7
Robinson. Soon after, he discovered the recordings of the ‘Blue Yodeler,’ Jimmie Rodgers, who became
Snow’s primary musical inspiration. Snow bought his first guitar with money he earned, and began
entertaining his shipmates.
In 1933, Snow secured his first job as a musician on radio station CHNS in Halifax. He billed
himself as the ‘Cowboy Blue Yodeler’ in tribute to Rodgers. Eventually he began using the more
cowboy-sounding first name of Hank, and modified his nickname to, ‘The Yodeling Ranger’ (and later,
‘The Singing Ranger’).
Signing with RCA Canada, Snow recorded over 90 songs for the label between 1936 and 1948.
After World War II, he made several attempts to crack the U.S. market, with short stays in Wheeling,
West Virginia, Hollywood, California and Dallas, Texas. In 1948, RCA Victor in the U.S. released a
handful of his Canadian hits. While they did not chart in the U.S., they sold well enough for the label to
sign him to a full contract the next year. Snow relocated to Nashville and with the help of his friend,
Ernest Tubb, he joined the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ as a cast member in January 1950. Although his first few
U.S. records were slow-sellers, in 1950 he recorded
I’m Movin’ On
. The record became a smash hit
that same year and launched a run of over 80 chart hits through the next three decades.
In addition to being an accomplished vocalist, Snow was a first class guitar player, gifted songwriter
and successful businessman. With over 840 commercial recordings, he became one of the most prolific
country stars in history. A regular on the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ through five decades, Snow continued to
perform until health problems forced him into semi-retirement in the late 1990s. Snow died on December
20, 1999, from heart failure at his home, ‘Rainbow Ranch’ in Madison, Tennessee, a suburb north of
Nashville.
