As responsible for defining the sound of honky-tonk music as just about anyone, Hank Thompson transformed the danceable Western swing sounds of Bob Wills and Milton Brown into country-chart fodder with his sharp songwriting and airtight band, the Brazos Valley Boys. The Waco, Texas native translated his success in Lone Star roadhouses to more than 30 Top 10 country hits, as well as an impressive career as a touring musician. In 1961, in part because of the wide renown of his stage show, Thompson became the first country musician to record a live album, At the Golden Nugget. His 1952 smash “The Wild Side of Life” may have made Thompson a superstar and etched “honky-tonk angels” deep in country lore, but a number of the singer’s own compositions are also part of the honky-tonk canon. “A Six Pack to Go,” which George Strait covered much later on, “Green Light,” and “Rub-A-Dub-Dub” are just a few of the Thompson tunes that dancers have been practicing their Texas two-step to ever since.