Hank Thompson

Leroy Riggs · Post by **Leroy Riggs** » 6 Aug 2006 8:12 am

Got to see Hank last night in Ft Collins, CO. For being 80, he put an a pretty good show albeit too short. We seen him for only 40 min.

J. D. Walter was on steel and doing a great job. Hank is still using twin fiddles.

Good show but much, much too short.

What is it with stars charging $5 for pictures and pushing their CDs so vigorously? Do some of these singers sell these wares because they haveto or are they doing it because they can? There must be a lot of money in CD sales at shows such as this one.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 6 Aug 2006 8:49 am

I work with some of the Nashville "talent" here in Florida in the Winter. Selling "product" is very lucrative. Most of the shows are RV parks and we do two hours (two one hour shows with the band doing about a 15 minute warmup on each hour). These are not the big $$$ shows and the "product" sales really help the gross for the show. One nice gesture both Tommy Cash and George Hamilton IV have done is allow the band members to sell CD's too.

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 6 Aug 2006 11:00 am

I played in a "pickup band" behind Mr T in '90 here in Portland. We were paid lucratively and in cash by "t-shirt money" by him personally. A very kind and gracious man.

I don't know how his bands are put together at this time, but then, he pretty much got what the local "talent machine" could contact, provide work tapes for, and he had to hope for the best.

Somewhere there is definitely a line between selling things and begging for money.

Mr Thompson has always had a product that people bought, to my recollection. I don't remember a Tip Jar on the stage.

EJL

Bill Mayville · Post by **Bill Mayville** » 6 Aug 2006 4:19 pm

Have opened for Hank many times. Never got to watch him perform,cause of other engagements later in the day.JD Walters (steel player) for Hank, has come up to me and start talking during a song.Once I realized I was playing the wrong song,while explaining to JD my X lever is on RKL.He had not seen that one .
Bill

Leroy Riggs · Post by **Leroy Riggs** » 6 Aug 2006 7:35 pm

Yeah Eric, there was no tip jar on stage this time either. Perhaps I don't question the CD sale and picture sales as much since (in his case) much of the proceeds goes to the band.

JD did indeed do a great job. He played mostly the C6 as one would expect playing behind Mr Thompson.