Hank Williams Stories: -Mac Wiseman Remembers His Old Friend Hank 

I live in Texas... everyone says "King George" ie. Strait... eff that- the King of Country Music will ALWAYS be Hank Williams!!!

I had read about Bob Hope's issues with following Hank. With typical Hope humor he would come on stage wearing a cowboy hat and say, "hi, I'm Hank Hope."

If this was 5 hours long I’d listen to every word

In 1952 I was 6 years old, Hank played Live at the calabrese club, in Westerly RI. I was 6 years old, I went to see him with my uncles and my grandfather. I will never forget it. I remember it like it was yesterday. At my uncle funeral 40 years later the played all of Hank Williams songs, I sat there in tears.

I can never hear enough Hank stories.

Man I can't never get enough of stories about Hank Williams . Simply put - the greatest country music artist of all time . People like to debate the greatest country artist of all time - PEOPLE , there is NO debate Hank is , was and always will be the greatest country artist of a time .

Minnie Pearl said the exact same thing that she followed Hank and never again. She said the women loved him and he would put on a show so phenomenal that nobody wanted to ever follow Hank. She said she never saw a performer that had the effect on the audience that Hank did. She recognized he was on a different level and she saw them all.

Minnie Pearl said after hearing Hank the first time" Don't ever put me on behind him again. He's to damn good! "

"Im so lonesome I could cry" is one of the best vocals of all time x

Mac was a awesome man I was lucky enough to be a guest at Mac's birthday party i believe it was his 90th. It was a honor to be a part of the party with a lot of Country music royalty

The great Mac Wiseman, another country icon we lost recently .Rip Mac.

This interview is so solid, and represents a documentation of oral history that would otherwise be lost. Thank you Otis.

Thanks Otis. I can't hear enough of, or about Hank Williams,

The best thing my dad did for me was name me Hank. Really enjoyed this thanks

When I was a kid my grandmother would jam out to her country and me and my sister would like scrunch our faces and go how could anyone like this crap!!?? Since she’s been gone it’s crazy how something you use to laugh at now makes you cry.. I really wish I could of shown her some of these videos she would of absolutely loved them 💜

That cat really does like these tapes lol. It’s absolutely staggering how many great songs Hank Williams wrote. I don’t doubt this man for a second. Sharp as a tack.

There used to be a ton of videos on youtube from an old Hank Jr album that had nothing but people telling Hank stories. Ernest Tubb, Minnie Pearl, Jimmie Dickens etc. For some reason they all got taken down. I would give anything to be able to find them again.

What a damn good interview. I cant tell ya how many nights I've driven across Arizona or New Mexico alone in tour and listened to Hank all night. It feels like 1949 out there in those deserts. This was a great interview. I was glad to hear Ol Hank wasn't a wreck all the time.

These interviews are just plain awesome!! So many good stories are not being remembered & just lost in time! Such a shame, Thank you for sharing!!

Really enjoyed it man, Mac Wiseman talking about Hank, nothing more interesting to a guy like me

Hank was it at the time he was the opera he didn't know how much of à STAR he was.

Love this! Mac Wiseman is a uniquely articulate individual. Thanks, Otis.

Hank Williams is second to none... Legendary!

Over 50 years and still the greatest country singer-songwriter ever. Yes, Merle Haggard is up there.

What could be better; first-hand accounts of my favourite singer and a cat chillin' out listening along with you.

Mac was one of our most accurate and able historians of American music history (much of his knowledge from personal experience). His multiple achievement awards and appointments to the highest positions in Country & Blue Grass music organizations are testament to the value people placed in his wisdom and common sense. Several organizations are those which Mac was a founding member and major force behind their successes (the Country Music Association and Hall of Fame being two of those entities). Mac was also a most humble and friendly person. His stage demeanor was exactly who he was; he had no "stage persona" like many artists adopt. Mac was 'Mac' regardless of where you might catch up with him along the music trail. Always happy to discuss music, musicians, hosting radio programs, American history, the medical & pharmaceutical fields... he had many interests in life. BTW: Some of the events and personalities Mac was questioned about here? Well, he knew exactly the when, where, and what. His ability to recollect and his sharp memory were with him to the end. However Mac was forever the humble and polite man who knew what NOT to reveal. On many an occasion I heard him make a point, when asked about a potentially negative event or rumor, to not offer any disparaging recollections of those who weren't alive to defend themselves. Of all my favorite people in this whacked-out business, Mac was hands-down one of the people I have most respected through the years. Human beings like Mac are seemingly few and far between these days.

I have a recording on cassette of Hank sitting on front doorstep of his Momma's house in Georgiana, Al where he lived as a boy.........it was taken from an old wire recording..... he used to sit and play UNDER the house sitting on an old car seat..... my ex-wife's grandma went to school with Hank.... . Then they moved away to Starlington, Al

I met Mac when l was a stage manager at bluegrass festival. I think he was the kindest, nicest man l ever worked with. I’m honored to have carried his guitar.

Otis you are a national treasure.

I’d love to hear more. Thanks.

Otis: You're an absolute blesssing, thank you!

good kitty uncle otis ...plz keep telling them stories thanks - stephen jules otis

I love your episodes Otis. God Bless you. I remember being a little boy around 1964 I was 6 yrs old and ol Hank would come on the A.M. Radio I would tell momma I like that man Hank. I still do. I get tears just thinking bout him. I don’t know why. I think it was how sad he moaned in his songs mixed with the story he sang about it seemed so real. Probably because it was. Thanks Otis. RIP Hank✝️🙏🎸❤️

I was a big fan of Mac Wiseman's for a long time

I love music all kinds. Country, rock, r&b, Christian . I was born in Florida in the year of 64.all these guys was just awesome .Waylon and Willie, Hank Jr, Conway, George Jones . All these guys I would love to hear there stories.i have favorite singer now but none of these entertainors after like 1990 I couldn't give a shit about I think anytime before 90s it was harder life u had to be hungry for the business if not one hit wonder and byebye .maybe because u couldn't see your favorite artist back then only once while . But for some these guys where heros to us. They had stonger drives writing and playing good music, the money was 2nd the respect they for themselves to be rember for along time. Some hit hard times and made thru it giving wasn't a option. I would assume all these people knew what hard worker was and apply it there craft , no, can't wasn't in there vocabulary.lots of brothly love

Fascinating hearing first person accounts of Hank's as a person & performer. I've always liked "Hey good lookin'". I remember my Mum singing that song when she was in a good mood and as a kid I learned the lyrics listening to Mum. When I strum my flat top I sing it now, my wife rolls her eyes, makes a comment about that "oldie again?" and is usually singing along by the second verse! ✌

37th anniversary of Elvis death with that date Otti flashed at beginning of this. Love this interview, with Mac Wiseman on Hank. T.C.B. ⚡

I could listen to him talk all day.

I could listen to this stuff all day and all night

I love the stores about ol Hank Sr. Love all Hank song's. But one of my favorite songs is I'm so lonesome I could cry. R.I.P Mr Hank Williams 🙏

I’ve got the feeling called the blues since my baby been gone

I'm loving these old time stories that happen 30 years before I was born.

I'm a big hank fan, that was great thank you

Otis hey buddy. I can't wait to hear this.

Love Hank and his music, thank you!!! I sing all Hank songs and people still want to hear them!

Fantastic to hear these stories -priceless. Thank you Ottis for providing us these charms.

Loooooove Mac Wiseman!!!!

Such a great service you're providing...many thanks 😊

Wow. What a nice little bundle of gems. "Hearing" Hank Williams through other peoples' voice serves to crystallize the legend of the man.

❤️ sooooooo awesome Otis. We grew up listening to Mister Mac Wiseman. Beautiful to hear him speak his heart

We gotta all stick together and keep classic Country music alive!!

I love this!!! I have the Mac Wiseman Story album. Mac signed it on December 12, 1978!!! I was all of 8 years old at the time.

RIP Mac, loved Macs music and self forever. Thanks for these Otis, you bring so much to the things I love and nudge the memories of the good ole days!!

Thank you for keeping these stories alive.. I love this channel , i feel like i am there in these wonderful tales..

Your interviews are really good Otis. Great stories

Great story. Just be on the same floor as Ol Hank when he's in his cuffs.

Franky enjoyed it as much as we did.

Love all those old stories. Old HANK was such a great man. Mac had some awesome stories.

So wonderful to hear Mac Wiseman talk...so much history.....it makes me feel southern to hear him about places like Shreveport and Lake Charles, places I look forward to visit once the plague ends...thanks for the history lesson ....nice to have Frankie join us....

Good one Otis! The man was a monster, I'd say my all time favorite artist.

Fabulous interview. Thank you so much for sharing.

I love all these stories , even though ive had to youtube some of the people, there is a lot I didn't know, thanks

Great interview

Otis, my friend, i Thank You so much ,for sharing this particular story , with Mac talking about Hank! I grew up listening to Hank And Mac! Several others too. But Hank , well ya know, all them songs.

What's your favorite Hank Williams song? There are so many great Hank songs, so it's hard to choose. I'm a bit partial to the Luke The Drifter stuff. Picture From Life's Other Side, Men With Broken Hearts, stuff like that. What's your favorite?

Otis , cant thank you enough, listened to all the stories, Thanks for keeping all these memories alive

God rest her soul, my mom loved Mac Wiseman

This is great. Please Otis do more of these about Hank . I have a group " Hank Williams: There's A Tear In Our Beer Fans ". These would be great for my group. Thanks for the jsrd work!

Excellent, thank you so much.

*Otis Gibbs* music is a human body part now because with help of music people feel active thanks for this dear i love your music

Another awesome interview.. I have heard some other interviews where Jr. talks about the parties and in typical all night blues or juke joints if they could not stay there they went back to a musicians house all night, thats what the parties were like and musicians like Fats Dominoe.. amazing hang outs.. wonder if Bob Hope ever went to one of their parties.. 12yrs ago i was commissioned by an epic local concert promoter to create a drawing along with his 1st part of biography i included Bob Hope whom was a close friend of his.. people forget about Bob's history and wide range of experience and talents.. I got so much flack for including Bob in the drawing from people whom don't get it.. Hank is massive for me it was his songs and Neil Young songs that finally got me singing and playing guitar from that place.. As a kid i had various funky organ and small vintage (this was the late 70's early 80's) keyboards i wish i still had must have been first of their kind.. never had a lesson never knew what i was doing just jamming.. my parents were extremely young auto union Detroit young hippies, massive amounts of music all the time.. Lincoln Park we had a family radio tv shop a few blocks away a few generations.. Bob Seger, MC5 n many more stomping grounds.. mid eighties i begged for a guitar but it was the height of the satanic music scare and more, my parents refused so i made a mock flying V in woodshop junior high when we lived in Kansas for a few years due to economic depression, we moved a lot mostly in towns south of Detroit called downriver.. Got my first guitar when 14 a cheap classical acoustic that tore up fingers but thats what i learned on.. then i found another cheap classical acoustic in the garbage... wrote songs/poetry since junior high everything came together playing and singing Ohio, Harvest, You Win Again, Lovesick Blues in the late 90's.. Kick myself big time for not seeing Hank the III in Detroit the many times he played the essential small clubs in the 90's i hope to see him someday here when things get back on the road.. Learning 3/4 time with Buford Jones downriver and So Lonesome I Could Cry and more was a beautiful privilege..

Beautiful kitty! 🐈‍⬛ ♥️

I’ve been driving all over Arizona chasing Waylon jennings listening to this, i can’t get enough Hank stories.

Tough question Otis.....Lost Highway, Honky Tonk Blues and I’m a Long Gone Daddy immediately come to mind. You’re right, Luke The Drifter stuff is great. BTW.....Souvenirs of a Misspent Youth has been in heavy rotation in our home recently.🙂

This is just incredible. Thanks, Otis!!!!!!

Seen Mr. Wiseman at Bean Blossom several times. Always a great show and such a gentleman.

Hank in my opinion was the greatest blues writer of all time his lyrics was a true reflection of his inner most being and he shared that with the world through his lyrics his feelings were in every line and phrasing of his writing in my opinion he should sincerely be honored in the blues Hall of Fame i visited the Country Music Hall of Fame in late 83 and the biographies about Hank for the public was what kept my attention and Loretta Lynn another brilliant talented writer but Hank has always been the most brilliant writer in hillbilly folk or country music just as Jonny Cash would later Hank wrote songs that nobody else had the nerve to write just as Jonny and Merle Haggard and Waylon where did they learn this controversial writing yep Hank Williams RIP Luke

Love this video. My Dad (93) was a huge fan of Mac, called him his favourite artist of all time. He met him once and let Mac borrow his pen, which he keeped 😂 Of course I showed him this video, how sweet.

Otis, i was there when the first "FOR THE DIE HARDS" aired and just watched the Kurt Cobain SLTS Guitar being sold video that just came out. One of the best YT channels out there, and that's saying a lot, but rarely do i go back to Home Page when a video of yours just pops up and played. I appreciate all you do!!!

Mac seems like such a gentleman

Invaluable ❤️

My first tune I learned on guitar was jambalaya, and have since learned the version by Homer and Jethro

Great story

Love these stories and Frankie is quite a camera ham

Not sure how i got to this channel, but im so glad i did. Keep telling your stories your way. Great job.

My favorite Mac Wiseman song: going back to Bristol. It’s like the little step cousin music town to Nashville, and the place I happened to make my home. It was name dropped in O brother where art thou? Among other places. Hank was last seen at a little diner in town before they headed up to WV.

Thank you Otis....I'm hooked on these stories ..

Otis, this was just killer. Thank you. Ring my 🔔 again soon

"Hank Williams was the king of country soul My Daddy took me see him,but he didn't show People got mad and they all went home First thing they do was put his records on

Otis!! Can't wait to see you at the Roots Hoot Concert in Rhode Island!

Loved it. Thanks, Otis!

That blew my mind brother. Oral history soooooo important. You my friend are the Library of Congress. Merry Christmas brother.

I love the cat he is precious I think he likes listening to you gentlemen

love this

Otis thanks for the stories. Always looking forward to more. Keep on trucking and giving a damn. Looking forward to seeing you someday and a chat.

Oh wow! Love it. Thanks for sharing this entertaining part of history.

Speechless!

I love this. Thank you.

Otis ❤

Love your stories!!