Hank Fort

Hank Fort (née Eleanor Hankins, 1908–1973) was an American singer and songwriter of the mid 20th century from Nashville, Tennessee. She composed over 400 songs, many with a humorous Southern viewpoint, including "Put Your Shoes On, Lucy" (recorded by Petula Clark), and "I Didn't Know the Gun Was Loaded" The Andrews Sisters, and "Save Your Confederate Money, Boys, the South Shall Rise Again". Known for her humor and sunny personality, her Washington, D.C. apartment was a gathering place for scores of admirers, many of whom were political figures. These included Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, Hale Boggs and Liz Carpenter (Lady bird Johnson's press secretary). In 1960, Fort campaigned actively for John F. Kennedy, traveling in the South entertaining with Mrs. Johnson, Ethel Kennedy, Eunice Shriver, and Jean Kennedy Smith. Her composition, "Look With Pride On Our Flag", was played at the second inauguration of Richard Nixon in 1973. Upon her death January 12, 1973, Barry Goldwater delivered the eulogy at her memorial service.

Birth and Death Data: Born June 14, 1914 (Nashville (capital and largest city of Tennessee, United States)), Died January 12, 1973 (Washington, D.C. (capital city of the United States of America) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1947 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor E0VB-3914 10-in. 3/17/1950 Written guarantee Rosalie Allen ; Elton Britt ; Skytoppers Female-male vocal duet, with string band songwriter  
Victor D7VB-1478 10-in. 8/8/1947 Pic-a-nic-in (in the park) Larry Green ; Larry Green Orchestra Female vocal solo, with vocal trio and jazz/dance band composer  
Victor D9VB-0079 10-in. 1/11/1949 Put your shoes on, Lucy Fontane Sisters ; Joe Biviano Orchestra Female vocal trio, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor D9VB-0409 10-in. 3/8/1949 I didn't know the gun was loaded Buckaroos (Patsy Montana) ; Patsy Montana Female vocal solo, with string band songwriter  
Victor D9VB-2561 10-in. 11/18/1949 A written guarantee Tony Martin ; Henri René ; Fran Warren Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble songwriter  
Victor D9VB-2595 10-in. 11/25/1949 Save that confederate money boys (the south shall rise again) Ziggy Talent ; Talented Ten (Ziggy Talent) Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble songwriter  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fort, Hank," accessed January 18, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/356351.

Fort, Hank. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 18, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/356351.

"Fort, Hank." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 18 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/356351

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.