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Lawrence Hankins Locklin (February 15, 1918 - March 8, 2009), better known as Hank Locklin, was an American country music singer-songwriter. A member of the Grand Ole Opry for nearly 50 years, Locklin had a long recording career with RCA Victor and scored big with the hits, "Please Help Me I’m Falling," "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" and "Geisha Girl" from 1957-60.
BiographyBorn in McLellan in the Florida Panhandle, Locklin grew up working in the cotton fields to supplement his family’s low income. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine during his recovery after being seriously injured by being hit by a school bus.
His first marriage to Willa Jean Murphy ended in divorce. In 1970 he married Anita Crooks of Brewton, Alabama. He had a son and 4 daughters, 12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Locklin was one of country music's early honky tonk singers. He first recorded for Royalty, a small label in northeast Texas, but soon moved to 4 Star Records, a regional country music label, before signing with RCA Victor. He had an estimated 15 million record sales worldwide and his songs were recorded by many other artists, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Roy Rogers, Dwight Yoakam and Dean Martin. He regularly appeared on the Grand Ole Opry beginning in 1960, making his final appearance in 2007.
He had 70 chart singles, including six number ones on ''Billboard's'' country chart. Locklin's biggest hits included "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On," "Geisha Girl," and "Please Help Me I'm Falling," which went to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart
. ''Billboard Magazine's 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll era. Other hits for Locklin included "Happy Journey" (1961), "Happy Birthday To Me" (1962) and "The Country Hall Of Fame" (1968).
In the 1960s he built a ranch house, called “the Singing L,” in the field in McClellan where he had once picked cotton as a boy. He was later made the honorary mayor of the town.
Locklin had a strong following in Europe, and in Ireland - his popularity was such that in 1963 he recorded an album called Irish Songs Country Style. He has a fanclub in Langeli, Bjerkreim, Norway. The obituary in The Times described Locklin as "the last remaining link between country music’s hillbilly roots and the lusher, modern pop sound of Nashville."
In 2006, he appeared on the PBS special, Country Pop Legends in which he performed "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On", and "Please Help Me I'm Falling". Until his passing in 2009, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 91. Locklin had recently released his 65th album, By the Grace of God, a collection of gospel songs.
He moved to Brewton, where he remained throughout his later years. He died there, at his house, in the early morning on March 8, 2009.[title=Grand Ole Opry member Hank Locklin dies in Alabama]
TributesIn 1989, BBC Television broadcast the documentary Bringing It All Back Home, in which U2 performed his song Wild Irish Rose (1964). This song was played once and never recorded on disc by the Irish group.
DiscographyAlbumsSinglesBibliography- Trott, Walt (1998). "Hank Locklin". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 300-1.
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