I did a great show last weekend in Deer Park—and I should emphasize that I did a show I’d done many times before, something like the 25th performance of Tennessee Walt’s The Other Great American Songbook, and did it neither better nor worse than usual; it was the audience that made it great, by being … Continue reading My Favorite Things
Hank Williams
Love Is Blind, in 4/4 Time
It’s been nine years since I started listening to country music and, unwittingly, placed my feet on the path that led to the birth of Tennessee Walt. (For further details of this story, check here.) The people who have known me longer than that are, for the most part, baffled by my new taste in … Continue reading Love Is Blind, in 4/4 Time
Not Quite Hank Williams, But Close
For a man who left behind him less than 10 minutes of video footage, Hank Williams has a remarkably long filmography. Inspired by the recent release of I Saw the Light, I’ve been delving into it and checking out some titles new to me and others which I hadn’t seen in years. There are at … Continue reading Not Quite Hank Williams, But Close
Your Cheatin’ Heart: A Hank Williams We Never Knew
Having seen the new Hank Williams biopic I Saw the Light recently and written a blog post about it, I thought that this would be a good occasion to revisit the most prominent of the previous tellings of Williams’ story, Gene Nelson’s Your Cheatin’ Heart (1964). That’s the one which features George Hamilton as Williams, … Continue reading Your Cheatin’ Heart: A Hank Williams We Never Knew
I Saw the Light: Hank Williams on His Way Downhill
If your interests are anything like mine—and if they aren’t, you’re reading the wrong blog—you wouldn’t dream of missing the new film I Saw the Light. It’s a feature film about Hank Williams, with a big budget and some big-name actors. Where do I get tickets? As to the movie itself, you’ve probably got … Continue reading I Saw the Light: Hank Williams on His Way Downhill
Hank Williams’ Apostrophe: A Quest for Authenticity
The title of the song is “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” That much is clear. It’s right there on the cover of the sheet music, as published by Williams’ own publisher, Acuff-Rose, in 1952. Of that there is no possible doubt whatever. Thereafter, though, things get murky. It seems obvious that, if you’re singing the song, the … Continue reading Hank Williams’ Apostrophe: A Quest for Authenticity
Tennessee Walt 