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Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland Movie Looks Great

Growing up in Spartanbrg, SC, I was always running into people who were under the misconception that guitar legend Hank Garland was dead. The truth was, Hank had been in a car crash in 1961 that left him in a coma for several months, and he later  relearned how to walk, talk, and play the guitar. It is believed shock therapy may have caused irreparable damage to his brain, but little evidence exists to support this theory. The truth was also that Hank could no longer perform, because he went through times when he played well, while at other times, his brain would not allow him to play. He was, however, alive and well until 2004. When I wrote Carolina Dreams in 1996, I attempted to contact Hank for an interview, but it never happened. Of course, he was still a part of my book.

Walter Louis "Hank" “Sugarfoot” Garland was born on November 11, 1930 in Cowpens, South Carolina, Garland began playing the guitar at the age of 6. He moved to Nashville at age 16, staying in Ma Upchurch's boarding house, where he roomed with upright bassist Bob Moore and fiddler Dale Potter. At age 19 Garland recorded his million-selling hit “Sugar Foot Rag.”

Hank is best known for his work on Elvis Presley recordings from 1958 to 1961 which produced such hits as “Little Sister” and “Big Hunk of Love.” Garland also worked with many of the country music stars of the late 1950s and early 1960s including Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins, Everly Brothers, Boots Randolph, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty and Hank Williams Sr.. He also played with jazz artists such as George Shearing and Charlie Parker.

Garland died on December 27, 2004 of a staph infection in Orange Park, Florida, but his kegend lives on, not only through the music, but also through a new film called “Crazy,” which tells his life story.

Waylon Payne, who shook up the silver screen as Jerry Lee Lewis in the Johnny Cash bioepic Walk The Line, stars as Hank Garland. The film is currently being screened at film festivals around the country, and they have a beautiful website with photos, a trailer and video interviews.

As a life long fan of Sugarfoot, I cannot wait to see the movie. Check out the trailer below, and see the movie when it hits theaters. It looks like a great film about a Southern guitar legend.

Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.
Buffalo

• Hank Garland Dot Com

• Hank Garland On Myspace

 

 

CRAZY - Movie Trailer

 

Hank Garland on TV with the Late Eddy Arnold

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