There is no country music today without “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” a song Hank Williams penned during a 1952 car ride from Nashville to Shreveport, Louisiana. While Williams tragically didn’t live to see the song’s immense success, “Your Cheatin’ Heart” helped cement Bocephus’ legacy as arguably the greatest country singer of all time. Floyd Chance, who is responsible for the song’s iconic bass line, was born on this day in 1925.
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Growing up in Como, Mississippi, Chance earned the nickname “Lightnin’” for his prowess on the football field. He also learned to play clarinet, saxophone, and bass horn, serving with the Fourth Fleet Band during his time in the U.S. Navy in World War II.
After leaving the Navy, Chance moved to Memphis, where he spent four years playing in Smilin’ Eddie Hill’s Band and performing on local radio stations.
Floyd Chance Played on Hank Williams’ Last-Ever Session
On Sept. 23, 1952, Floyd Chance joined Hank Williams Sr. at Nashville’s Castle Studio for what would be The Singing Kid’s final recording session. Chance played stand-up bass on three eventual No. 1 hits—”Your Cheatin’ Heart”, “Kaw-Liga” and “Take These Chains From My Heart.”
“I played with tone as much as possible,” Chance said. “Back then there were no electrified amplifiers, but you could achieve varied effects, offering a greater variety of tones… It’s all in the wrist movement really.”
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Later, he joined Nashville’s famed “A-Team” of session musicians, where his credits included Conway Twitty’s “It’s Only Make Believe,” Faron Young’s “Hello Walls,” Johnny Tillotson’s “Poetry In Motion” and “It Keeps Right On A Hurtin’,” and the Everly Brothers’ “Bird Dog” and “Bye Bye Love.”
As a frequent flyer at the Grand Ole Opry during the ’50s and ’60s, Floyd Chance played with nearly every major Nashville star, including Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, Sonny James, and Willie Nelson. Additionally, he adapted the Nashville Numbering System, a vocal chart for studio instrumentalists who could not read music were able to follow. It was originally developed in the mid-’50s by the the Jordanaires, a highly sought-after Nashville vocal group at the time.
Retiring in 1988, Floyd Chance died April 11, 2005, in Nashville. He was 79 years old.
Featured image by Bob Grannis/Getty Images
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