"Honky Tonkin'" | |
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Single by Hank Williams And His Drifting Cowboys | |
A-side | "Pan American" |
Published | November 16, 1948 Acuff-Rose Publications, [1] 2002 SONY/ATV Acuff-Rose Music |
Released | May 1947 |
Recorded | February 13, 1947 [2] |
Studio | WSM Radio Station Studio, Nashville |
Genre | Hillbilly, Honky-tonk, Country blues |
Length | 2:45 |
Label | Sterling 210 |
Songwriter(s) | Hiram Williams |
Producer(s) | Fred Rose |
"Honky Tonkin'" | ||||
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Single by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys | ||||
B-side | "I'll Be a Bachelor 'Til I Die" | |||
Released | April 1948 | |||
Recorded | November 6, 1947 [2] | |||
Studio | Castle Studio, Nashville | |||
Genre | Hillbilly, Honky-tonk, Country blues | |||
Length | 2:42 | |||
Label | MGM 10171 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hiram Williams | |||
Producer(s) | Fred Rose | |||
Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
Hank Williams released two versions of "Honky Tonkin'." The first was cut at his second and final recording session for Sterling Records on February 13, 1947, and features backing by Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Dale "Smokey" Lohman (steel guitar), Zeke Turner (electric guitar) and Louis Innis (bass). [2] The song, which appeared as "Honkey-Tonkey" in Williams' first song folio, [2] was chosen by producer Fred Rose as the B-side to "Pan American" after Hank had achieved success with two singles of mostly spiritual material on Sterling. While the subject matter is straight barroom fare in the Ernest Tubb tradition, the song is musically unusual, with the chorus made up of three ten-beat phrases, plus two measures of four beats, for a highly unusual thirty-eight beat section; up till the last two turnaround measures of the chorus, this section could be written in 10/4 time. Many later versions "straighten out" the chorus to make it fit a more familiar four-beat pattern. The entire song is played over one chord, except for the last two beats of the third 10/4 phrase of the chorus, which briefly touches on the dominant. According to Colin Escott's 2004 biography on the singer, the original draft featured the lines, "We are going to the city, to the city fair/We'll get a quart of whiskey and get up in the air," which the commercially minded Rose had Hank change to ""We're going to the city, to the city fair/If you go to the city, baby, you will find me there." [2] In 2015, this recording on Sterling Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [3]
Surprised by the success of the unknown Williams, and equally impressed with the raw talent of the young songwriter, Rose got him a contract with MGM that was finalized on April 1, 1947. On November 6, 1947, Williams recut "Honky Tonkin'" at Castle Studio in Nashville with backing from Robert "Chubby" Wise (fiddle), Jerry Byrd (steel guitar), Zeke Turner (lead guitar), and probably Louis Innis on bass and either Owen Bradley or Rose on piano. [2] The second recording of the song is more vibrant than the first, likely owing to the better recording facilities and the chemistry that had developed between Williams and Rose. To avoid confusion, Rose bought all the Sterling singles of "Honky Tonkin'" on May 17, 1947, for two thousand dollars and then sold them to MGM. [4] Williams had enjoyed his first Top 5 hit with "Move It on Over" but "Honky Tonkin'" did not fare as well, failing to make the Top 10. Billboard praised the single's "deft ork beat."
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HiramKing "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.
"Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancée from Nashville, Tennessee, to Shreveport, Louisiana. After describing his first wife Audrey Sheppard as a "cheatin' heart", in minutes he dictated the lyrics to Billie Jean Jones. Produced by Fred Rose, Williams recorded the song at his last session at Castle Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 23.
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952. It is Williams' most recorded song. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous recordings and has since achieved popularity in several different music genres.
"Half as Much" is an American pop standard song written by Curley Williams in 1951. It was recorded by country music singer Hank Williams in 1952 and reached number two on the Billboard Country Singles chart.
"Cold, Cold Heart" is a country music and pop song written and first recorded by Hank Williams. This blues ballad is both a classic of honky-tonk and an entry in the Great American Songbook.
"Hey, Good Lookin'" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2003, CMT voted the Hank Williams version No. 19 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.
"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.
"Kaw-Liga" is a country music song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose.
"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.
"You Win Again" is a 1952 song by Hank Williams. In style, the song is a blues ballad and deals with the singer's despair with his partner. The song has been widely covered, including chart successes by Tommy Edwards and Charley Pride.
"Mind Your Own Business" is a 1949 song written and originally performed by Hank Williams.
"My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" is a song widely attributed to Clarence Williams, who obtained a copyright in 1933, although the melody was recorded under various names years earlier. The song became popular performed by Hank Williams for MGM and reached number 4 on the country chart in 1949.
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.
"I'm a Long Gone Daddy" is a country song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It was released in 1948 on MGM Records and became his second top ten hit.
"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.
Six More Miles (To the Graveyard) is a song written by Hank Williams for MGM Records. It appeared as the B-side to "I Saw the Light" in 1948.
Moanin' the Blues is the second and last studio album by American country musician Hank Williams, released on MGM Records in 1952.