After giving us some of the best loved Country and Western hits of all time and a life that was cut short because of booze and the hard life of being on the road, Hank Williams shares some genuine fun on the radio.
17 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 4 hours, 23 min)
available in the following formats:
Grand Ole Opry star and great cowboy composer, Hank Williams' short life led him down a path of stardom and pain. After a tough childhood, Hank quit school at the age of 16 and started a band, The Drifting Cowboys. He made his first radio appearance in 1936. After slim times of bar and local performances- his mother drove the band around in her station wagon and collected admission to the shows - Hank attracted the attention of the right people in the right place, Nashville.
With boots of steel and a stomach of booze, Hank became popular enough to appear on the Grand Ole Opry in 1949. However, his boozy reputation, often showing up drunk for performances, got the better of him. Hank's drinking caused him trouble in his marriage, friendships, and work life.
After a difficult time, being fired by the Grand Ole Opry and divorced by his wife, Hank still managed to crank out the top tunes. Many, such as "Cold, Cold Heart and "Why Don't You Love Me, came from his life experiences. This collection includes two of Hank's Grand Ole Opry appearances as well as his old time radio show, Health and Happiness, with The Cowboy Drifters and several shows he did for Mother's Best Flour.
For more Hank Williams Sr recordings, see also: Mother's Best Flour. Please note that many of the rare recordings in this collection may be of inferior sound quality.
I still love to listen to his songs. Actually he had terrible chronic back pain, he wasn't your garden variety alcoholic. Meds back then were not terribly sophisticated. Poor guy.
Great songwriter – he really put his heart and life into his songs. Sadly his tough life and physical pain - which made his songs so real, popular and heartbreaking - also led him to alcoholism and drugs. Chip’s comment “he wasn't your garden variety alcoholic†certainly make me think twice about the drinking and drugs. Williams did have many upbeat songs. HEY, GOOD LOOKIN’ and JAMBALAYA are my faves.
Many here in Knoxville thought he had already passed away when he was carried out of the Andrew Johnson Hotel.
For 14 years I worked for the Knox County School system at the hotel, which is their headquarters. Another employee had lived there with her husband in the 60s while he managed the hotel and went to UT. Her hubby swore he saw Williams’ ghost. She definitely believed him, saying he of all people would not make it up.
PS – I also posted this on your Twttter site
A good assortment of radio appearances by Hank Williams. This collection of rare and hard-to-find recordings is a real treat for any Williams’ fan. Most of these appearances are of Williams on another person’s radio show.
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