On today’s date in 1950, Canadian country artist Hank Snow made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.
Snow was invited to the Grand Ole Opry by Ernest Tubb, a country music pioneer known as “The Texas Troubadour,” and was paid $75 a week for his appearances according to Colin Escott’s 2006 book The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon.
“I said many prayers during the few weeks before my Opry debut that I would be a success,” recalls Snow. “God has a plan for all of us, even a little weakling from Nova Scotia, Canada.”
Snow performed at the Opry for 46 years, and while his first few appearances received a lukewarm response, he would become a staple of country music after recording his song, I’m Movin’ On, which became the top country song of 1950 and still holds the country music record for number of consecutive weeks at the No. 1 spot.
Altogether, Snow sold more than 70 million records in a career that spanned more than half a century.
CANADIAN COUNTRY ARTISTS
In 2014, to mark the 100th anniversary of Snow’s birth, Canada Post featured the famed Canadian country singer on a non-denominated Permanent stamp (Scott #2766) as part of its “Canadian Country Artists” series (SC #2766-70).
The series’ five stamps are available in 10-stamp booklets and five-stamp souvenir sheets.
“Our selection for this stamp series reflects the remarkable variety within Canadian – and international – country music, crossing generations and musical approaches,” said Deepak Chopra, then president and CEO of Canada Post.
All five stamps measure 40 millimetres by 32 millimetres (horizontal) and were printed by Lowe-Martin.
Snow died on Dec. 20, 1999, at his home in Madison, Tenn. He was 85 years old.