Hiram “Hank” Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953)

My Dad was a country music singer and guitar player, and sometime in the 1950’s he went into a store in Edmonton where they would cut a record with your singing on it. He did the songs “The First Fall Of Snow / Someday You’ll Call My Name.” These were two songs off a Hank Williams 45 rpm single released in 1955, but actually recorded in 1948 or 1949 during a radio broadcast. I grew up listening to Dad play Hank’s songs and playing his records at home. I never outgrew my appreciation for the talent of Hank Williams, and a testament to that is this week’s listening playlist. 14 Hank Williams albums. I thought I might tire by the end of the week, but I didn’t. I enjoyed listening to all but one of these albums. A K-Tel double album that was horribly produced. Volume would rise and fall randomly, and instruments would pan from speaker to speaker, then drop off completely. I will keep the album in my collection as an example to how bad some records can get.

Hank Williams did not live an easy life. He was prone to periods of melancoly and then there were times, mostly due to his drinking, of lashing out in rage. His relationships with his wives were rocky.

Wikipedia:

“On December 15, 1944, Williams married Audrey Sheppard. It was her second marriage and his first. Their son, Randall Hank Williams (now known as Hank Williams Jr.), was born on May 26, 1949. The marriage was always turbulent and rapidly disintegrated, and Williams developed serious problems with alcohol, morphine, and other painkillers prescribed for him to ease the severe back pain caused by his spina bifida occulta. The couple divorced on May 29, 1952. In June 1952, Williams moved into a house on the corner of Natchez Trace and Westwood Avenue in Nashville, sharing it with singer Ray Price. Price left soon after due to Williams’s alcoholism. Following an unsuccessful tour of California and several stints in a sanatorium, Williams moved to his mother’s boarding house by September. A relationship with a woman named Bobbie Jett during this period resulted in a daughter, Jett Williams, who was born five days after Williams died. His mother adopted Jett, who became a ward of the state after her grandmother’s death. She was adopted and raised by an unrelated couple and did not learn that she was Williams’s daughter until the early 1980s. On October 18, 1952, Williams and Billie Jean Jones were married by a justice of the peace in Minden, Louisiana.”

I listened in chronological order, though I don’t think it would make much difference, since all of these are compilations of his material. Hank Williams recorded during an era when radio ruled the airwaves and single releases dominated music sales. Hanks’ singles recordings began to be collected for release on long-play records shortly after his death, and that has continued to the present. I have a wonderful 5-CD collection of his radio singles that will eventually be played for these blog posts.

Hank Williams	I Saw The Light	Country	LP	Mar 1	1954
Hank Williams	Sing Me A Blue Song	Country	LP	Mar 1	1957
Hank Williams	Wait For The Light To Shine	Country	LP	Mar 1	1960
Hank Williams	14 More Of Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits Vol. III	Country	LP	Mar 1	1963
Hank Williams	The Very Best Of Hank Williams Volume 2	Country	LP	Mar 1	1964
Hank Williams	Hank Williams	Country	LP	Mar 1	1966
Hank Williams	The Immortal Hank Williams	Country	LP	Mar 1	1966
Hank Williams	Hank Williams In The Beginning	Country	LP	Mar 1	1968
Hank Williams	Memories of Hank Williams Sr.	Country	LP	Mar 1	1973
Hank Williams	The Collector’s Hank Williams Volume One	Country	LP	Mar 1	1975
Hank Williams	The Collectors Hank Williams Volume II	Country	LP	Mar 1	1978
Hank Williams	The Collector’s Hank Williams Volume 3	Country	LP	Mar 1	1979
Hank Williams	The Collectors Hank Williams Volume 4	Country	LP	Mar 1	1981

While putting this blog together, I was reminded of some great songs that mention Hank Williams or his lyrics. Hank’s influence on modern music has been huge, and not just in country music. There are plenty of artists who have covered his songs and plenty of his songs that have been covered. The most notable is most likely “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” This song has influenced artists from K.D. Lang to Bob Dylan. A notable cover is by Bim, for acquired tastes only. There are also numerous movies, stage shows, tribute artists, and cover shows that showcase the man and his music.

The list of songs about or mentioning Hank Williams is long, really long. Here is a list of my favourites.

Has Anybody Here Seen Hank? by The Waterboys

Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? by Waylon Jennings

If You Don’t Like Hank Williams by Kris Kristofferson

Long White Cadillac by Dwight Yoakam

Midnight In Montgomery by Alan Jackson

Montgomery in the Rain by Steve Young

The Night Hank Williams Came To Town by Johnny Cash (feat. Waylon Jennings)

Nosferatu Man by Slint

The Ride by David Allan Coe

This Old Guitar by Neil Young refers to Williams’s original D-28 Martin guitar, which Young has toured with for over 30 years.

Tower of Song by Leonard Cohen

Everything Is New by Frank Black & the Catholics

Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) by Waylon Jennings (feat. Willie Nelson)

If you are not familiar with Hank Williams or his music, I would recommend, at the very least, sampling some of his material in the online streaming service of your choice.