Boogie Down (Me): The Rhumba Boogie (#11)

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Dental cleaning day! And, like any good patient, I’m at Chuy’s getting my teeth dirty for them. And it’s time for another song on my list of favorites with “boogie” in the title. Today I present a “Linda? HECK NO!!!!!!!” tune by someone that at least NJ Chic has heard of! #11: The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow How do I know NJ Chic has heard of him? Cue the Jimmy Buffett music! The ice cream man, he’s a hillbilly fan Got 78s by Hank Snow (“The Wino and I Know”) So no, Hank Snow wasn’t just a name Buffett made up to put in that song. He was a real legend (I have a photo of him and me around somewhere). How big a legend? His song, “I’m Movin’ On,” was at one time the #1 country song (in terms of chart success) EVER. It was #1 for 21 weeks. While there were two other songs that were #1 for five months (“In the Jailhouse Now” by Webb Pierce” and “I’ll Hold You in My Heart” by Eddy Arnold), Snow won in the Whitburn on overall longevity points. (Think about that! There are some artists whose careers don’t last 21 weeks! Big hit in April and by October they’re in the “where are they now” category on Entertainment Tonight.) This song was only #1 for eight weeks, showing the decline in Hank Snow’s career. Just kidding, in 1951 Snow was just hitting his stride. He was still having #1 hits 20 years later (his last #1 was “Hello Love” in 1974). Now, I’ll warn you who aren’t familiar with his voice that it’s, ahem, “different.” Unique. Let’s put it this way: you never can mistake anyone else for him! When rhumba impersonation music got popular, everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Yes, even people in country music started incorporating claves (the sticks you hear in this song) as freely as fiddles. In reality, this song is neither rhumba nor a boogie…but it is a favorite of mine. The Rhumba Boogie Written by Hank Snow Recorded by Hank Snow Released as a single, 1951 Across the water came Cuban Pete: