Posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings Clip
This video footage appears on the Hank DVD available on the 3 disc set at Sam's Club.
Profiling a song from The Unreleased Recordings: California Zephyr
This is part 1 of a 2 part series profiling a song from The Unreleased Recordings: California Zephyr
A song that Hank wrote, but never recorded commercially, “California Zephyr” was first discovered among demo recordings that Hank left with his music publisher, Acuff-Rose. It was only a vocal-guitar demo, and Acuff-Rose registered the song with the Library of Congress on December 30, 1955, almost two years after Hank’s death. The demo was overdubbed and released as MGM 12185 in February of 1956. A legit full band recording had never been heard until now.
It is believed that Hank wrote “California Zephyr” sometime around August or September 1951. His buddy, Hank Snow, was in the charts with train songs like “Golden Rocket,” and Hank himself had scored a hit with another train song, “Pan American,” earlier in his career, so he probably thought the moment was ripe for “California Zephyr.” On his Mother’s Best radio show (issued on The Unreleased Recordings), Hank introduced the song by saying, “wrote this here a few days ago, a new song called, ‘The California Zephyr.’ Let’s ride, all aboard …” He sings it with his full band, and it’s a truly fabulous performance.
What many may not know is that the song was written about an actual train. In fact, the song opens a window onto an era when cross-country travel was usually by train rather than by airplane, bus, or car. That said, Hank’s lyrics weren’t entirely accurate (the train was operated by Western Pacific not Union Pacific) and Hank got the itinerary wrong.
This is the story of the real train called the California Zephyr. In 1949, three train companies, Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW), Western Pacific, and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy joined forces to operate perhaps the best-known passenger train of all time, the California Zephyr. They’d begun talking in the late years of the Depression, but times were hard, money was short, and the plans were postponed, only to be further interrupted by the World War II. When the war was over, restrictions were lifted on non-vital materials and services, and the door opened for the creation of the California Zephyr.
Written by Hank researcher Brian Turpen
It is believed that Hank wrote “California Zephyr” sometime around August or September 1951. His buddy, Hank Snow, was in the charts with train songs like “Golden Rocket,” and Hank himself had scored a hit with another train song, “Pan American,” earlier in his career, so he probably thought the moment was ripe for “California Zephyr.” On his Mother’s Best radio show (issued on The Unreleased Recordings), Hank introduced the song by saying, “wrote this here a few days ago, a new song called, ‘The California Zephyr.’ Let’s ride, all aboard …” He sings it with his full band, and it’s a truly fabulous performance.
What many may not know is that the song was written about an actual train. In fact, the song opens a window onto an era when cross-country travel was usually by train rather than by airplane, bus, or car. That said, Hank’s lyrics weren’t entirely accurate (the train was operated by Western Pacific not Union Pacific) and Hank got the itinerary wrong.
This is the story of the real train called the California Zephyr. In 1949, three train companies, Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW), Western Pacific, and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy joined forces to operate perhaps the best-known passenger train of all time, the California Zephyr. They’d begun talking in the late years of the Depression, but times were hard, money was short, and the plans were postponed, only to be further interrupted by the World War II. When the war was over, restrictions were lifted on non-vital materials and services, and the door opened for the creation of the California Zephyr.
to be continued...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Cold, Cold Heart
Patty Loveless covered the Hank Williams track "Cold, Cold Heart" on Sleepless Nights. It just so happens that "Cold, Cold Heart" is also a featured track on the The Unreleased Recordings.
Get the Hank version @
Get the Patty version @
Get the Hank version @
Get the Patty version @
Country Weekly Magazine
Lost Hank Williams Recordings to be Released
A collection of 143 unreleased Hank Williams recordings will soon be made available to fans.
The Time Life company plans to issue the recordings over the next three years, beginning this fall. The tracks are drawn from 72 episodes of a 1951 radio show saved from the trash by an employee of Nashville station WSM and given to the Williams estate. A long legal battle over rights to the tapes was recently concluded, allowing for their release. Among the recordings are 40 songs the country legend never officially recorded, including versions of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Cherokee Boogie” and “The Blind Child.” “This treasure trove of music will introduce my daddy to a whole new generation of fans and bring memories to his existing fans,” says Hank’s daughter, Jett Williams. “Everyone will get to know the man and his musical genius as never before. These recordings were my vehicle to get to really know the father I never met.”
A collection of 143 unreleased Hank Williams recordings will soon be made available to fans.
The Time Life company plans to issue the recordings over the next three years, beginning this fall. The tracks are drawn from 72 episodes of a 1951 radio show saved from the trash by an employee of Nashville station WSM and given to the Williams estate. A long legal battle over rights to the tapes was recently concluded, allowing for their release. Among the recordings are 40 songs the country legend never officially recorded, including versions of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Cherokee Boogie” and “The Blind Child.” “This treasure trove of music will introduce my daddy to a whole new generation of fans and bring memories to his existing fans,” says Hank’s daughter, Jett Williams. “Everyone will get to know the man and his musical genius as never before. These recordings were my vehicle to get to really know the father I never met.”
Country Standard Time Review
These recordings were made just two years from his untimely death and represent Williams at his relaxed, down-home best. It might be too much for all save the most loyal of his fans, but as a historical document, it is nearly unrivaled in the genre.
Read the rest here
Read the rest here
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Los Angeles Times Review
Listening to the set, it's clear that Williams could have been an influential figure in country music even if he had never written a song. His phrasing in this relaxed setting sometimes exhibits a stronger and more personal edge than he showed during his more formal recording sessions.
Although many boxed sets are so filled with hits and misses that they deserve to be called little more than record industry "product," this set is so rich and revealing it deserves to be labeled "historic."
Los Angeles Times Article
Although many boxed sets are so filled with hits and misses that they deserve to be called little more than record industry "product," this set is so rich and revealing it deserves to be labeled "historic."
Los Angeles Times Article
Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings EP out NOW!
For those of you wanting a taste of some of the tracks on the The Unreleased Recordings, recommended is the 5 tracks up on .
. Mini Album Track Listing:
Blues Eyes Crying In The Rain
I Can't Help It
Cherokee Boogie
Cold, Cold Heart
I'll Fly Away
Of course, if you want all 54 tracks for your collection recommended is the 3 disc set that you can buy on Amazon or Timelife.com
Thanks, and more Hank reviews and features on the way!!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Hank NPR Special Edition - Hank Williams' Lost Music: Rare And Resurfaced
Below is a link to the NPR Weekend Edition Special interview with Jett Williams that broadcast on Saturday.
Click here to read and listen.
How Hank Williams Recorded for Mother's Best Flour (Full Entry)
By Brian Turpen
The Mother’s Best Flour shows are the most well-known and most sought-after Hank Williams artifact. Unheard for over fifty years, the shows were broadcast over
Some of the shows were pre-recorded to be played on the air when Hank was out on the road. It was these transcriptions that have luckily survived. The format was pretty consistent. The 15-minute shows usually consisted of one country song, one instrumental or guest vocal and a gospel song to close the show. The shows also included a theme song that Hank wrote and sang during the broadcast:
"I love to have that gal around
Her biscuits are so nice and brown
Her pies and cakes beat all the rest
Cause she makes them all with Mother's Best”
But that’s not all the shows had to offer because Hank had more to do than sing. We hear him and announcer Louie Buck selling Mother's Best Flour, as well as self-raising cornmeal and pig & sow feed. We also hear him talk unguardedly about the songs he loved, his grueling itinerary, and much more. The Mother's Best Shows are arguably Hank’s best work and hs most revealing. They capture his personality better than anything else known to exist. It is probably the in-between song chatter that makes these recordings so great becacuse you get a glimpse of what Hank Williams was like as a person.
Although fans and collectors have heard of these Mother’s Best Flour shows for years, very few know much if anything about the company that sponsored these famous radio programs. Here’s a little history of the company that gave us this priceless glimpse into the heart and soul of Hank Williams.
Mother’s Best Flour can trace its origins back to 1919. That year, Frank Little and Alva Kinney incorporated Nebraska Consolidated Mills when they took over Nebraska Grain Mills in Grand Island Hastings Ravenna Grand Island Omaha
In 1941, company president R.S. Dickinson opened the company's first out-of-state facility in
Just months after the
Although the head office in
The mill is still producing flour and remains one of the
As for the mill’s parent company, Nebraska Consolidated Mills established Duncan Hines in 1951 as a way to market more flour by selling cake mixes. This venture was successful, but they didn’t consider other food ventures, and eventually sold Duncan Hines to Procter & Gamble in 1956 to returned to their core business. As American households purchased more and more prepared and instant foods in the 1950s and 1960s, Consolidated chose not to expand into the businesses that used their flour, instead turning to poultry and livestock feed. A flurry of acquisitions and internal expansion led the company to change its name in 1971 to ConAgra.
The 1970s brought the company to the brink of ruin when commodity speculation wiped out their margins on raw foods. In 1974, an experienced food industry executive, Mike Harper, took over the firm and brought it back from the brink of bankruptcy. The company set off on a two-decade-long buying spree, purchasing over one hundred prepared food brands, starting with Banquet Foods in 1980. It moved heavily into the frozen food business and the packaged meat industry, and then picked up a selection of other brands from firms like
Hank Williams saw none of that. He lived at a time when housewives stayed home and cooked from scratch. He loved good southern cooking, and at the close of every show he’d call out to his cook to get the biscuits in the oven because he was heading home. Ironically, some of Hank’s Mother’s Best shows have survived because he pre-recorded them, and he pre-recorded because he was hundreds or thousands of miles away from home. Much as he might have wished it otherwise, he wasn’t leaving the
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Austin Chronicle Review
Snippet
For one, the sound quality is outstanding, perhaps better than Hank’s studio work. The other is the range of the material, from non-Williams composed tunes of the day (“Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain,” “Cherokee Boogie,” “Cool Water”) to deep gospel and religious tunes to surprising versions of songs he's well known for, including what seems to be the first known recording of “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You).” With lots of historical photos and an illuminating essay by Williams’ biographer Colin Escot, The Unreleased Recordings continues the loving way the Williams estate has handled his legacy. If there’s a country music lover on your Christmas list, it’ll look mighty nice under this year’s tree.Rolling Stone Review
In 1951, if you were awake at 7:15 in the morning and your radio was within the long reach of Nashville's WSM-AM, you had Hank Williams with your farina, singing with his Drifting Cowboys and selling sacks of flour for his sponsor, Mother's Best. Williams wasn't in the WSM studio at that hour; he prerecorded the shows on days off from touring. But the 54 performances in this three-CD set pack a magical, concentrated immediacy that is, in its time and way, as electrifying as Johnny Cash's Sixties prison shows or Bob Dylan's early acoustic concerts. Williams' nasally drawl is crisp and strong, like the young Dylan without the sandpaper; he holds the long, desolate notes in "Cool Water" with stunning force. Williams' wide-ranging songbag is also a rare window into his daily life as an entertainer. He takes requests (the pre-Civil War spiritual "Lonely Tombs"), debuts new originals like "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" and puts his own potent spin on hits by Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff. But these broadcasts were a unique, intimate showbiz, too, for a working class to whom a good tune and some harmony could be the best part of a day. "That's a mighty fine song for you boys to send out, especially to all our shut-in friends this morning," an announcer says after a bunkhouse-choir reading of the hymn "Where He Leads Me." Play these songs over your breakfast, and wake up right.
Original Review by David Frick
Original Review by David Frick
How Hank Williams Recorded for Mother's Best Flour (Part 2)
Hank expert Brian Turpen joins the Hank Blog this week in a 3 part mini series. Below is part 2.
In 1941, company president R.S. Dickinson opened the company's first out-of-state facility in Decatur, Alabama with a flour mill and animal feed plant. The site was chosen because of its proximity to transportation on the Tennessee River and its central location. About six Nebraskan families relocated, bringing some Midwestern ideas into the Deep South. Alabama Flour Mills opened for production in late 1941. The mill consumed large amounts of grain, most of which was shipped from the Midwest. Flour milling had been the plant’s strength from the beginning, when it produced 80,000 pounds a day. The executive in charge of the Alabama mill was C.H. Thomas. The mill produced the company’s old favorite, White Elephant, and added a new brand, Mother’s Best, upon their opening in 1941. Mother’s Best was also packaged at Nebraska Consolidated’s other mills, but the bulk of the production was from Decatur. Today most supermarket flour is in paper bags that are thrown away. In the 1940s, flour was packaged in colorful cloth bags that people used to make curtains, dish towels, pillow-cases, and even clothes. Mother’s Best bags were no exception.
Just months after the Alabama mill opened, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the mill worked around the clock and became an important industry in the war effort. In the early days, the company tested flour produced at the mill. Lab workers baked bread, biscuits and corn bread on site to make sure the flour was up to standards. After the testing, the “girls in the office” would eat the baked goods.
Although the head office in Nebraska had final say-so over advertising and sponsorship, it was Alabama Flour Mills’ executive C.H. Thomas who pushed for Mother’s Best Flour to reach out to rural areas by sponsoring several radio shows throughout the South. In the mid 1940s to the early 1950s, the Mother’s Best Flour brand sponsored several different radio programs. Some of their sponsored shows were: Joe Rumore and Rebe & Rabe on WVOK in Birmingham, Alabama; Bob Helton and later Curley Williams on WSFA in Montgomery, Alabama; Slim Rhodes on WMC in Memphis, Tennessee; bluesmen Houston Stackhouse, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Joe Willie Wilkins and Robert Lockwood Jr. on KFFA at Helena, Arkansas; and the Wyatt Brothers on KBOA in Piggott, Arkansas. However, by far the most popular Mother’s Best spokesperson was Hank Williams on WSM out of Nashville, Tennessee. Hank sold Mother’s Best on WSM from late 1950 or early 1951 until the late weeks of 1951 when he reluctantly went into Vanderbilt Medical Center for an operation on his spine that he hoped would relieve some of his back pain. Soon after his death on January 1, 1953, the era of “live” radio came to an end.
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The series will continue later this week
In 1941, company president R.S. Dickinson opened the company's first out-of-state facility in Decatur, Alabama with a flour mill and animal feed plant. The site was chosen because of its proximity to transportation on the Tennessee River and its central location. About six Nebraskan families relocated, bringing some Midwestern ideas into the Deep South. Alabama Flour Mills opened for production in late 1941. The mill consumed large amounts of grain, most of which was shipped from the Midwest. Flour milling had been the plant’s strength from the beginning, when it produced 80,000 pounds a day. The executive in charge of the Alabama mill was C.H. Thomas. The mill produced the company’s old favorite, White Elephant, and added a new brand, Mother’s Best, upon their opening in 1941. Mother’s Best was also packaged at Nebraska Consolidated’s other mills, but the bulk of the production was from Decatur. Today most supermarket flour is in paper bags that are thrown away. In the 1940s, flour was packaged in colorful cloth bags that people used to make curtains, dish towels, pillow-cases, and even clothes. Mother’s Best bags were no exception.
Just months after the Alabama mill opened, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the mill worked around the clock and became an important industry in the war effort. In the early days, the company tested flour produced at the mill. Lab workers baked bread, biscuits and corn bread on site to make sure the flour was up to standards. After the testing, the “girls in the office” would eat the baked goods.
Although the head office in Nebraska had final say-so over advertising and sponsorship, it was Alabama Flour Mills’ executive C.H. Thomas who pushed for Mother’s Best Flour to reach out to rural areas by sponsoring several radio shows throughout the South. In the mid 1940s to the early 1950s, the Mother’s Best Flour brand sponsored several different radio programs. Some of their sponsored shows were: Joe Rumore and Rebe & Rabe on WVOK in Birmingham, Alabama; Bob Helton and later Curley Williams on WSFA in Montgomery, Alabama; Slim Rhodes on WMC in Memphis, Tennessee; bluesmen Houston Stackhouse, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Joe Willie Wilkins and Robert Lockwood Jr. on KFFA at Helena, Arkansas; and the Wyatt Brothers on KBOA in Piggott, Arkansas. However, by far the most popular Mother’s Best spokesperson was Hank Williams on WSM out of Nashville, Tennessee. Hank sold Mother’s Best on WSM from late 1950 or early 1951 until the late weeks of 1951 when he reluctantly went into Vanderbilt Medical Center for an operation on his spine that he hoped would relieve some of his back pain. Soon after his death on January 1, 1953, the era of “live” radio came to an end.
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The series will continue later this week
Monday, October 20, 2008
How Hank Williams Recorded for Mother's Best Flour (Part 1)
Hank expert Brian Turpen joins the Hank Blog this week in a 3 part mini series. Below is part 1.
By Hank Williams researcher Brian Turpen
The Mother’s Best Flour shows are the most well-known and most sought-after Hank Williams artifact. Unheard for over fifty years, the shows were broadcast over WSM in Nashville every morning between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. at the peak of Hank’s career in 1951. He was paid $100 a week for the shows.
Some of the shows were pre-recorded to be played on the air when Hank was out on the road. It was these transcriptions that have luckily survived. The format was pretty consistent. The 15-minute shows usually consisted of one country song, one instrumental or guest vocal and a gospel song to close the show. The shows also included a theme song that Hank wrote and sang during the broadcast:
"I love to have that gal around
Her biscuits are so nice and brown
Her pies and cakes beat all the rest
Cause she makes them all with Mother's Best”
But that’s not all the shows had to offer because Hank had more to do than sing. We hear him and announcer Louie Buck selling Mother's Best Flour, as well as self-raising cornmeal and pig & sow feed. We also hear him talk unguardedly about the songs he loved, his grueling itinerary, and much more. The Mother's Best Shows are arguably Hank’s best work and hs most revealing. They capture his personality better than anything else known to exist. It is probably the in-between song chatter that makes these recordings so great becacuse you get a glimpse of what Hank Williams was like as a person.
Although fans and collectors have heard of these Mother’s Best Flour shows for years, very few know much if anything about the company that sponsored these famous radio programs. Here’s a little history of the company that gave us this priceless glimpse into the heart and soul of Hank Williams.
Mother’s Best Flour can trace its origins back to 1919. That year, Frank Little and Alva Kinney incorporated Nebraska Consolidated Mills when they took over Nebraska Grain Mills in Grand Island, Hastings, St. Edward, and Ravenna. They were initially headquartered in Grand Island, until they moved to Omaha in 1922. The company ran at a profit until 1936, when Kinney retired. In 1940, the company began producing flour, and in 1942 ventured into the livestock feed business.
How Hank Williams Recorded for Mother’s Best Flour
By Hank Williams researcher Brian Turpen
The Mother’s Best Flour shows are the most well-known and most sought-after Hank Williams artifact. Unheard for over fifty years, the shows were broadcast over WSM in Nashville every morning between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. at the peak of Hank’s career in 1951. He was paid $100 a week for the shows.
Some of the shows were pre-recorded to be played on the air when Hank was out on the road. It was these transcriptions that have luckily survived. The format was pretty consistent. The 15-minute shows usually consisted of one country song, one instrumental or guest vocal and a gospel song to close the show. The shows also included a theme song that Hank wrote and sang during the broadcast:
"I love to have that gal around
Her biscuits are so nice and brown
Her pies and cakes beat all the rest
Cause she makes them all with Mother's Best”
But that’s not all the shows had to offer because Hank had more to do than sing. We hear him and announcer Louie Buck selling Mother's Best Flour, as well as self-raising cornmeal and pig & sow feed. We also hear him talk unguardedly about the songs he loved, his grueling itinerary, and much more. The Mother's Best Shows are arguably Hank’s best work and hs most revealing. They capture his personality better than anything else known to exist. It is probably the in-between song chatter that makes these recordings so great becacuse you get a glimpse of what Hank Williams was like as a person.
Although fans and collectors have heard of these Mother’s Best Flour shows for years, very few know much if anything about the company that sponsored these famous radio programs. Here’s a little history of the company that gave us this priceless glimpse into the heart and soul of Hank Williams.
Mother’s Best Flour can trace its origins back to 1919. That year, Frank Little and Alva Kinney incorporated Nebraska Consolidated Mills when they took over Nebraska Grain Mills in Grand Island, Hastings, St. Edward, and Ravenna. They were initially headquartered in Grand Island, until they moved to Omaha in 1922. The company ran at a profit until 1936, when Kinney retired. In 1940, the company began producing flour, and in 1942 ventured into the livestock feed business.
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The series will continue later this week
Friday, October 17, 2008
I CAN'T HELP IT (IF I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU)
It’s very rare that we get a chance to hear the first-ever performance of a country classic, but that’s exactly what we get when we hear Hank Williams perform “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)” on the Mother’s Best show. It’s a song that has been performed by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dean Martin, Linda Ronstadt (a #2 country hit), Margaret Whiting (a #74 pop hit), Adam Wade (#64 pop hit), Johnny Tillotson (#24 pop hit), B.J. Thomas (#94 pop hit), and Al Martino (#97 pop hit) and many, many others, but Mother’s Best gives us the opportunity to hear it as if we’re eavesdropping on the song just after the moment of creation. Hank chose I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You) as the all-important follow-up the “Cold, Cold Heart,” and recorded it in March 1951. It was released in May, so it’s likely that we’re hearing him sing it in March or April that year. Hank mentions in his introduction that it had never been sung on-air before. He seems to be unfamiliar with it, and sings “there was another by your side” instead of “somebody else walked by your side.” In the early summer of 1951, I Can’t Help It reached #2 on the country charts, and several months later Hank performed the song with Anita Carter on Kate Smith’s NBC-TV show.
BBC Radio 2 Bob Harris Country
Bob Harris played 2 new Hank tracks last night on his BBC Radio 2 show in the UK.
Title: 'I'LL FLY AWAY'
Artist: HANK WILLIAMS
Album: THE UNRELEASED RECORDINGS
Label: TIME LIFE
Title: 'I CAN'T HELP IT IF I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YO'
Artist: HANK WILLIAMS
Album: THE UNRELEASED RECORDINGS
Label: TIME LIFE
Artist: HANK WILLIAMS
Album: THE UNRELEASED RECORDINGS
Label: TIME LIFE
Title: 'I CAN'T HELP IT IF I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YO'
Artist: HANK WILLIAMS
Album: THE UNRELEASED RECORDINGS
Label: TIME LIFE
The songs appeared in the latter part of the show. Stream here
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Unreleased Recordings Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Historic Hank Williams Box Set From Time Life The Unreleased Recordings Scheduled To Street October 28th
Phenomenal Early Response To These Recordings From 1951 Includes; Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People Magazine, National Public Radio, Associated Press, AARP Magazine, Hits Magazine, LA Times, Country Weekly, CMT, GAC, Etc.
Fairfax, VA (October 16, 2008) ---- The most highly anticipated project of 2008, Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings, will hit retail stores on Tuesday, October 28th. The first installment showcases fifty-four of the 143 recordings of Williams’ performances on the 1951WSM radio show sponsored by Mother Best’s Flour. The additional eighty-nine songs will be released in separate installments during the next three years, with fans getting to hear Hank as never before.
The first installment features Hank Williams performing exciting, new versions of his classic hits including, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” and “Hey, Good Lookin’,” as well as songs he never recorded commercially including, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Cherokee Boogie,” and “Cool Water.” On the CDs, Williams gives some insight about the songs and with “On Top of Old Smoky,” he explains this was a song he learned from his grandmother singing it in the original, mournful Appalachian style instead of the more upbeat version of the 1951 radio hit and campfire singalong. The project gives the listener an intimate experience with Williams that has never been possible before. It’s almost like inviting Willliams into your living room and getting a rare snapshot of who he was in 1951.
Media has enthusiastically embraced the project with upcoming coverage in Newsweek, People magazine, AARP magazine, National Pubic Radio/Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Tennessean, New York Daily News, New York Times, Hits magazine, Alternative Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, CMT Insider, CMT.com, GAC/Master Series, Country Weekly, to name a few.
“This is a once in a lifetime event in music history,” says Mike Jason, Time Life, Senior Vice President, Audio & Video Retail. “We have the unique opportunity to present deeply personal, never before available, high quality recordings from the father of Country music, Hank Williams.
The fact that the music survived all these years, despite almost being lost a few times, makes our ability to share them all the more gratifying. When we have released all the songs, Hank’s available catalog of work will be increased by 50%.”
“These recordings are such a great snapshot of my dad, Hank Williams,” says his daughter, Jett Williams. “It shows his personality and the great sense of humor he had and spotlights him singing his classics during one take in a radio studio. For fans, it will be like a trip back to 1951 and a chance for them, and me, to really get to know the total man that was country music’s first superstar.”
In 1951, Williams was at the pinnacle of his career as several top pop vocalists, including Tony Bennett and Perry Como, covered his mega-hit, “Cold, Cold Heart.” He also appeared on major national television shows including The Perry Como Show and the last great medicine show, the Hadacol Caravan, where he topped the bill over Bob Hope and Milton Berle. Those appearances transformed Williams from a regional Country artist into a national super-star. Since his death in 1953, Williams has risen in popularity to become one of most iconic figures in all of American music.
Time Life and the Time Life logo are registered trademarks of Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies, used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc. or Time Inc. Headquartered in Fairfax VA, Direct Holdings Americas Inc.'s history began in 1961 as a direct marketing division of Time Incorporated specializing in music and books. The business has been operated as a separate company since the mid-1970s when it relocated to Virginia, and has since grown to become one of the world’s largest direct marketers of audio and video products throughout North America, Europe and Australia. The Company has set the standard in the direct response industry by pioneering direct marketing techniques and building one of the most trusted and recognized brands in commerce. The Company now also sells its products through major traditional and non-traditional retailers around the world as well as via the Internet. The Company was sold in 2003 to private investors.
####
The Historic Hank Williams Box Set From Time Life The Unreleased Recordings Scheduled To Street October 28th
Phenomenal Early Response To These Recordings From 1951 Includes; Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People Magazine, National Public Radio, Associated Press, AARP Magazine, Hits Magazine, LA Times, Country Weekly, CMT, GAC, Etc.
Fairfax, VA (October 16, 2008) ---- The most highly anticipated project of 2008, Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings, will hit retail stores on Tuesday, October 28th. The first installment showcases fifty-four of the 143 recordings of Williams’ performances on the 1951WSM radio show sponsored by Mother Best’s Flour. The additional eighty-nine songs will be released in separate installments during the next three years, with fans getting to hear Hank as never before.
The first installment features Hank Williams performing exciting, new versions of his classic hits including, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” and “Hey, Good Lookin’,” as well as songs he never recorded commercially including, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Cherokee Boogie,” and “Cool Water.” On the CDs, Williams gives some insight about the songs and with “On Top of Old Smoky,” he explains this was a song he learned from his grandmother singing it in the original, mournful Appalachian style instead of the more upbeat version of the 1951 radio hit and campfire singalong. The project gives the listener an intimate experience with Williams that has never been possible before. It’s almost like inviting Willliams into your living room and getting a rare snapshot of who he was in 1951.
Media has enthusiastically embraced the project with upcoming coverage in Newsweek, People magazine, AARP magazine, National Pubic Radio/Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Tennessean, New York Daily News, New York Times, Hits magazine, Alternative Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, CMT Insider, CMT.com, GAC/Master Series, Country Weekly, to name a few.
“This is a once in a lifetime event in music history,” says Mike Jason, Time Life, Senior Vice President, Audio & Video Retail. “We have the unique opportunity to present deeply personal, never before available, high quality recordings from the father of Country music, Hank Williams.
The fact that the music survived all these years, despite almost being lost a few times, makes our ability to share them all the more gratifying. When we have released all the songs, Hank’s available catalog of work will be increased by 50%.”
“These recordings are such a great snapshot of my dad, Hank Williams,” says his daughter, Jett Williams. “It shows his personality and the great sense of humor he had and spotlights him singing his classics during one take in a radio studio. For fans, it will be like a trip back to 1951 and a chance for them, and me, to really get to know the total man that was country music’s first superstar.”
In 1951, Williams was at the pinnacle of his career as several top pop vocalists, including Tony Bennett and Perry Como, covered his mega-hit, “Cold, Cold Heart.” He also appeared on major national television shows including The Perry Como Show and the last great medicine show, the Hadacol Caravan, where he topped the bill over Bob Hope and Milton Berle. Those appearances transformed Williams from a regional Country artist into a national super-star. Since his death in 1953, Williams has risen in popularity to become one of most iconic figures in all of American music.
Time Life and the Time Life logo are registered trademarks of Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies, used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc. or Time Inc. Headquartered in Fairfax VA, Direct Holdings Americas Inc.'s history began in 1961 as a direct marketing division of Time Incorporated specializing in music and books. The business has been operated as a separate company since the mid-1970s when it relocated to Virginia, and has since grown to become one of the world’s largest direct marketers of audio and video products throughout North America, Europe and Australia. The Company has set the standard in the direct response industry by pioneering direct marketing techniques and building one of the most trusted and recognized brands in commerce. The Company now also sells its products through major traditional and non-traditional retailers around the world as well as via the Internet. The Company was sold in 2003 to private investors.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
New Track 'Dear John'
'Dear John' is the track of the week. It appears on the Disc 1 (track #12) of the 3 CD set.
'Dear John' will also be available as a ringtone to all major carriers mid-November. All you have to do is search 'Dear John' on your mobile phone. You can also search terms 'Hank Williams' or 'The Unreleased Recordings' to find it.
'Dear John' will also be available as a ringtone to all major carriers mid-November. All you have to do is search 'Dear John' on your mobile phone. You can also search terms 'Hank Williams' or 'The Unreleased Recordings' to find it.
'Mind Your Own Business' will be available as a ringtone as well.
The Guardian Review
"The 72 Nashville radio shows that Hank recorded in 1951 are The Da Vinci Code of country; known to cognoscenti, tantalisingly elusive for seekers. After years of legal wrangling, this first instalment of 54 songs proves worth the wait. Hank croons, moans, yips and, best of all, talks – the man that emerges is complex, but far from the pitful soul so often painted."
Original Article
Original Article
Friday, October 10, 2008
Newsweek/Rolling Stone
Newsweek has set up an interview session and photo shoot for Jett Williams. And Rolling Stone is featuring an interview in the Rock Section of its October issue.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Special Guest Blogger Colin Escott to join Hank Blog
Over the next few months Hank expert Colin Escott will write a series of entries focusing on the release. In addition to writing the liner notes, "Colin is the author of Good Rockin' Tonight: The Story of Sun Records, Hank Williams: The Biography and an anthology of music journalism, Tattooed on Their Tongues. He co-wrote and co-produced the PBS/BBC documentary Hank Williams Honky Tonk Blues."
Please send in topics you want Colin to address by clicking the 'comments' option below to post or click here and it'll take you right to it.
Also feel free to share your own Hank knowlege in the Hank Google Groups
Have your say!
People Magazine
People Magazine will feature The Unreleased Recordings box set in its Country issue in November.
Monday, October 6, 2008
New Track Available!
A new track from The Unreleased Recordings is available in the player above. A track called "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You."
What do you think?
What do you think?
Billboard Feature
Billboard 9/26/08
Deal Paves Way For Hank Williams Treasure Trove
Hank Williams
September 26, 2008 , 11:00 AM ET
Ken Tucker, Nashville
It took a fortuitous find and years of legal wrangling, but some of Hank Williams' lesser-known recordings will soon be available for mass consumption. "The Unreleased Recordings" includes performances from the "Mother's Best Flour" radio program, which Williams hosted on the legendary WSM-AM Nashville in 1951.
Time Life will release the 143 recordings in various packages in the next three years through an exclusive agreement with the Williams estate. The first set is due Oct. 28.
Williams and his band prerecorded 72 shows to run while they were on tour. The shows were recorded on 16-inch acetate discs that were later thrown into the trash during a station move in the '60s but salvaged by WSM employee Les Leverett.
In the '80s, Jerry Rivers, who played fiddle for Williams as part of the Drifting Cowboy Band and later backed daughter Jett Williams, told her about the "Mother's Best" show. He then introduced her to Leverett, who turned over the original acetates.
But getting the rights to the music wasn't simple. "I had possession of the acetates but they had already been duplicated way before I had entered the picture," Williams says.
Indeed they had. PolyGram Records claimed exclusive rights relying on Williams' contract with its predecessor in interest, MGM Records. Meanwhile, Legacy Entertainment claimed rights to the recordings under a chain of title. At one point Leverett had assigned his rights to former Drifting Cowboy Hillous Butrum, who had in turn sold them to Legacy, which had actually replaced the Drifting Cowboys with another band on its version. A series of courts eventually ruled in favor of the Williams estate, ending an eight-year legal battle.
Williams says that even devotees of her father's music will find something new here. "Unless you were listening that morning in 1951, you've never heard that version of 'Cold, Cold Heart,' " she says. "You may have heard the master, but you've never heard the Feb. 3, 1951, version of Hank Williams singing it.
"The fidelity of these recordings are better than his MGM masters," she says. "These have not been enhanced or tinkered with. It's as if it was 1951 and my dad was recording it right then. It was a one-time take."
In addition to Williams' best-known material, the recordings include 40 songs he was never known to have performed and others he never recorded commercially, including "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "Cherokee Boogie" and "On Top of Old Smoky."
Deal Paves Way For Hank Williams Treasure Trove
Hank Williams
September 26, 2008 , 11:00 AM ET
Ken Tucker, Nashville
It took a fortuitous find and years of legal wrangling, but some of Hank Williams' lesser-known recordings will soon be available for mass consumption. "The Unreleased Recordings" includes performances from the "Mother's Best Flour" radio program, which Williams hosted on the legendary WSM-AM Nashville in 1951.
Time Life will release the 143 recordings in various packages in the next three years through an exclusive agreement with the Williams estate. The first set is due Oct. 28.
Williams and his band prerecorded 72 shows to run while they were on tour. The shows were recorded on 16-inch acetate discs that were later thrown into the trash during a station move in the '60s but salvaged by WSM employee Les Leverett.
In the '80s, Jerry Rivers, who played fiddle for Williams as part of the Drifting Cowboy Band and later backed daughter Jett Williams, told her about the "Mother's Best" show. He then introduced her to Leverett, who turned over the original acetates.
But getting the rights to the music wasn't simple. "I had possession of the acetates but they had already been duplicated way before I had entered the picture," Williams says.
Indeed they had. PolyGram Records claimed exclusive rights relying on Williams' contract with its predecessor in interest, MGM Records. Meanwhile, Legacy Entertainment claimed rights to the recordings under a chain of title. At one point Leverett had assigned his rights to former Drifting Cowboy Hillous Butrum, who had in turn sold them to Legacy, which had actually replaced the Drifting Cowboys with another band on its version. A series of courts eventually ruled in favor of the Williams estate, ending an eight-year legal battle.
Williams says that even devotees of her father's music will find something new here. "Unless you were listening that morning in 1951, you've never heard that version of 'Cold, Cold Heart,' " she says. "You may have heard the master, but you've never heard the Feb. 3, 1951, version of Hank Williams singing it.
"The fidelity of these recordings are better than his MGM masters," she says. "These have not been enhanced or tinkered with. It's as if it was 1951 and my dad was recording it right then. It was a one-time take."
In addition to Williams' best-known material, the recordings include 40 songs he was never known to have performed and others he never recorded commercially, including "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "Cherokee Boogie" and "On Top of Old Smoky."
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