Country singing legend Hank Locklin died on March 8, 2009 at his home in Brewton, Alabama. He was 91.
He is best remembered for writing and recording the Top Ten hit “Send Me The Pillow You Dream On” in 1958. Locklin also helped to usher in the “Nashville Sound” that gave country music a more definable sound and feel. He had also been a Grand Ole Opry member for more than forty years and performed as recently as 2003.
“I’ve been blessed to have hit songs that are timeless and appeal to the generations,” Locklin stated in 2001.
Locklin was born in McLellan, Florida and began playing guitar at age nine while he was bedridden after being hit by a school bus. When he was a teenager, he began performing on a local radio show. While in his twenties and thirties, he worked a variety of odd jobs, all the while keeping his dreams of becoming a star in the world of music.
His first hit record was “The Same Sweet Girl,” which reached the Top Ten in 1949 and enjoyed his first number one single in 1953 with “Let Me Be The One.”
Over the next two decades, Locklin would have twenty more Top 40 country hits including the classic cut “Please Help me I’m Falling,” which also made it to number eight on the pop charts.
During the seventies, the country balladeer toured overseas, especially in Great Britain and Ireland, where he was very popular.
Locklin is also credited as one of the early innovators of the concept album, with albums like “Foreign Love” and “Irish Songs, Country Style.” Additionally he recorded the popular album, “A Tribute To Roy Acuff, King Of Country Music” in 1962.
In 2001, Locklin released “Generations In Song,” an LP that featured many contemporary country artists such as Dolly Parton and Vince Gill, among others. He recently released his 65th album, “By The Grace Of God,” a collection of gospel songs.
This country innovator and star will always be remembered for his quick wit and legendary career and will be missed by millions of fans all around the world.
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