Mr. Speaker, on December 20, 1999, after a long illness, Clarence Eugene Hank Snow died at the age of 85. Hank was one of the few remaining country music legends whose life's work helped define what country music means to millions of its fans.
Born in Brooklyn, Queens County, Nova Scotia, Hank, as a teenager, occasionally slept in Liverpool's historic CN Railway building, now the home of the most unique country music attraction northeast of Nashville.
In August 1997, I was fortunate to attend the grand opening of the Hank Snow Country Music Centre in Liverpool, which was established to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Hank. Each year a Hank Snow tribute is organized by the Friends of Hank Snow Society which features performers and a popular Sounds Like Hank contest.
The Hank Snow Country Music Centre and annual Hank Snow tribute will continue to celebrate one of country music's greatest legends even though Hank Snow is now “Movin' on”.