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" | |||
| Published | November 30, 1948 Acuff-Rose Publications[1] | |||
| Released | February 1952 | |||
| Recorded | December 11, 1951[2] | |||
| Studio | Castle Studio, Nashville | |||
| Genre | Country & Western, Honky-tonk, Country blues | |||
| Length | 2:10 | |||
| Label | MGM 11160 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hank Williams | |||
| Producer(s) | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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
"Honky Tonk Blues" is one of the most problematic songs Williams ever recorded. According to
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
- Hank III on the album Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts.
- It appears on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1972 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
- The most successful cover version was by Charley Pride; his version reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in April 1980.[8]
- Waylon Jennings included a version of the song on his 1982 album Black on Black.
- Huey Lewis and the News covered the song on their 1983 album Sports.
- The song was also recorded as the debut single by American country music group Pirates of the Mississippi. Released in 1990, it was the first single from the album Pirates of the Mississippi. The song reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[9]
- Jason and the Scorcherscovered the song.
- Roy Gaines recorded the song on his 1999 album I Got the T-Bone Walker Blues.
- The Kentucky Headhunters recorded the song for their 2005 LP Big Boss Man.
- Don Williams recorded the song for Pulse in 1999.
- Dion DiMucci covered "Honky Tonk Blues" on his 2007 album, Bronx in Blue.
- Richard & Linda Thompson recorded a live version on the 2010 deluxe edition of Shoot Out the Lights.
- Lacy J. Dalton recorded the song for her 2010 album, Here's to Hank.
Chart performance
Hank Williams version
| Chart (1952) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
Charley Pride version
|
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Pirates of the Mississippi version
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[13] | 12 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] | 26 |
References
- ^ "U.S. Copyright Office Virtual Card Catalog 1946-1954". vcc.copyright.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ^ "Hank Williams 78rpm Issues". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004.
- ^ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004, p. 346.
- ^ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004, p. 194.
- ^ "Hank Williams ~ About Hank Williams | American Masters". PBS. 2005-08-10. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "Festival Calendar". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 277.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 270.
- ^ "Hank Williams Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Charley Pride Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1980". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1298." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 6, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ "Pirates of the Mississippi Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
Bibliography
- Escott, Colin; Merritt, George; MacEwen, William (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. New York: Little, Brown.
