Put Your Shoes On Lucy

I found this snappy little ditty accidentally on purpose.  I was doing research on the Hankins family and found a famous family member--who has long been forgotten by the Boomer generation.

This is what I found out:

Renowned lyricist, singer, actress and music composer, professionally known as “Hank Fort” died January 12, 1973 in Washington, D.C. after spending the Christmas holidays with her friends, the Thomas J. Johnson family at South Point Farm in Berlin, Maryland.

Her funeral was held at Christ Church in Nashville, Tennessee with Senators John L. McClellan and Barry Goldwater among the pallbearers.

Hank composed more than 400 songs. One of her last, “Look With Pride on Our Flag”, was dedicated to President Richard Nixon and was featured during his inaugural celebration.

Her most popular songs were “Put Your Shoes On Lucy”, “I Didn’t Know the Gun Was Loaded”, "The Boardwalk", and “Cherry Blossom Spring” which was played at the 1972 Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

She was born Eleanor Hankins on June 14, 1914 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Her parents were illustrious in their own worlds. Her father was the noted artist Cornelius Hankins whose works hang in the capitol buildings in Tennessee and Louisiana and her mother was writer/artist Maude McGee Hankins.

She appeared on television on the Arthur Godfrey and Robert Q. Lewis shows. She sang at many noted Nightclubs including the Copa and was featured in movies and TV commercials.

Besides her professional career in music, she taught at the Peabody Demonstration School.

You'd be surprised how many country/western artists still sing her songs.

"Keep on putting your shoes on, Lucy, and we'll dance all night."  Thanks Hank!