| Hank Williams Sings | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 9, 1951 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 22:05 | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Producer | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams chronology | ||||
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Hank Williams Sings is the debut album by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams. It was released by MGM Records on November 9, 1951.
By 1951, Hank Williams' popularity had soared. Following the chart topping records "Cold, Cold Heart" and "Hey Good Lookin'", he joined the Hadacol caravan, a train-transported road show that toured the South in a forty-nine dates one night show schedule. After the tour disbanded before the shows were completed, Williams returned to Nashville, Tennessee. In September 1951, he traveled to Hollywood after being offered a part as the Sheriff in Small Town Girl . Ultimately, Williams did not participate in the movie. [1] On November 14, Williams was invited to The Perry Como Chesterfield Show. Anticipating the show, and the possible record sales that it could propel, MGM Records released Hank Williams Sings. [2]
The songs were recorded by Williams during sessions between 1946 and 1949. [3] Producer Fred Rose took songs from previous single releases that did not sell well at the moment of their release. As Williams biographer Colin Escott put it: "Rose used Hank's first album as a dump site for oddball tracks that hadn't sold elsewhere. With the exception of "Wedding Bells", the tracks were the dogs of Hank's catalog, like "I've Just Told Mama Goodbye", "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul", and "Six More Miles".
Billboard theorized that the label had decided not to release an album with new sides because it "would only spread jockey and juke plays too thinly instead of getting the concentrated push on a single record". [4] The LP contains two indisputable Hank Williams classics: the album opener "Lost Highway," which was composed by blind Texas honky tonk singer and songwriter Leon Payne, and the gospel standard "I Saw the Light," which Williams usually sang to close his shows. Five of the album's eight tracks were composed by Williams, with the only legitimate hit being "Wedding Bells," which hit #2 in 1949. "A Mansion on the Hill" failed to make the Top 10 in late 1948, peaking at #12. None of the remaining songs (mostly B-sides) charted at all. "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul" had actually been recorded for Sterling Records and released as Hank's second single before he moved to MGM in April 1947.
The album was released in three formats: ten-inch LP, a four 45rpm packaged set and a four 78rpm set. [2] It failed to chart, [5] partly because singles, rather than LPs, were emphasized in the country music business due in large part to the valuable jukebox trade.[ original research? ]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date [6] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lost Highway" | Leon Payne | March 1, 1949 | 2:40 |
| 2. | "I've Just Told Mama Goodbye" | Slim Sweet, Curley Kinsey | March 20, 1949 | 2:53 |
| 3. | "I Saw the Light" | Hank Williams | April 21, 1947 | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Six More Miles (To the Graveyard)" | Hank Williams | April 21, 1947 | 2:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date [6] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Mansion on the Hill" | Hank Williams | November 7, 1947 | 2:33 |
| 2. | "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul" | Hank Williams | December 11, 1946 | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Wedding Bells" | Claude Boone | March 20, 1949 | 2:53 |
| 4. | "A House Without Love" | Hank Williams | August 30, 1949 | 2:52 |
Hiram "Hank" Williams was an American singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song has been covered by a wide range of musicians.
"Lovesick Blues" is a Tin Pan Alley song, composed by Cliff Friend, with lyrics by Irving Mills. It first appeared in the 1922 musical "Oh, Ernest", and was recorded that year by Elsie Clark and Jack Shea. Emmett Miller recorded it in 1925 and 1928, followed by country music singer Rex Griffin in 1939. The recordings by Griffin and Miller inspired Hank Williams to perform the song during his first appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1948. Receiving an enthusiastic reception from the audience, Williams decided to record his own version despite initial push back from his producer Fred Rose and his band.
"I Saw the Light" is a country gospel song written by Hank Williams. Williams was inspired to write the song while returning from a concert by a remark his mother made while they were arriving in Montgomery, Alabama. He recorded the song during his first session for MGM Records, and released in September 1948. Williams' version did not enjoy major success during its initial release, but eventually it became one of his most popular songs and the closing number for his live shows. It was soon covered by other acts, and has become a country gospel standard.
"Honky Tonk Blues" was a hit country and western song written and performed by Hank Williams. The original 1952 recording was a major hit, and it later became a hit for Charley Pride.
"Take These Chains from My Heart" is a song by Hank Williams. It was written by Fred Rose and Hy Heath and was recorded at Williams' final recording session on September 23, 1952, in Nashville. The song has been widely praised; Williams' biographer Colin Escott deems it "perhaps the best song [Rose] ever presented to Hank...It was one of the very few songs that sounded somewhat similar to a Hank Williams song." Williams is backed by Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Don Helms, Chet Atkins, Jack Shook, and Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance (bass). In the wake of Williams' death on New Year's Day, 1953, the song shot to No. 1, his final chart-topping hit for MGM Records. Like "Your Cheatin' Heart," the song's theme of despair, so vividly articulated by Williams' typically impassioned singing, reinforced the image of Hank as a tortured, mythic figure.
"Honky Tonkin'" is a 1947 country music song, written and recorded by Hank Williams. His song went to #14 on the Billboard country music chart in 1948. In 1982, it became the sixth chart topping single for Williams' son, Hank Williams Jr.
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" is a song written and originally recorded by Hank Williams on MGM Records. It hit number two on the Billboard country singles chart in 1951. In his autobiography, George Jones printed the first six lines of the song and stated, "Its lyrics couldn't be more simple - or profound."
"My Heart Would Know" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It was released as the B-side to "Hey Good Lookin'" in June 1951 on MGM Records.
"Wedding Bells" is a song written by Claude Boone and recorded by Hank Williams on MGM Records. It peaked at No. 2 on the Best Selling Retail Folk chart in 1949.
"Settin' the Woods on Fire" was the A-side of a single by Hank Williams, released in September 1952. The song reached number 2 on U.S. Billboard Most Played by Jockeys chart and number 2 on the National Best Sellers chart.
"My Sweet Love Ain't Around" is a song written and performed by Hank Williams. It was his third single on MGM Records released in January 1948.
"A Mansion on the Hill" is a song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose and originally recorded by Williams on MGM Records. It peaked at No. 12 on the Most Played Jukebox Folk Records chart in March 1949.
"I Just Don't Like This Kind of Living" is a song written by Hank Williams and released as his thirteenth single on MGM Records in January 1950. The song peaked at #5 on the Best Selling Retail Folk Records chart.
"Dear John" is a song written by Tex Ritter and Aubrey Gass. It is best remembered for being the A-side to Hank Williams' number one hit "Cold, Cold Heart" in 1951 for MGM Records.
"Baby, We're Really in Love" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams and released on MGM Records. It peaked at number four on the Billboard country singles chart. It was recorded at Castle Studio in Nashville on July 25, 1951 with Fred Rose producing and backing from Don Helms, Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Sammy Pruett, Howard Watts (bass) and probably Jack Shook. It was his fourteenth Top 5 hit.
"I'm Sorry for You, My Friend" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It was released as the flipside to his single "Honky Tonk Blues" in 1952 on MGM Records.
"I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It was released as the B-side of "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" on MGM Records in November 1952.
Moanin' the Blues is the second album by American country musician Hank Williams, released on MGM Records in 1952.
"A Home in Heaven" is a hymn written by Hank Williams and recorded as a duet with his wife Audrey Williams. It was released as a single on MGM Records in 1956.