Hank Garland
| Birth Name | Walter Louis Garland |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 November 1930 |
| Died | 27 December 2004 (aged 74) |
| Genres | Jazz, country, rock |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Associated acts | Elvis Presley |
Born in Cowpens, South Carolina, Garland began playing guitar at the age of six. He appeared on local radio shows at 12 and was discovered at 14 at a South Carolina record store. He moved to Nashville at age 16, staying in Ma Upchurch’s boarding house, where he roomed with Bob Moore and Dale Potter. At age 18, he recorded his million-selling hit “Sugarfoot Rag”. He appeared on the Jubilee program with Grady Martin’s band and on The Eddy Arnold Show.
Video Playlist
1/3 videos
1
Sugarfoot Rag
2
Move (1960)
3
Cherokee
Garland is perhaps best known for his Nashville studio work with Elvis Presley from 1958 to 1961 which produced such rock hits as: “I Need Your Love Tonight”, “A Big Hunk o’ Love”, ” I’m Coming Home”, “I Got Stung”, “A Fool Such As I”, “Stuck on You”, “Little Sister”, “(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame”, and “I Feel So Bad”. He worked with many country music rock and roll musicians of the late 1950s and early 1960s, such as Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins, The Everly Brothers, Boots Randolph, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, and Moon Mullican.
Garland’s guitar drove such classic recordings as Little Jimmy Dickens’ “I Got a Hole in My Pocket”; Benny Joy’s “Bundle of Love” and “I’m Gonna Move”; Jimmy Lloyd’s (recorded under the pseudonym of (Jimmie Logsdon) “You’re Gone Baby” and “I’ve Got a Rocket in My Pocket”; Lefty Frizzell’s “You’re Humbuggin’ Me”; Simon Crum’s “Stand Up, Sit Down, Shut Your Mouth”; and Johnnie Strickland’s (1935-1994) “She’s Mine”; plus, seasonal staples “Jingle Bell Rock” with Bobby Helms, and Brenda Lee’s seasonal “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. Don Gibson’s “Sweet Sweet Girl” and “Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles”; Patsy Cline’s “Let the Teardrops Fall”; Ronnie Hawkins’ “Jambalaya”; and Faron Young’s “Alone with You” spotlighted Garland’s guitar work.
Guitarists Through the Decades
Top 3 Hank Garland Recordings
How to Play Guitar Like Hank Garland
SUGARFOOT RAG
Lyrics by George Vaughn. Music by Hank Garland: Notice that this tune was from the mind of Hank Garland, a very early power in Nashville, at the beginning of that musical hub.
