Disco de Hank Williams: “40 Greatest Hits”

Believe it or not I purchased my copy of "Hank Williams: 40 Greatest Hits" when it was first released as a 2 LP set way back in 1978. I was not a big fan of country music in those days but I had heard and read enough about the man to know that he had played an important role in the history of American popular music. Even then I was sure that this was a collection worth owning.

Hank Williams meteoric rise to stardom began in Montgomery, Alabama as a high school student in the late 1930's. Known as "The Singing Kid" Hank hosted his very own radio show on radio station WSFA. Before long he would put together a backup band known as the Drifting Cowboys and the group began showing up in roadhouses, auditoriums and juke joints all over the region. From a very early age it was quite apparent that this young man had an awful lot of talent. However, Hank Williams' personal life was a mess. His father Lon virtually abandoned the family when Hank was very young. Hank's mom was extremely overbearing and by the age of 11 or 12 Hank had developed a taste for liquor. The scourge of alcoholism would plague him for the rest of his days. He would marry Audrey in 1944 and in many ways the marriage would become yet another source of unhappiness in young Hank's life. But in spite of it all this extremely gifted singer-songwriter was bound and determined to make his mark in country music.

The man who would come to be known as "the father of country music" signed on with the fledgling M-G-M label in 1947. After a couple of near misses "Lovesick Blues" was the surprise hit of 1949. Despite objections from all of his handlers Hank insisted on releasing it as a single. He obviously knew what he was doing because the song spent an amazing 16 weeks at the top of the country charts. The monumental success of "Lovesick Blues" would earn Hank a spot on the brand new radio program "Louisiana Hayride". Could the Grand Ole Opry be far behind? Later on in 1949 Hank would have two more huge hits with "Wedding Bells" and "Mind Your Own Business". Now there was just no question about it. Hank Williams was invited to join the Grand Old Opry. Hank Williams was now more popular than ever. He seemed to strike a chord with the record buying public. And the hits just kept on coming. In spite of the overwhelming personal problems that would eventually cost him his health, his marriage and his spot on the Opry, Hank would remain a fixture on the country charts with fabulous tunes like "Cold Cold Heart", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and of course "Your Cheatin' Heart". You could hear all of that pain in his voice. During his relatively brief recording career Hank Williams would record just 66 sides. He wrote 50 of them. Unfortunately the life of Hank Williams was all too brief. He passed away in the back seat of a car on New Years Day 1953 at the age of 29.

"Hank Williams: 40 Greatest Hits" is a celebration of the music of this true American original. His lyrics will move you and his vocals will haunt you. Listen carefully to these tunes and you will come to appreciate what a truly remarkable talent this man was. These are all the original M-G-M studio recordings. Beware of some collections that include some inferior "live" recordings. For my money, "40 Greatest Hits" remains to this day the finest Hank Williams collection ever issued. Highly recommended!!!

Hank Williams is a true master of words. As one reviewer previously mentioned, no lyricist or poet ever used such simple English to express such complicated feelings. On top of Hank's lyrical brilliance, he was a vocal genius. In the same way that Muddy Waters almost "created" the intonations in the vocals of all modern blues singers, Hank "created" the intonations and pauses in the vocals of all modern country singers. Both men were masters of vocal subtlety.

As for these two cd's, they are flawless. Sure, maybe your favorite Hank Williams song is missing, and there is one you're not crazy about in this collection. However, this is as perfect as a Hank cd can be. Hank Williams is probably one of the 10 greatest artists in the history of music; buy this cd now!

Would you expect to find a single c.d. of Elvis' greatest hits? Sinatra's greatest? The Beatles' greatest? Not unless you like eating half a sandwich. Hank rated up there with these guys as one of the top ten recording acts of all time. This c.d. set begins to do him justice. Buy it and avoid Mercury's "20 Greatest."

This set contains a rare track found nowhere else and which requires your purchase of this set at least long enough to burn a copy of the track. The track? "Weary Blues from Waitin,'" just as it was released as a single in 1953, which went straight to the top of the country charts. Even the COMPLETE HANK WILLIAMS doesn't have it.

I first heard this collection on vinyl in the late 70's when it was originally released, and I didn't understand what the fuss was about. Almost 25 years later I finally get it. Hank Williams was a young genius who was able to compress a much older sensibility into two minute pieces of perfect songwriting. It's no wonder he's had such an influence on folk, country, and alt. country for all these years. Lyrical wit and wisdom, and mostly impeccable musical decisions keep this collection as current as anything being written today. The few selections that sound an awfully lot alike don't mar the impact because even they are a lesson in how a songwriter makes choices. Listen to this cd, and then enjoy a fresh listen to whoever your contemporary favorites may be, and you'll hear where they're coming from. I dare say anyone who picks and grins owes a huge debt to the senior Mr. Williams.

If you're not familiar with Hank Sr. and want a true understanding of American music of the 20th century or hell, of American culture in general for that matter, buy this.This is the man who has influenced country, rockabilly, folk and rock for over 50 years now. Still today it's not hard to find a band somewhere covering these songs.And still there is some young person out there discovering Hank for the first time and being blown away by it. I was. I discovered Hank when I was a teenager in the early 90's, the age of Kurt Cobain, Smashing Pumpkins, etc, and to me he tapped into something that they never could. Hank is THE classic country singer, but his music transcends time, regions, and all labels and genres. It's simply American music. And very very human.