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Honky Tonk Blues

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"Honky Tonk Blues"
Single by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys
from the album Moanin' the Blues
B-side"I'm Sorry for You, My Friend"
PublishedNovember 30, 1948 Acuff-Rose Publications[1]
ReleasedFebruary 1952
RecordedDecember 11, 1951[2]
StudioCastle Studio, Nashville
GenreCountry & Western, Honky-tonk, Country blues
Length2:10
LabelMGM 11160
Songwriter(s)Hank Williams
Producer(s)Fred Rose
Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys singles chronology
"Baby, We're Really in Love"
(1951) 		"Honky Tonk Blues"
(1952) 		"Half as Much"
(1952)

"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.

Background

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"Honky Tonk Blues" is one of the songs that Williams had the most trouble recording. According to Colin Escott's 2004 Williams memoir, Hank and producer Fred Rose had attempted to record the song several times previously: in August 1947 (the session that produced the novelty "Fly Trouble"); in March 1949 (this version featured a light, jazzy feel and an intricate solo from guitarist Zeb Turner, but Hank broke meter and it was abandoned); and again in June 1950.[3] The backing on the December 1951 session is believed to have been Don Helms (steel guitar), Jerry Rivers (fiddle), possibly Sam Pruett (electric guitar), probably Jack Shook (acoustic guitar), and Ernie Newton or Howard Watts (bass).[4] The song was about a young farmboy who leaves his father's farm for the enticements of the city, only to become worn down and disillusioned. The version that was released did not contain all the lyrics on his original demo; the next-to-last verse in which Maw and Paw are "really gonna lay down the law" was missing, emphasizing in a way that Hank himself never made it back from the honky-tonks to pappy's farm.[5] Williams' version reached No. 2 on the Billboard magazine country best-sellers chart.

The title served as the name for a documentary about Williams broadcast by PBS as part of its American Masters series.[6] The documentary was also shown at the 48th London Film Festival in 2004.[7]

Other versions

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Chart performance

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Hank Williams version

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Chart (1952) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 2

Charley Pride version

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Pirates of the Mississippi version

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Chart (1990) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[13] 12
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 26

References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Copyright Office Virtual Card Catalog 1946-1954". vcc.copyright.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  2. ^ "Hank Williams 78rpm Issues". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  3. ^ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004.
  4. ^ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004, p. 346.
  5. ^ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004, p. 194.
  6. ^ "Hank Williams ~ About Hank Williams | American Masters". PBS. 2005-08-10. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  7. ^ "Festival Calendar". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 277.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 270.
  10. ^ "Hank Williams Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Charley Pride Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1980". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1298." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 6, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  14. ^ "Pirates of the Mississippi Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

Bibliography

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  • Escott, Colin; Merritt, George; MacEwen, William (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. New York: Little, Brown.
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