76 Years Ago Today, Hank Snow Was in the Middle of a Record-Breaking No. 1 Run With the Song That Launched His Career

On this day (September 27) in 1950, Hank Snow ruled the U.S. country singles chart with his self-penned classic “I’m Movin’ On”. Tying a record for most weeks atop the chart with 21, “I’m Movin’ On” launched the careers of one of Nashville’s all-time great singers and storytellers.

Hank Snow Struggled To Break Into the U.S. Country Scene

First running away from home at a young age, Hank Snow would eventually escape his hardscrabble upbringing in a poverty-stricken rural area of Nova Scotia, Canada and leave his mark on Nashville.

Still, that wandering spirit never left him, and travel became a favorite topic in songs like “I’m Movin’ On” and “I’ve Been Everywhere”.

Inspired by his mother’s stack of Jimmie Rodgers records, Snow bought a cheap, mail-order guitar and began practicing his musical idol’s trademark blue yodel.

He began his professional career on a Halifax, Nova Scotia radio station, billing himself as “Hank the Yodeling Ranger.” In 1936, Snow traveled to Montreal to record his first songs for RCA imprint Canadian Bluebird.

He released about 90 songs for the label between 1936 and 1949. However, only a handful ever made it to the United States. This certainly wasn’t for lack of trying.

Indeed, Snow made several attempts to break into the American market. He played The Wheeling Jamboree in West Virginia, tried his luck in Hollywood, and performed concerts with his trick pony Shawnee.

Still, he had little luck building a fanbase in the U.S., and RCA Records refused to let him release songs in that market until he’d built up some name recognition.

He Was Considering Throwing in the Towel

Through appearances on The Big D Jamboree in Dallas, Texas, Hank Snow befriended country music legend Ernest Tubb.

Tubb pulled some strings to get Snow a slot at the Grand Ole Opry, and RCA finally agreed to let him record for the American market.

The Canadian singer’s debut single, “Marriage Vow,” was a minor hit, but it disappeared from the charts after just one week. Snow was considering returning home to Canada until one song changed everything.

According to Snow, he had wanted to record “I’m Movin’ On” for his first session with RCA Records in 1949, but recording director Stephen H. Sholes nixed the idea.

“Later on, in the spring of 1950, in Nashville, Mr. Sholes had not remembered the song, so I recorded it,” he recalled in Dorothy Horstman’s 1975 book Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy.

“I’m Movin’ On” celebrates a man breaking free from a toxic romantic partner: You’ve broken your vow and it’s all over now / So I’m movin’ on.

Other number-one hits followed for Snow, including “The Golden Rocket” and “The Rhumba Boogie”.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1999, We Lost the Country Hitmaker Who Overcame a Hardscrabble Upbringing To Become “The Singing Ranger”]

Artists who have covered “I’m Movin’ On” include Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Terri Clark, and the Rolling Stones. Charles reached the top 40 of the pop charts with his 1959 cover.

Featured image by Ted Dinsmore/Toronto Star via Getty Images

The post 76 Years Ago Today, Hank Snow Was in the Middle of a Record-Breaking No. 1 Run With the Song That Launched His Career appeared first on American Songwriter.