| Moanin' the Blues | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 12, 1952 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Producer | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams chronology | ||||
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Moanin' the Blues is the second and last studio album by American country musician Hank Williams, released on MGM Records in 1952.
Like Williams' debut LP Hank Williams Sings , Moanin' the Blues contained no new music at the time of its release. Unlike his debut, which was composed mostly of B-sides that had fared poorly upon release, his second album is packed with hits, including three #1 smashes: "Lovesick Blues," "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," and "Honky Tonk Blues." "Moanin' the Blues" and "I'm a Long Gone Daddy" were also Top 10 hits, peaking at #2 and #6 respectively. Although it did not chart when it was released, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," which many believe to be Williams' songwriting masterpiece, is also featured on the LP. The tracks were recorded between 1947 and 1951, with the most recent cut being "Honky Tonk Blues." With the exception of "Lovesick Blues," Williams composed all the songs. The recordings were produced by Fred Rose, who also compiled the album around a blues theme. Curiously, Williams' most blues-influenced cuts, "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" and the nascent rock and roller "Move It on Over," are omitted. It was unlikely that the album was a major priority for MGM; it was axiomatic that country LPs didn't sell, and the notion of a single as a trailer for the hugely more profitable album was still more than ten years away. [1]
All songs written by Hank Williams unless otherwise indicated:
"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.
40 Greatest Hits is a two-record greatest hits compilation by American singer-songwriter Hank Williams. It was released in 1978 by Mercury Records – who under PolyGram became responsible for the MGM tape vault – on the 25th anniversary of Williams' death. Significantly, it was the first anthology in quite some time that did not subject Williams' recordings to either rechanneled stereo, posthumous overdubs, artificial duets with family members, or most or all of the above. Because of both this, and the value-for-money attraction of having a deeper song selection than single-disc compilations issued previously by MGM Records, many reviewers consider this anthology to be the perfect starting point for newcomers to Williams' recorded legacy. The album remains, to this day, the best-selling record of Williams' career.
"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.
"Ramblin' Man" is a song written in 1951 by Hank Williams. It was released as the B-side to the 1953 number one hit "Take These Chains from My Heart", as well as to the 1976 re-release of "Why Don't You Love Me". It is also included on the 40 Greatest Hits, a staple of his CD re-released material.
"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.
The Complete Hank Williams is a 1998 box set collecting almost all of the recorded works of country music legend Hank Williams, from his first recorded track in 1947 to the last session prior to his untimely death in 1953 at the age of 29. While a number of live and overdubbed songs are excluded, the ten disc collection contains 225 tracks, including studio sessions, live performances and demos. Among those 225 songs are 33 hit singles and 53 previously unreleased tracks.
Hank Williams on Stage is the title of a posthumous live album of Hank Williams released by his record label, MGM in 1962. The performance is officially credited to Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys with Hank's first wife Audrey Williams, who sings back-up vocals. It was recorded as part of the "Health and Happiness Broadcasts" at the old Castle Studio at Eighth and Church Streets in Nashville in October 1949. Long-time WSM announcer Grant Turner hosted the event and wrote the album's liner notes. This release has long since been supplanted by the complete "Health and Happiness" recordings. Not noted by the original author is the fact that this contains studio recordings interspersed with the "live" recordings on both this and the follow-up album. The two albums do not contain every Health and Happiness Show.
"Long Gone Lonesome Blues" is a 1950 song by Hank Williams. It was Williams' second number-one single on the Country & Western chart. "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" stayed on the charts for 21 weeks, with five weeks at the top.
"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 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.
"You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)" is a song written by Hank Williams. It was released as a single on MGM Records in September 1949 and reached #4 on the Best Selling Retail Folk Records chart.
"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.
"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.
"Moanin' the Blues" is a song by Hank Williams. It became his fourth number one single on MGM Records in 1950.
"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.
"Just Waitin" is a song written by Hank Williams and released as the A-side of "Men with Broken Hearts" in 1951 on MGM Records. It was released under the pseudonym "Luke the Drifter."
Hank Wilson's Back Vol. I is an album by singer and songwriter Leon Russell singing as Hank Wilson. The UK edition has a banner printed on the front of the sleeve to the right of Russell's stetson saying "Leon Russell!", presumably as a marketing initiative to promote the album using the strength of Russell's name.
