Honky Tonkin'
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Honky Tonkin'" is a 1947
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
song, written and recorded by
Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...
. His song went to #14 on the ''Billboard'' country music chart in 1948. In 1982, it became the sixth chart topping single for Williams' son,
Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of count ...


First version

Hank Williams released two versions of "Honky Tonkin'." The first was cut at his second and final recording session for Sterling Records on February 13, 1947, and features backing by Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Dale "Smokey" Lohman (steel guitar), Zeke Turner (electric guitar) and Louis Innis (bass). The song, which appeared as "Honkey-Tonkey" in Williams' first song folio, was chosen by producer Fred Rose as the B-side to " Pan American" after Hank had achieved success with two singles of mostly spiritual material on Sterling. While the subject matter is straight barroom fare in the
Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), marked ...
tradition, the song is musically unusual, with the chorus made up of three ten-beat phrases, plus two measures of four beats, for a highly unusual thirty-eight beat section; up till the last two turnaround measures of the chorus, this section could be written in 10/4 time. Many later versions "straighten out" the chorus to make it fit a more familiar four-beat pattern. The entire song is played over one chord, except for the last two beats of the third 10/4 phrase of the chorus, which briefly touches on the dominant. According to
Colin Escott Colin Escott (born 31 August 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes ...
's 2004 biography on the singer, the original draft featured the lines, "We are going to the city, to the city fair/We'll get a quart of whiskey and get up in the air," which the commercially minded Rose had Hank change to ""We're going to the city, to the city fair/If you go to the city, baby, you will find me there." In 2015, this recording on Sterling Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.


Second version

Surprised by the success of the unknown Williams, and equally impressed with the raw talent of the young songwriter, Rose got him a contract with MGM that was finalized on April 1, 1947. On November 6, 1947, Williams recut "Honky Tonkin'" at Castle Studio in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
with backing from Robert "Chubby" Wise (fiddle),
Jerry Byrd Gerald Lester Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005) was an American musician who played the lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music, as well as a singer-songwriter and the head of a music publishing firm. He appeared on numerous radio p ...
(steel guitar), Zeke Turner (lead guitar), and probably Louis Innis on bass and either
Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician, bandleader and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was a chief architect of the 1950s and 60s Nashville sou ...
or Rose on piano. The second recording of the song is more vibrant than the first, likely owing to the better recording facilities and the chemistry that had developed between Williams and Rose. To avoid confusion, Rose bought all the Sterling singles of "Honky Tonkin'" on May 17, 1947, for two thousand dollars and then sold them to MGM. Williams had enjoyed his first Top 5 hit with " Move It on Over" but "Honky Tonkin'" did not fare as well, failing to make the Top 10. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' praised the single's "deft ork beat."


Cover versions

*
Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.
covered the song as well on his 1972 album ''
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt ''The Late Great Townes Van Zandt'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. It was the second album that he recorded in 1972, and a follow-up to '' High, Low and In Between''. Recording ''The Late, Great Townes ...
''. *The song was covered by the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), also known as the Dirt Band, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and voc ...
on their 1972 album ''
Will the Circle Be Unbroken "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the c ...
'' *A previously unissued version by
Hank Williams, Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of countr ...
recorded in 1973 appears on the 1992 box set ''Living Proof: The MGM Recordings 1963–1975''. Hank Jr. released another version on his 1982 LP ''
High Notes ''High Notes'' is the thirty-fourth studio album by American musician Hank Williams Jr. It was released by Elektra Records, Elektra/Curb Records in April 1982, making it Williams' eighth studio album for Elektra/Curb and his ninth overall for the ...
'', hitting #1 on the ''Billboard'' country music charts and staying there for a week. It spent a total of twelve weeks on the country chart. *Actress
Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Sissy Spacek, numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including ...
recorded the song on her 1983 album '' Hangin' Up My Heart'' *
The The are an English rock band from London, formed in 1979 by singer-songwriter Matt Johnson, the only constant member, and often the sole member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles, seven reaching ...
covered this song on their album '' Hanky Panky'', which all consists of covers of Hank Williams' songs. * Outlaw country singer
Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...
recorded the song for his 1992 album '' Ol' Waylon Sings Ol' Hank''. *
Charley Crockett Matthew Charles Crockett (born March 24, 1984) is an American Neotraditonal countrysinger-songwriter. He has released 15 studio albums since 2015, with ''Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza'' peaking at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Blues Albums char ...
covered the song on his album, ''Lil G.L.'s Honky Tonk Jubilee'' (2017). *
Joe Ely Joe Ely (; born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was "one of the main movers" of Austin, Texas' progressive country scene in the 1970s and '80s. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce ...
covered the song on his 1978 album '' Honky Tonk Masquerade''


Charts


Hank Williams Jr.


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


References


Sources

* {{authority control 1948 singles 1982 singles 1947 songs Hank Williams songs Hank Williams Jr. songs Songs written by Hank Williams Song recordings produced by Jimmy Bowen Elektra Records singles Curb Records singles