| Memorial Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1953 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Producer | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
Memorial Album is the first Hank Williams LP issued by MGM Records after the singer's death on New Year's Day 1953.
| Memorial Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1953 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Producer | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
Memorial Album is the first Hank Williams LP issued by MGM Records after the singer's death on New Year's Day 1953.
Memorial Album is significant for being the first MGM retrospective of Hank Williams' career. Only two LPs had been released under Williams' name during his lifetime, largely because singles were most valued in the country music business, but demand for his work increased after his death. Colin Escott observed in his 2004 book Hank Williams: The Biography, "The emerging LP market was a godsend. MGM could endlessly repackage Hank's recordings, and [publishing company] Acuff-Rose could pitch his songs to other artists as LP filler." [1] While Hank Williams Sings (1951) and Moanin' the Blues (1952) had contained several non-charting B-sides dating back to Hank's earliest recordings with the label, Memorial Album featured many of his most recent hits singles. Several versions of the album were released by MGM.
All songs written by Hank Williams unless otherwise indicated:
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.
"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.
"I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" is a song written by Fred Rose and American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams, released by Williams in 1952.
"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.
"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 versions by Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, the Grateful Dead, Charley Pride, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones.
"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.
"Lost Highway" is a country music song written and recorded by blind country singer-songwriter Leon Payne in 1948. It was released in October 1948 on Nashville-based Bullet label.
"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.
"(Last Night) I Heard You Crying in Your Sleep" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams on MGM Records. It was released as the B-side of "Move It on Over" in 1947.
"The Blues Come Around" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams for MGM Records. It was released as the B-side to the single "I'm a Long Gone Daddy" in June 1948. It was recorded at Castle Studio in Nashville with Fred Rose producing and backing from Jerry Byrd, Robert "Chubby" Wise (fiddle), Zeke Turner, probably Louis Innis (bass) and either Owen Bradley or Rose on piano. Waylon Jennings recorded the song for his 1992 album Ol' Waylon Sings Ol' Hank.
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.
"My Son Calls Another Man Daddy" is a song written by Jewell House and made famous by country star Hank Williams, who released the song in 1950.
"A Teardrop on a Rose" is a song written by Hank Williams.
"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.
