Hank Garland Day

Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004) professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz album in 1960. His career was cut short when a car accident in 1961 left him unable to perform.

Born in Cowpens, South Carolina, Garland began playing guitar at the age of six. He appeared on local radio shows at 12 and was discovered at 14 at a South Carolina record store.

He moved to Nashville at age 16, staying in Ma Upchurch’s boarding house, where he roomed with Bob Moore and Dale Potter. At age 18, he recorded his million-selling hit “Sugarfoot Rag“. He appeared on the Jubilee program with Grady Martin‘s band and on The Eddy Arnold Show. Garland is perhaps best known for his Nashville studio work with Elvis Presley from 1958 to 1961 which produced such rock hits as: “I Need Your Love Tonight”, “A Big Hunk o’ Love”, ” I’m Coming Home”, “I Got Stung”, “A Fool Such As I”, “Stuck on You”, “Little Sister”, “(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame”, and “I Feel So Bad”. He worked with many country music rock and roll musicians of the late 1950s and early 1960s, such as Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins, The Everly Brothers, Boots Randolph, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, and Moon Mullican.

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