Hank Williams discography
Hank Williams' discography is composed of 31 singles and 2 ten-inch LPs released during his six-year career; as well as posthumous work including: singles, compilation albums and previously unreleased material. During his lifetime, Williams placed 30 songs on Billboard's Top C&W Records, while he had eleven number one hits.[1]
| Hank Williams discography | |
|---|---|
 Hank Williams in 1951 | |
| Studio albums | 2 |
| Live albums | 8 (posthumous) |
| Compilation albums | 25 |
| Singles | 31 |
| Posthumous singles | 30 |
| Posthumous studio albums | 10 |
| No. 1 singles | 11 |
After being signed with the help of Fred Rose to Sterling Records, Williams assisted his debut recording session on December 11, 1946 at Castle Recording Laboratory's studio D in Nashville, Tennessee. The singer cut four songs, returning later on February 13, 1947 to cut four new sides.[2] His first single, "Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)" backed with "Calling You" was released in January 1947.[3] Not satisfied with Sterling, and upon learning of the creation of MGM Records by the Loews Corporation, Fred Rose negotiated a deal for Williams.[4] Rose bought the Sterling masters,[5] became Williams' manager and signed him to the label, agreeing to record all of his sessions in Nashville.[4] By June 1947, Williams debuted on the MGM label with "Move it On Over" backed with "(Last Night) I Heard You Crying in Your Sleep". The release quickly became a hit.[6]
On September 23, 1952, Williams cut his final session, recording "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Kaw-Liga", "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" and "Take These Chains from My Heart". Williams' last single during his lifetime, "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" backed with "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" was released on November 21, 1952.[7] From 1947 to 1952, MGM Records released 27 singles by Williams, five of which turned into million sellers.[8] "Kaw-Liga", "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Take These Chains From My Heart" became posthumous number-one singles.[9]
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Hank Williams Sings |
|
| Moanin' the Blues |
|
Posthumously released albums
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| Memorial Album |
|
— |
| Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter |
|
— |
| Honky Tonkin' |
|
— |
| I Saw the Light |
|
— |
| Ramblin' Man |
|
— |
| Just Me and My Guitar |
|
— |
| The Unreleased Recordings |
|
42 |
| The Unreleased Recordings: Gospel Keepsakes |
|
51 |
| The Unreleased Recordings: Revealed |
|
64 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Live albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| Hank Williams on Stage |
|
— | — |
| On Stage Volume II |
|
— | — |
| Hank Williams, Sr. / Live at the Grand Ole Opry |
|
13 | 27 |
| Health & Happiness Shows |
|
— | — |
| The Complete Mother's Best Recordings...Plus! |
|
— | — |
| The Lost Concerts |
|
66 | — |
| The Greatest Hits Live: Volume 1 |
|
61 | — |
| The Greatest Hits Live: Volume 2 |
|
67 | — |
| The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 |
|
43 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Compilation albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 36 of His Greatest Hits |
|
— | |
| Sing Me a Blue Song |
|
— | |
| Hank Williams Sings 36 More of His Great Hits |
|
— | |
| The Immortal Hank Williams |
|
— | |
| The Unforgettable Hank Williams |
|
— | |
| Wait for the Light to Shine |
|
— | |
| The Lonesome Sound of Hank Williams |
|
— | |
| The First, Last & Always |
|
— | |
| I'm Blue Inside |
|
— | |
| The Very Best of Hank Williams |
|
— | |
| The Legend Lives Anew |
|
35 | |
| In the Beginning |
|
37 | |
| Hank Williams' Greatest Hits |
|
42 |
|
| The Essential Hank Williams |
|
25 | |
| Life to Legend |
|
34 | |
| Insights Into Hank Williams in Song and Story |
|
37 | |
| 24 of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits |
|
16 |
|
| 24 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 |
|
49 | |
| 40 Greatest Hits |
|
— |
|
| The Hits, Volume 1 |
|
— | |
| The Complete Hank Williams |
|
— | |
| 20 of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits |
|
— |
|
| 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Hank Williams |
|
— | |
| The Ultimate Collection |
|
32 | |
| Hank Williams Gold |
|
— | |
| 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Hank Williams Vol. 2 |
|
— | |
| Bound for the Promised Land |
|
53 | |
| Icon: Hank Williams |
|
51 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Collaborations
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | ||
| Father & Son (with Hank Williams, Jr.) |
|
8 | 139 | — |
| Hank Williams / Hank Williams Jr. Again (with Hank Williams, Jr.) |
|
38 | — | — |
| The Legend of Hank Williams in Song and Story (with Hank Williams, Jr.) |
|
17 | — | — |
| The Best of Hank & Hank (with Hank Williams, Jr.) |
|
44 | 179 | 26 |
| Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts (with Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams III) |
|
29 | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1947 | "Never Again (Will I Knock On Your Door)" b/w "Calling You" (from I Saw The Light) |
— | — | The Unforgettable Hank Williams |
| "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul" b/w "When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels (from I Saw The Light) |
— | — | In The Beginning | |
| "My Love for You (Has Turned to Hate)" b/w "I Don't Care (If Tomorrow Never Comes)" |
— | — | The Unforgettable Hank Williams | |
| "Pan American" b/w "Honky Tonkin'" (from Honky Tonkin') |
— | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | |
| "Move It On Over" b/w "(Last Night) I Heard You Crying in Your Sleep" (from Sing Me A Blue Song) |
4 | — | Memorial Album (Hank Williams album) | |
| "On The Banks Of The Old Ponchartrain" b/w "Fly Trouble" (from The Immortal Hank Williams) |
— | — | The Unforgettable Hank Williams | |
| 1948 | "My Sweet Love Ain't Around" b/w "Rootie Tootie" (from Honky-Tonkin') |
— | — | Moanin' The Blues |
| "Honky Tonkin'" b/w "I'll Be a Bachelor 'Til I Die" (from The Unforgettable Hank Williams) |
14 | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "I'm A Long Gone Daddy" b/w "The Blues Come Around" |
6 | — | Moanin' The Blues | |
| "I Saw The Light" b/w "Six More Miles (To the Graveyard)" (from Sing Me A Blue Song) |
— | — | I Saw The Light / | |
| "Mansion On The Hill" b/w "I Can't Get You Off My Mind" (from The Unforgettable Hank Williams) |
12 | — | Sing Me A Blue Song | |
| 1949 | "Lovesick Blues" / | 1 | 24 | Moanin' The Blues |
| "Never Again (Will I Knock On Your Door)" | 6 | — | The Unforgettable Hank Williams | |
| "Wedding Bells" b/w "I've Just Told Mama Goodbye" |
2 | — | Sing Me A Blue Song | |
| "Mind Your Own Business" b/w "There 'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" (from Ramblin' Man) |
5 | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)" / | 4 | — | Ramblin' Man | |
| "Lost Highway" | 12 | — | Sing Me A Blue Song | |
| "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It" / | 2 | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" | 2 | — | Moanin' The Blues | |
| 1950 | "I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Living" b/w "May You Never Be Alone" (from Sing Me A Blue Song) |
5 | — | Ramblin' Man |
| "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" / | 1 | — | Moanin' The Blues | |
| "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy" | 9 | — | Ramblin' Man | |
| "Why Don't You Love Me" b/w "A House Without Love" (from Sing Me A Blue Song) |
1 | — | ||
| "Why Should We Try Anymore" / | 9 | — | Sing Me A Blue Song | |
| "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me" | 5 | — | ||
| "Moanin' The Blues" / | 1 | — | Moanin' The Blues | |
| "Nobody's Lonesome For Me" | 9 | — | Ramblin' Man | |
| 1951 | "Dear John" / | 8 | — | The Unforgettable Hank Williams |
| "Cold, Cold Heart" | 1 | — | Memorial Album | |
| "Howlin' At The Moon" / | 3 | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" | 2 | — | Ramblin' Man | |
| "Hey Good Lookin'" b/w "My Heart Would Know" |
1 | — | Memorial Album | |
| "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle" / | 9 | — | Ramblin' Man | |
| "Crazy Heart" | 4 | — | Memorial Album | |
| "Baby, We're Really In Love" b/w "I'd Still Want You" (from The Unforgettable Hank Williams) |
4 | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| 1952 | "Honky Tonk Blues" b/w "I'm Sorry For You, My Friend" (from Memorial Album) |
2 | — | Moanin' The Blues |
| "Half As Much" b/w "Let's Turn Back The Years" (from The Unforgettable Hank Williams) |
2 | — | Memorial Album | |
| "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" b/w "Window Shopping" (from The Spirit Of Hank Williams) |
1 | 20 | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "Settin' The Woods On Fire" / | 2 | — | Memorial Album | |
| "You Win Again" | 10 | — | ||
| "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" b/w "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" (from Memorial Album) |
1 | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Posthumously released singles
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Peak chart positions |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||||
| 1953 | "Kaw-Liga" | 1 | — | Memorial Album | |
| "Your Cheatin' Heart" | 1 | — | |||
| "Take These Chains From My Heart" b/w "Ramblin' Man" |
1 | — | Ramblin' Man | ||
| "I Won't Be Home No More" b/w "My Love For You (Has Turned To Hate)" (from The Unforgettable Hank Williams) |
4 | — | Honky Tonkin' | ||
| "Weary Blues from Waitin'" b/w "I Can't Escape From You" (from Ramblin' Man) |
7 | — | Moanin' The Blues | ||
| "Calling You" b/w "When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels" |
— | — | I Saw The Light | ||
| 1954 | "You Better Keep It On Your Mind" b/w "Low Down Blues" (from Moanin' The Blues) |
— | — | Honky-Tonkin' | |
| "How Can You Refuse Him Now" b/w "A House Of Gold" |
— | — | I Saw The Light | ||
| "I'm Satisfied With You" b/w "I Ain't Got Nothin' But Time" (from Honky-Tonkin') |
— | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | ||
| "(I'm Gonna) Sing, Sing, Sing" b/w "The Angel Of Death" |
— | — | I Saw The Light | ||
| 1955 | "Please Don't Let Me Love You" b/w "Faded Love and Winter Roses" |
9 | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | |
| "Mother Is Gone" b/w "Message To Mother" (from I Saw The Light) |
— | — | The Spirit Of Hank Williams | ||
| "The Teardrop On A Rose" b/w "Alone and Forsaken" (from Moanin' The Blues) |
— | — | |||
| "The First Fall Of Snow" b/w "Someday You'll Call My Name" (from Moanin' The Blues) |
— | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | ||
| "Thank God" b/w "The Battle Of Armageddon" (from Wait For The Light To Shine) |
— | — | I Saw The Light | ||
| 1956 | "California Zephyr" b/w "Thy Burders Are Greater Than Mine" (from Wait For The Light To Shine) |
— | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | |
| "There's No Room In My Heart For The Blues" b/w "I Wish I Had A Nickel" |
— | — | |||
| "Singing Waterfall" b/w "Blue Love (In My Heart)" |
— | — | Sing Me A Blue Song | ||
| 1957 | "Ready To Go Home" b/w "We're Getting Closer To The Grave Each Day" (Non-album track) |
— | — | Wait For The Light To Shine | |
| "Leave Me Alone With The Blues" b/w "With Tears In My Eyes" (from The Immortal Hank Williams) |
— | — | The Unforgettable Hank Williams | ||
| "The Waltz Of The Wind" b/w "No One Will Never Know" |
— | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | ||
| 1958 | "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It" b/w "We Live In Two Different Worlds" (from The Unforgettable Hank Williams) |
— | — | Honky Tonkin' | |
| "Just Waitin'" b/w "Roly Poly" (from The Lonesome Sound Of Hank Williams) |
— | — | Beyond The Sunset | ||
| 1965 | "Lovesick Blues" b/w "Your Cheatin' Heart" (from Memorial Album) |
— | — | Moanin' The Blues | |
| "Cold, Cold Heart" b/w "The Pale Horse and His Rider" (with Audrey Williams, from Mr. and Mrs. Hank Williams) |
— | — | Memorial Album | ||
| 1966 | "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" b/w "You Win Again" |
43 | 109 | Legend Lives Anew with Strings | |
| "Kaw-Liga" b/w "Let's Turn Back The Years" |
— | — | |||
| "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me" b/w "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" (from More Hank Williams & Strings) |
— | — | |||
| 1967 | "Dear John" b/w "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" |
— | — | More Hank Williams & Strings | |
| 1968 | "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle" b/w "Crazy Heart" (from 14 More Of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits Volume II) |
— | — | ||
| 1976 | "Why Don't You Love Me" b/w "Ramblin' Man" |
61 | — | 24 Of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits | |
| 1989 | "There's a Tear in My Beer" (with Hank Williams, Jr.) b/w "You Brought Me Down To Earth" (by Hank Williams Jr., from Wild Streak) |
7 | — | Hank Williams, Jr.: Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 | |
| 1996 | "Move It On Over" (with Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams III)[15] | — | — | Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
References
Footnotes
- Huber, Patrick, Goodson, Steve & Anderson, David 2014, p. 5.
- Koon, George Williams 1983, p. 119.
- Tosches, Nick 2009, p. 46.
- Masino, Susan 2011, p. 29.
- Tosches, Nick 2009, p. 47.
- Masino, Susan 2011, p. 30.
- Escott, Colin 2009, p. 275.
- Caress, Jay 1979, p. 129.
- Escott, Colin 2009, p. 291.
- "American album certifications – Hank Williams – Very Best of Hank Williams". Recording Industry Association of America.
- "American album certifications – Hank Williams – Hank Williams%27 Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
- "American album certifications – Hank Williams – 24 of Hank Williams%27 Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
- "American album certifications – Hank Williams – 40 Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
- "American album certifications – Hank Williams – 20 of Hank Williams%27 Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
- "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. November 30, 1996.
Bibliography
- Caress, Jay (1979). Hank Williams: Country Music's Tragic King. Stein & Day. ISBN 978-0-812-82583-1.
- Escott, Colin (2009). Hank Williams: The Biography. Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-07463-6.
- Huber, Patrick; Goodson, Steve; Anderson, David (2014). The Hank Williams Reader. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-199-74319-3.
- Koon, George Williams (1983). Hank Williams, So Lonesome. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-578-06283-6.
- Masino, Susan (2011). Family Tradition - Three Generations of Hank Williams. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-617-13107-3.
- Tosches, Nick (2009). Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock 'n' Roll. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-786-75098-6.
External links
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