Thomas O. Hancock (March 25, 1929
– January 1, 2020) was an American musician widely regarded as the godfather of
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio.
No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
music.
Hancock was born and raised in
Lubbock, Texas, and his grandmother had him classically trained in violin. At age 16, Tommy joined the military and traveled overseas as a paratrooper and military policeman, serving in the Pacific towards the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
[ Upon his discharge at the end of the war, he returned to Lubbock, where he led a popular swing band called the ''Roadside Playboys.'' The Playboys had various members over time, including performers such as guitarist ]Sonny Curtis
Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include " Wa ...
and fiddler Benjamin "Tex" Logan.[
In the late 1940s, Hancock hired Charlene Condray as a singer; they went on to marry. Together with five of their children, they toured the Rocky Mountains as "The Supernatural Family Band". Today, three of their children still tour as the "Texana Dames."
In the early 1970s, Hancock was introduced to fellow performer Jimmie Gilmore. They bonded over a desire to seek out new spiritual experiences. Hancock noted that "my whole thing with taking acid was I want to know God. If there's a god, I want to know him. And Jimmie was the first intelligent person I'd ever run into who was searching for God."][
During the 1970s, Hancock and his family became followers of Guru Maharaj Ji.
In 1980, the Hancock family settled in ]Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
.
In March 2000, Tommy was inducted into the Austin Chronicle Music Awards Hall of Fame. In 2002, ''The Supernatural Family Band'' was inducted into the Country Music Association of Texas Hall of Fame. In 2012, Tommy was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock, TX.
On January 1, 2020, Hancock died at age 90.
References
Tommy X Hancock - Biography
Archival Materials
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Tommy
1929 births
2020 deaths
United States Army personnel of World War II
American bandleaders
20th-century violinists
Musicians from Lubbock, Texas
Western swing fiddlers