CHRONOLOGY

1940s-50s/ Hack grows up in East Tennessee, listening to The Grand Ol Opry and being influenced by all the early Country Music stars.

1964-66/ Hack is in Germany, where his friends, Jimmy Williamson and Guy Buckelew teach him to play guitar and introduce him to the entertainment side of Country Music.

1967-68/ Hack is back in East Tennesse, working at various jobs and playing music as a sideline.  Lots of nightclub and small auditorium shows all over the Smoky Mountain area. (Morristown, Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, etc.)

1969-early 70's/ Hack moves to Central Illinois and begins working with several local bands and some Nashville stars.  Mentored by well known locals, Bill Morrison and C.J. Porter.  Introduced to and became friends with people like Ernie Ashworth, Tex Ritter, Dottie West, Justin Tubb and others.  1971 sees Hack, his friend C.J. Porter, and their band, The Country Classics, voted the Number One Country Band in the Midwest.

1975-77/ Hack took a two year break from the music business to care for Rodger Cooper, a dear friend who had been severely injured in an auto accident.

1977-79/ Hack begins performing again, under the guidance of his long-time manager Rachel Jones.  Fills in for, and works with many Opry stars including Bobby Lewis, Jimmy Dickens, Tommy Cash, Cal Smith, Kenny Price, Ernest Tubb and Jack Greene. 

1979-81/ Hack works as one of the most sought-after nightclub performers in the Midwest, using The Country Generation (most of the time) as his backup band.  This also resulted in Hack meeting and becoming friends with Mike "Rowdy" Gentry, leader of the Country Generation.  Also became a regular performer with Cal Smith on many Opry-style shows.  Hack is considered to be the first member of Cal's renowned band, The Country Bumpkins.

1981-91/ Hack and family move to San Antonio, Texas, where they were later joined by his close friend, Mike Gentry.  Hack and Mike (or Rowdy, as he was known then) work with many popular Texas acts, including Johnny Bush, Darrell McCall and others.  Over a period of time, Hack developed friendships and working relationships that still exist today.  Hack became a very popular performer in South Texas and is considered today to be a keystone of Texas music.   Hack and his band, Driftwood continue to perform all over South Texas.

1991-96/ Hack returns to Illinois and performs many shows in the old venues he had left 10 years before.  His friend Mike Gentry had preceded him in returning to the Midwest, and the two of them returned to some of the old venues to perform......rekindling their relationships with many of the old pickers, including The Country Generation, Harold & Butch Smith, Bill Francisco and others.

1996-2000/ Hack retires from live performances and begins work on a recording career with Ghost Studios.

2001-/ Hack releases his first album, "Country My Way".  Album was a minor success throughout the Midwest. (No longer in print)

2003-/ Hack releases a career-defining album, "9000 Nightclub Nites".  Comprised of 21 Classic songs from Hack's nighclub act, the album has enjoyed immense popularity and is still being distributed by Ghost Studios.

2006-?/ Watch this site.......and.........who knows?

Below: Onstage with the legendary Johnny Bush.