Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams

Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams
Studio album by Del Shannon
Released	February 1965
Studio	United Sound Systems, Detroit, Michigan
Genre	Rock and roll, country
Length	33:52
Label	Amy
Producer	Embee Productions
Del Shannon chronology
Handy Man (1964) Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams (1965) 1,661 Seconds with Del Shannon (1965)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Record Mirror	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]

Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams is the fifth studio album by American rock and roll singer-songwriter Del Shannon. released in February 1965 by Amy Records. It is a tribute album to the songs of Country Music Hall of Fame honky tonk singer Hank Williams, whom Shannon listed among his influences.

At some point in late 1964, Shannon had decided to record a tribute album to Hank Williams. ^{[4] [5]} As Harry Balk recalled, "I didn't really have much faith in the country stuff, but Del really wanted to do it." ^[4] Les Cooley was the engineer there that we used. Bill Ramal wasn't used to arrange, Del worked up the arrangements himself with The Royaltones." ^[4]

The album was released on compact disc by Beat Goes On on September 16, 1998, as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Shannon's Final Amy album from April 1965, 1,661 Seconds with Del Shannon ^[6] Bear Family included also the album in the 2004 Home and Away box set. ^[7] Edsel Records included the album in the 2023 Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium box set. ^[8]

Critical reception

Cub Koda of AllMusic gave the album a strong review and said, "While tribute albums nowadays are commonplace, it was usually a tip of the hat to some long-standing show-business icon like Al Jolson. Certainly departed country music stars like Hank Williams were considered outside the pale of such honors." ^[1]

Billboard selected the album for a "Country Spotlight" review, and stated that "This is a complete change of pace for Del, effectively translating the great tunes made famous" ^[9]

Record Mirror called it "Strict Country Fashion" and stated that the "best tracks are the atmospheric 'Kaw-Liga' and the light-hearted 'Hey Good Lookin'. ^[2]

Track listing

Side one

All tracks are written by Hank Williams, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Your Cheatin' Heart"		3:06
2.	"Kaw-Liga"	Williams, Fred Rose	3:08
3.	"I Can't Help it"		2:34
4.	"Honky Tonk Blues"		2:20
5.	"(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle"	Jimmie Davis	2:19
6.	"You Win Again"		3:11

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Ramblin' Man"	3:22
2.	"Hey, Good Lookin'"	2:35
3.	"Long Gone Lonesome Blues"	2:13
4.	"Weary Blues"	3:17
5.	"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"	2:58
6.	"Cold, Cold Heart"	2:49

References

1. "Del Shannon - Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams Album Reviews". AllMusic . Retrieved October 14, 2023.
2. Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman. "Del Shannon: Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams" (PDF). New Record Mirror . No. 121. p. 10. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
3. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1250. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
4. Young, Brian C. (2023). RUNAWAY - The Del Shannon Story. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN   9798369401477.
5. "Del Shannon "Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams: Your Cheatin' Heart" (1964)". Los Angeles Times . June 24, 1993. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
6. "Sings Hank Williams / 1661 Seconds". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
7. "Home and Away: The Complete Recordings 1960-1970". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
8. "Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
9. "Country Spotlight: Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams". Billboard . Vol. 77, no. 7. February 13, 1965. p. 36.