, a country music host on Queens County’s community radio station, QCCR FM. Moses packed her Friday evening show with Hank Snow tunes in honour of the weekend jamboree.
“Hank Snow is one of my all-time favourites,” she said. “I know every one of his songs.”
Moses is a board member with the Friends of Hank Snow Society and the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame, which is located within the Home Town Museum. Her late husband Gerald was a popular local musician and used to play at the Hank Snow Tribute.
Moses was pleased with the “Two Hanks” theme for this year’s event.
“Hank Williams was probably one of the most sincere songwriters in country music,” she said. “He and Hank Snow toured together, had some of the same producers, and some of the same musicians, too.”
While the annual country music festival is mostly about the music, there are other things that make it special, Moses said. “People make friendships here and they keep them for years and years and years.”
One person who’s likely made plenty of friendships is a gentleman pointed out by Inglis. “There’s one fellow who gets a button every year,” she said. “Right from 1991, the first tribute, he’s gotten all the buttons and put them on this hat. It’s getting pretty full.”
LighthouseNow Progress Bulletin
August 22, 2018
Scott Costen 