Hank Williams: The Unreleased Recordings

VINYL FORMAT. At the peak of his career in 1951, Hank Williams had a daily fifteen-minute show sponsored by Mother's Best flour and farm feeds. WSM Radio brought him into the studio to prerecord shows that would air when he was out of town. Hank sang with his regular studio band and performed his hits as well as songs he never recorded commercially anywhere else, like old hymns and family favorites. He recorded onto sixteen-inch acetate discs meant to be played only once or twice. Improbably, some of those discs have survived.

These recordings give us a deeper insight into Hank's life and music, showing a personality that had never been revealed previously. They showcase his humor as he jokes with his band and the emcee, his love of music as he talks unguardedly about his favorite songs, and captures him in his prime. They are three-dimensional portraits of one of the giants of American music.

Following our critically-acclaimed 3xCD box set release of Hank Williams: The Unreleased Recordings in October 2008, Time Life is now proud to release this collectible vinyl edition featuring the best of some of these shows.

One listen and you're in another place and time, hearing the history of country music up until 1951 filtered through the music's all-time greatest artist.