British guitarist analyses Hank Williams live in 1952! 

America's Hillbilly Shakespeare. His lyrics are so profound and heart-wrenching. Died at 29, long before he hit his prime, and bequeathed us some of the greatest songs ever written.

I would have never had listen to a Hank Williams song, as this type of country music is so unappealing to me. But because you explained the talent it took to make this song and Hank William's ability. It makes me have a different viewpoint, even though the sound does not appeal to me. I really listened to the song. and the lyrics were really quite great. So thank you.

I love Hank he is in my soul.

So GREAT that you did this. Love ol' Hank, and Cold, Cold Heart is one of my favorites.

Popular music, in whatever era, is such a journey. But the ability to convey emotions, the very definition of art in any form, is always worth studying closely. Thanks for the analysis.

Great timing Fil.... I've been watching the Ken Burns series on PBS about COUNTRY MUSIC ! It's a must see for every music lover ! The first series is 3 - 8 hour shows covering the start to 1997 ! 📽 once I started I couldn't / didn't want to stop.... watched all 24 hours in 3 days 😆 It covers everything.... the blues,R&B,folk,bluegrass, gospel & rock all done in the magic Ken Burns style 😉 DON'T MISS OUT MUSIC FANS.... YOU WILL BE SORRY ! Thank you Fil for a great channel and expanding my love tor a kinds of music it's been a great 2 years stopping in every night with a group that love music as much as I do and a big thanx ft or you expanding my nusic knowledge 😎🎸 Request: I prey this one finally makes the list..... The Band playing The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down from The Last Waltz concert ! Drummer Levon Helm in all his glory ( Drumming & singing ).... He was a pure treasure 😎 .( R.I.P ) ....& The Band so underrated but full of talented artists ! A few other great songs would be...Cripple Creek , The Shape I'm In & The Weight with The Staple Singers ! Give the younger generation a treat ! Thank you Fil... I will give The Band Reguest a rest for a bit...😉 But please put them on the list....Thank-you 😎🎸 ( " ROCK " )

Fil..thanksss .. what a beautiful song..soo romantic..love it...steel guitar sounds soo good..

Many singers have had more range than Hank Williams but none have have sang with more angst and soul. Yeah, Hank's music was all about feel. The Paul Bigsby guitar was cool to see. Great review, as always!

I LIKE HIS SONG HEY GOOD LOOK IN 😍😍😍

Phil thanks so much for analyzing this video. Must have heard it 1000 times growing up, but this is the first time I really listened to it. Got the lyrics and picked up the guitar and off I went. The lyrics tell such a sad story I hadn't realized before. Funny no modern band has covered this song. I think it would do very well due to it being a touching story.

This is great, Fil, thanks ❤

Fil it is so great of you to step outside of your hard rocking style and give everyone a chance. Once I gave Hank a second chance his sad voice became beautiful. Morphine is a danger. I too was given the medicine in a high dose. I took a second one and 200 mg almost killed me after vehicle accident. Keep Rocking and stay safe man.

I love the shit eating grins and the hip and leg movements. The man had groove.

You earned my subscription with this review. I’ve watched a few of your videos, but as a guitar player/singer I Agree the tempo is the driving force in this song. Nice and slow. Plus there is no other better slide guitar around.. Don is a legend

Great video. Very interesting

Great analysis ,wasn’t aware of the fake Doc, Emmylou and Mark Knophler recorded Alone and Forsaken for Timeless A Tribute To Hank Williams , Emmy recorded I Saw The Light on Gliding Bird 1969 L P , 1200 printed before Jubilee records went bust, I’ve got one😃 she also recorded Jambalaya and Half As Much, the latter not written by Hank, also Rollin and Ramblin (the death of Hank Williams) she sang May You Never Be Alone Like Me at the grand ole opry, can’t think of any more☘️☘️☘️

Once again you amaze with your appreciation of music not only from another genre but a different era by a long way. You knowledge from studying up on the music you analyze is in forming and insightful. Two thumbs up. Keep up the great job you do. Always enjoy you videos as well as watching you and your enjoyment.

I'm a rocker not a country fan but Hank Williams was something special. Btw Fil, your unbridled joy at watching other musicians? Don't ever lose that.

It's a shame there's not more footage of Hank. No one could deliver lyrics like Hank, cause he literally lived them as he wrote them. Good times, bad times, sad times. He put it all out there and left it. He is my all time favorite. Bar none. Thank you Fil.😊

"Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart." As a songwriter, I'd kill to write lyrics like that. They're perfect.

I'm a metal fan to my core. But this is when country was country. Not just songs about getting drunk in my Ford truck but stories set to music. Hank has a special place in my cold cold heart :)

The most wonderful thing about Fil is he covers all music generations!! No age is off limits!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Hank Williams, the King of Country Music until his tragic death. Another shinning star that burnt out to quickly. He sang a song to the audience like he was in their living room. Too bad the music now is so over produced without I think any originality. Thanks Hank. Your the best.

HANK LIVED EVERYTHING HE SANG ABOUT , HE SET THE BAR NO ONE HAS HAS PASSED YET THANKS FIL

A classic,...please bring back this sound, I can't bear the new "Country".

Has you can see the suit I’m wearing in my profile pic it a Hank Williams suit. I traveled playing Hank in Hank Williams Lost Highway. Sold out shows everywhere we went. The show would wear me out.it was a full two act play with real band. The show was a roller coaster ride. It made you pat your foot, it made you laugh, and it made you cry, it made you even mad at Hank sometime. Toward the end of the show I drunk laying on a platform, singing about god and gold, throwing money with hate from my pockets, a total mess of tears and sorrow. It alway took its toll because I felt it deeply every time. I saved the famous white nudie suit for end when I came out and sang I saw the light, with the entire cast dressed in white. What I found what shocked people the most that people would tell me - they didn’t realize Hank died at the age of 29. I lived in Hank’s shoes, I enjoyed being Hank. But being real to the role took it toll. The knee movements, his lanky strumming weren’t hard to get - it was the humble burden that carried the show. Even my hat was special made with a gamblers crown and a little off the rim to help remove shadow. I’ve researched everything there is on Hank. I’m so glad people like Wings of Pagasus are still keeping Hank up there where he belongs and never forgotten. 👍🏻

I'm glad Fil recognizes how good Hank Williams really was. His voice was so perfectly modulated, such precise expression.

Grand Ole Opry was wrong to throw him out. He drank to try and kill his back pain. God bless Minnie Peal for being there for him when she could.

Hank is the MAN. So human and flawed and beautiful and talented. When this song became his first real 'cross-over' hit, sung by Tony Bennett and heard nationwide, it is said Hank was so excited he'd run into juke-joints and look for it on the jukebox and happily play it, in spite of the patrons shouting about "that New York dago!" singing it. Hank was a sensitive guy and was afraid that some of his lyrics were too "poetical" (as he said) for listeners, wondering, for example, if he should change the lyric, "The silence of a falling star lights up a purple sky," but his producer wisely talked him out of it, exhorting him not to worry, that his fans would understand. Hard to believe his songwriting and output given that he died at just 29 years old.

“I’m so lonesome I could cry” is pure poetry and more proof of his genius.

When I was a young green bassist, our wise old drummer once told me: "Just when you think you are at the right tempo, tap the brakes just a hair more. Then you'll be just about right." 20 years later and Ive never fogotten that lesson about the effects of adrenaline.

In many areas of the Southern USA people didn`t get electricity until after WW2. Those who could afford it used radios powered by car batteries and would keep the extra radio battery charged using their car. Those who couldn`t afford electric radios built simple crystal sets that used high impedance headphones, relatively simple homemade coils, an air variable tuning capacitor and galena crystals as diodes to rectify the signal. This simple radio was powered by the radio signal itself and used a long length of wire (100 feet or more) as an antenna. No battery needed! They worked surprisingly well. Today these simple circuits are much easier to build because better parts and wire are easy to get your hands on. Often the old timers were forced to build everything from scratch except the wiring used.

Hank Williams ranks among the very greatest songwriters of all time. Both John Lennon and Bob Dylan were big fans of Hank, and when the 2 greatest songwriters of all time admire you so much, that surely indicated how truly great Hank was. Great performer of course as well, with his band.....simply amazing and will never be, and could never be, repeated.

"I asked Hank Williams, how lonely does it get. Hank Williams hasn't answered me yet, but I can hear him coughing all night long, one hundred floors above me in the tower of song"-Leonard Cohen. A beautiful tribute from perhaps the other greatest songwriter who ever lived. Read the Hank Williams biography by Colin Escott. Great book. Hank's death ride would make one hell of a Twilight Zone episode.

I saw a interview with Dion, who became friends with Buddy Holly . Buddy a country boy was amazed that the ultimate New York City slicker knew more Hank Williams songs than him. He was the ultimate crossover artists .

Country music is like bubble gum pop now. There is no more country music. And they should be slapped silly anytime anyone starts to inject that filth called rap into a country song..😎😣All the Country singers that have passed are probably turning over in their graves.And I'm not talking about old school rap. Everyone knows what kind of rap I mean. But no rap period in country music. Oh wait there is no country music.Hardly any kind of real music at all.smh.💖💖😎

Don Helms was 16 when he joimed the Drifting Cowboys, it was the band who approached Hank and asked hom to join them. He didnt have his own band Don Helms said, Helms said they heard Hank on the radio playing his acoustic and singing, the rest is history.

He wrote this about his wife. They had quite a tumultuous relationship. Fil, if you can access Ken Burns’ brilliant eight part documentary, “ Country Music”, you won’t regret it.

Heard one of Hank Jr's daughters saying Kurt Cobain called Hank Sr the original punk..

As a child in the '50s, I remember how my dad played his favorite singer, Hank Williams, constantly on the "hi-fi" at home. I never liked him then, but can appreciate Hank Williams music as an adult, particularly my favorites like "jambalaya" and the one about "move over little dog, 'cause the big dog's moving in". And of course, "Your Cheating Heart".

Fil. You are a godsend to the internet. Hank Williams is a godsend to us all.

My Dad sings this when he is around the campfire, usually about three cups in....LOL, But I like it. That reminds me that I LOVE the song "Scarlet Ribbons" the JIm Reeves version because he used to sing that at bedtime. Omigosh! would you write an analyses for Scarlet Ribbons??

I think his last release was " I'll never get out of this world alive" chilling to listen to.

I have a lot of respect for you showcasing musical legends like Hank Williams. To be able to analyze music objectively and judge on it's own merits, shows your respect for musicians spans multiple genres. You haven't pigeonholed yourself into one style of music.

The Hillbilly Shakespeare one of the best song writers ever,tragic short life,but a long legacy in country and ,even rock music.

Hank’s voice was so strong and so pure. Perfect pitch and tone.

As the great Mr. Cohen once wrote: "I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get? Hank Williams hasn't answered yet But I hear him coughing all night long Oh, a hundred floors above me in the Tower of Song"

As much as anyone who ever lived Hank is the essence of Country music and he did it all before he died so young. I never even liked that style of music until I saw "The Last Picture Show" in which Hank's singing is featured. That movie is a masterpiece. Thank you Fil.

His stage presence was phenomenal. He looks cool as a cucumber. Like he’s on tv every day. Thanks, Fil. You nailed it beyond nailing it !!

...this and I’m so lonesome I could cry are two of the best songs ever written, country or otherwise...enjoyed it, Fil... Cutter & Ms C

In my opinion Hank Williams was the best songwriter that ever lived on this planet and I am not really a big country fan. He was a wonderful singer as well. The emotions were always real and heartfelt. When I'm feeling down and depressed that's when I play Hank Williams . Not a fan of fiddles and steel guitar but I put up with it because Hank was worth listening to. Thanks Fil😊

Hank Williams!! Thank you, Fil! This is precious. I love Hank Williams so much! Thank you so much for appreciating this music as much as we do. He sings to all of us. We love you Fil!!!! You are just the best. But, yes, Hank Williams had a very very rough life. God bless his soul.

I remember when he died. I was nine. We went to my grandmother's and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins came over. Lots of people but it was so silent. Everyone in mourning. It felt like the whole town was quiet.

I love how we still have videos of this hank,its one thing to listen from a record,its another to see him on stage,alive and well,and happy,it gives you chills down to the bone

In Texas we call that belt-buckle polishing music.

Oh , btw when Mick says , "if i could stick my pen in my heart and spill it all over the stage". Well that's exactly what Hank did. .

Prop me up by the Jukebox when I die...now that's beer drinking music..I know all of you Englishers can relate..thanks Fil

I can feel for him because I had a deteriorated disc in the early eighties and five years later finally gave in and had the fusion. Mine was successful and most of my pain was relieved. But it did not work for everybody. Thirty years later, I ruptured a different disc and had to have it done again. I am 78 and still getting around pretty well. But back when Hank suffered his problems the painkillers and the surgeries were not as safe or effective as they later became. The pain can be dehabilitating. I can see how he would turn to alcohol and drugs in desperation. Aside from his personal loss, it is a great tragedy that such a talent was lost so early. Think of the songs he might have given us, had he lived longer.

Senior, Junior, and III. Some really talented genes there.

Fil - thanks so much for all the history on Hank Williams - his medical history/back pain/etc.... and thank you for the obvious admiration and joy you experience while you are watching the videos as well!

😀

Another extremely important artist. This guy was basically the template for country music proper. Natural songwriter and unfortunately passed just when he was hitting his stride. He is still missed.

Another Hank Williams song, "Move It On Over", was YEARS ahead of its time.

This is an excellent example of "country blues". Thanks for covering this genre. ✌❤ Much prefer this over Miley Cyrus. I am glad you went into the medical issues Hank had to deal with. He was so much more than the "drunken cowboy" some portray him as.

my mom who had her 90th birthday today loved country music especially Hank!!

Watching you is like opening up an encyclopedia...your knowledge is exhilarating .

This is so strange I am from Alabama Hank williams name is huge here and this is the first time I have ever "seen" him perform. Thanks!

Oh my god! Fil if you only knew😳 I bought a recorded player geeezzz . My mom years ago pulls out this record. ..hank Williams greatest hit, oh my god. Every morning was those songs . I like pop . So it was the worse.. geez , I out of respect I will hear it 🥺 guess I got to. RIP both Hank and my mom.

There are two great mysteries in Pop music of the 50s that will never be solved. The first is the relationship between Fred Rose and Williams .The second is the relationship between Stoller & Leiber and Chuck Berry. " The phone boy took the message and wrote it on the wall" seems to be S&L. We will never know. Like Shakespeare perhaps.

He used to hide in my dad's apartment from Audry way back in the day. My mother didn't like her very much. Dad said he was a good kid but got tired of everyone and just wanted to get away once in awhile.

My dad was a Grade A, Top Shelf Hillbilly with a capital H from southeast Kentucky. Outside of bluegrass, Hank was probably his favorite. So, I’ve been listening to Hank literally from the womb. This music is in my DNA. I feel it in my bones. The man bled hits and accomplished so much in a ridiculously short time. A true musical giant, a legend’s legend...

That song bought them a lot of beans and biscuits lol.

He was my mother’s FAVORITE singer. She cried like a baby when he was tragically killed. I grew up listening to his records on the turntable. Thank you SO much for this feature and walk down memory lane ❤

The live play Lost Highway was performed a few years ago at the Ryman Auditorium ( the original home of the Grande Ole Opry in Nashville Tn.) by a gentleman that commented about the Hank video. It’s the story about the life of Hank Williams named after the song Hank sang called Lost Highway. The play Forever Patsy Cline was also performed their earlier about the life of Patsy Cline, both tributes to the greatest man and woman country music stars.

my Momma would really dig this Fil!! He was the granddaddy of all country I believe. Hey I was born in Louisiana..hehe. anyways Thank you sweetheart!

So glad to hear Hank Williams! PLEASE do _Lovesick Blues_

Fil, your technical and historical knowledge of production is breathtaking. You've helped me understand why so many artists I enjoy are so great and for that I thank you. Here, you've done such an excellent explanation of a convoluted and complex time and context of not just the music biz but cultural , historic, transportation and even medical background. My hat's off to you for that one! You also point out where the music is being human and emotive. which is why the performance is so stellar, while not technically perfect. It is fascinating to me.

Show business mothers haven't changed a bit.

A remarkable tribute and critique of Americas premier Hillbilly Folk artist by one SO young, yet SO knowledgeable, and from beyond the Great Pond!!! Well done!

Needed a dose of that after the auto tune vid

Lefty Frizzell was a contemporary of H Williams and about as popular. Obviously not the songwriter and without his legacy, but his style has probably influenced more later country singers.. Might be worth a review.

Considered one of the greatest songwriters of his time. His songs have been covered by big name country and pop artists over the decades. His words could be related to by anyone in life.

You should definitely perform a song style similar to this one for your upcoming old country style song you will be doing I see it all over the comments section and me and MANY OTHERS ARE SO EXCITED!!💯❤️

I love watching this channel and Fil’s appreciation for all genres of music. I have always considered Hank Williams to be one of the best songwriters and I know others agree because so many of his songs are covered by other artists. Choose any one of his songs and listen to the lyrics. They stay so well with the theme which is the track’s title. I seriously think you could use his songwriting as an example of how a song should be put together in that all of the components all come back to the main theme. The other person I admire for his song writing ability is Leonard Cohen. He himself wrote of Hank Williams in his song, “Tower of Song” acknowledging his greatness in the lyric that Hank is, “A hundred floors above me in the Tower of Song.”

Much love to your show! Happy Birthday to me! Thankful to enjoy this today! Hank Williams was my dad's favorite, lost him when I was nine. You area joyous soul. Thank you so much!

The KING of Country Music and a songwriter to rank right up there with Lennon, McCartney, Dylan, Diamond, Wonder, Cash, Taupin, Simon. John Lennon and Bob Dylan were great admirers of Hank. Certainly seems that the greatest British and greatest American songwriters, Lennon and Dylan, learned from and incorporated their own genius with Hank's. Fil you do fantastic videos, you truly understand and appreciate the talents of those you analyze, and your comments reflect this. There are 2 artists I'm sure many would appreciate you reviewing: Jimi Hendrix, playing The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock, and Chicago performing 25 or 6 to 4, long version of course....thanks again for your great work !!!

This it's one of the best analysis I think you've done to date!! It is true that he is the granddaddy of all and set the bar as others will say so incredibly high, this man and his band is where so many country and western legends would say their inspiration came from. Hank Williams jr. and Waylon Jennings wrote a few great songs together, if you should ever get the time check them out!!True red white and blue country, classic♡

I read he was born with form of spina bifida not enough to paralyze but painful and he had a failed spinal surgery...He had a lot of back pain...Love Lost Highway!!

FIL, That is a great bio of Hank. People don't understand the amount of physical exertion that performing puts on a person. When contracts are signed you have no choice. Your reputation is at stake. In my years of touring there were times that I had to go to the hospital before and after shows to get 'propped' up with medical attention to get through shows. Having 103° fevers or head splitting headaches that alcohol couldn't even help whilst putting on shows as if nothing is wrong is a downside that fans don't think about and promoters don't care about. Thanks for bringing this to light. Rawk 😎

Hank was the greatest. A true music genius. A great singing voice too. Check out some of his other songs too. He wrote and recorded about 600 songs in only 4 years of recording before he died. Amazing output of great songs.

The great lesson I took from Hank Williams music is that simple songs are good enough. One of the first songs I, and I'd guess most beginning guitar players, learned was Jambalaya. It only has two chords. As my first teacher said, "If it doesn't sound right, try the other one." That song has remained popular for about 70 years now. You don't have to be Hendrix, or Page, or Lennon & McCartney to write a good song and entertain yourself and others. A couple of chords, and a bit of rhythm, will take you a long way.

I was nine years old....Hank was scheduled to appear in Portland and my dad planned to attend and take me. Unfortunately, before the concert happened, Hank died.

He was way before my era but I have heard about him since. I love the way his legs and feet appear to be moving so beautifully to the rhythm of this song. There is a haunting 1970s country song that’s about Hank called The Ride by David Allan Coe.

Hank Williams Sr., a great entertainer for that time in country music... Hank Williams Jr. is no slouch either, great Artist in his own right, the apple doesn't fall from the tree,... Nice break down Filip... It's so sad about his untimely demise, i never knew about his tragic ending, and the events surrounding it... Rip Hank Williams Sr.

In the early 90's I was visiting a prison near my home here in West Virginia. While going there to sing and play for the inmates I had the pleasure of meeting a very old but still very talented old man from Ohio. (It's been to many years to recall his name). This old man told me him and his band opened for Hank in the time just before and during his death. He said Hank was a very good man and really looked out for him and his band. He was scheduled to meet Hank in Ohio for the show he was travelling to and again be part of the opening act. He was devestated when he was told of Hank's death. I'll never forget setting down to dinner with him and actually holding a conversation with some one who knew this legend personally and hearing stories about their time together.

Steel guuitar played by Don Helms. Hank's records would not have been as good without him.

Fil... perhaps one day You could do a Rock rendition of Jambalaya (On the Bayou)

His voice is so earthy and real and probably more so, his words also so earthy and real is why this man will always be a legend.

You hit the nail on the head. Being from Texas I know Country music and it has to be in a major key but have that heartfelt melody and lyric which gives it that contradicting feel. Sad song happy key.

Hank died 7 decades ago and his music is still being played and still being covered. It makes me wonder what his influence would have been if he had lived another 40 or 50 years. Thank you for such a comprehensive analysis of the Legendary Hank Williams!