Hank Thompson "Blackboard Of My Heart" Single Of The Day

Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always on the turntable.  Today’s Single Of the Day is a 1956 fave from the legendary Hank Thompson and his Brazos Valley Boys.  By the Spring of 1956, Hank had become one of the top acts in country music, melding Western Swing with Honky Tonk, bringing a sound to the radio that, while reminiscent of Bob Wills, was really quite different.  Already, twenty-one releases had made the top ten for Hank, while three had made number one.  His latest release looked to extend that streak.

Released in February, it was later in March, when “The Blackboard Of My Heart” debuted on the country charts.  Incidentally, the flip-side, “I’m Not Mad, Just Hurt” debuted that same week.  While Elvis may have been taking over the number one spot, opening the door for a whole new sound, not just in country, but in all of music, Hank would have no trouble finding the top ten with his latest. By Summer, “The Blackboard Of My Heart” would climb as high as four on the charts, becoming his twenty-second top ten hit, while the flip-side would stop at fourteen.  However, it would take a while for top ten number twenty-three to appear, as that wouldn’t come until the Fall of 1958 with “Squaws Along the Yukon”.

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Hank Thompson "Blackboard Of My Heart" Single Of The Day