On This Day in 1950, Another “Hank” Became a Star in Nashville With His First of Seven No. 1 Hits—a Song His Record Label Originally Rejected

Before there was Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Jones, there was Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Marty Robbins, and the legendary Hank Snow. Without those four predecessors, the celebrity nature of the Nashville music industry likely would not have panned out in the exact way it has. Fortunately, we need not worry about that speculative idea, as Hank Snow helped craft the future of country music on this day, October 3, 1950.

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On this day, 75 years ago, Hank Snow more or less perpetuated his already commercially successful and critically acclaimed country music career. During this time, and specifically on this day in 1950, Hank Snow was at No. 1 on the Country music singles chart with “I’m Moving On”. Released months earlier in May, Snow’s single became a No. 1 hit on August 19 of that year. Impressively, it remained at the top of the chart for 21 weeks. It was the first of seven No. 1 hits for the Country Music Hall of Fame Member, Hank Snow.

Following the success of “I’m Moving On”, Hank Snow secured six more No. 1s thanks to the singles “The Rhumba Boogie”, “The Golden Rocket”, “Don’t Hurt Anymore”, “Let Me Go, Lover”, “I’ve Been Everywhere”, and “Hello Love”, which made him made him the oldest country singer with a No. 1 hit at the time in 1974.

Also, this No. 1 hit was originally denied by Snow’s RCA recording director, Stephen H. Sholes, but luckily for Snow, Sholes was a bit forgetful. A year later, after Sholes forgot about the song, Snow successfully recorded and released his first No. 1 hit.

The Invaluable Legacy Left Behind by Hank Snow

Were there thousands of young and hungry musicians who could have taken Hank Snow’s place as a founding commercial country figure? Maybe, but they didn’t. So, what we are left to look back at with fondness are the contributions Snow left to the genre. Those contributions surely surpass music, but all in all, the music is the legacy of a musician, and Hank Snow.

Snow deeply influenced musicians such as Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, and so many others. Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, and a great number of other musicians, country and not, have covered his songs.

In a sense, Hank Snow was one of the guinea pigs for commercially popularized country music. He stared down questions and got answers so the future generation wouldn’t have to. And again, it more or less, all started around this time, and on this day, October 3, 1950, when his single “I’m Moving On” was at No. 1 on the charts.

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