At 7.15 almost every weekday morning throughout 1951, Williams took to the airwaves from WSM’s Nashville headquarters, singing old time favourites, showcasing new songs of his own, and giving what modern radio folk would call a “shout-out” to programme sponsors Mother’s Best flour. Though many of the live shows were recorded, incredibly, they’ve not been heard for well over half a century.
Spruced up with care and digital know-how, this first batch of 58 recordings (close to 100 more follow over the next few years) represent an astonishing find in any genre of music. The sound is frequently close to pristine, and the archivists have retained many of Williams’ spoken intros and applause from station hangers-on, to help convey the atmosphere.
There’s a looseness to many of Hank’s performances, arguably because he didn’t feel the pressure of cutting a disc in a studio, most notably on the highspirited I’ll Have A New Life and Tennessee Border. The choices of other people’s songs offer insights into Hank’s own writing, especially Fred Rose’s Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain or the mournful gospel of Drifting Too Far From The Shore. A mesmerising and intimate portrait of country music’s first superstar.
