Hank Penny

Herbert Clayton "Hank" Penny (born August 18, 1918 in Birmingham — died April 17, 1992 in Camarillo, California) was a banjo player, western swing band leader and comedian.

Penny began his professional music career at a radio station in New Orleans in 1936. He latched onto the popularity of western swing music and, in 1937, formed the Radio Cowboys, a swing band featuring Julian Akins, Sammy Forsmark, Louis Damont, Carl Stewart and Sheldon Bennett. His hillbilly emcee delivery and musical style, heard on the radio in Birmingham, were major influences on rockabilly pioneer Hardrock Gunter. The band relocated to Nashville, but its run was interrupted by World War II.

After the war, Merle Travis invited Penny to join the emerging county music scene in Los Angeles. He formed a new band, the Plantation Boys, with Stewart, Louis Innis, Zed Tennis and Roy Langham. In the 1940s Penny became well known as "That Plain Ol' Country Boy" alongside Spade Cooley on Los Angeles' popular "Hoffman Hayride" television show. He also made several appearances as a singer or singing cowboy in western films. He recorded a few records with a backing band known as the Painted Post Rangers. Three of his records hit the Billboard country singles chart in the ensuing years: "Steel Guitar Romp" (1946), "Get Yourself a Red Head" (1946) and "Bloodshot Eyes" (1950), all reaching #4. He co-founded the Palamino Club in Hollywood, California in 1949, hosting hundreds of well-known and up-and-coming country acts. Monday nights were opened to jazz musicians after hours, with black-eyed peas, cornbread and buttermilk served to all comers. Penny himself recorded an album of jazz-influenced "hillbilly bop" in 1950.

Penny got his own Hank Penny Show in 1952, but it was cancelled after a seven week run. In 1953 he married singer Sue Thompson. The couple briefly hosted another Los Angeles-based television program before moving to Las Vegas in 1954 to headline at the Golden Nugget Casino. He kept that gig for seven years, fronting a big band that included Roy Clark. Clark later bested Penny for a spot on the CBS county music - variety series Hee Haw.

Penny and his wife divorced in 1963. He moved to Nashville and remarried in 1967 He and his second wife, Shari, performed on stage with their daughter Sydney, now an actress. His other son, Greg, is a music producer. Penny retired to California and died in 1992 of a heart attack.

References

• "Hank Penny." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 Aug 2007, 22:33 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 Sep 2007 [1].

External links

• Hank Penny at IMDB.com