Hank Thompson

It's hard to overstate the impact that Hank Thompson has had on country music. In the 1940s and '50s, with his famous backing band the Brazos Valley Boys, Thompson perfected his style of honky tonk swing, a chart-topping recipe that fused the poly-instrumental richness of Western swing with the prominent vocal/snare tandem of honky tonk. Standing tall in glittering Nudie suits, Thompson always emphasized showmanship, but his resonant baritone was the star of the show, launching chart hits including "The Wild Side of Life" and "A Six Pack to Go" in an astonishing six consecutive decades. He also stretched boundaries as a businessman with a pioneering TV show, the country's first Las Vegas show, and first solo live release.