Walter “Hank” Garland
November 11, 1930 – December 27, 2004
Hank Garland was respected session guitarist who was part of country music’s legendary Nashville A-Team who played on most of the greatest records during the ’50s and ’60s. Garland picked up the guitar at the age of six, and by the time he was 12 he was playing on local radio stations, and within two years of that, he moved to Nashville to further his career. Like his friend Chet Atkins, Garland stood out above the rest for the fact that he was so skilled at marrying country with jazz in his playing. When he was 19, Garland released his biggest hit, “Sugarfoot Rag,” which went on to sell over a million copies. Between 1957 and 1961, Garland recorded and performed live with Elvis Presley, adding his signature sound to such records as “Big Hunk O’ Love” and “Little Sister.” Over the years he also played with Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, and Marty Robbins, to name a few. He also collaborated with such jazz icons as Charlie Parker and George Shearing. Garland did his part to improve race relations at the time by hiring African-American jazz musicians to perform with him to the dismay to some in Nashville. In 1961, Garland was seriously hurt in a car accident that some have speculated was purposely caused by a rival. Either way, Garland ended up in a coma for several days and incurred injuries that left him unable to record again. Hank Garland was 74 when he passed away on December 27, 2004.
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