Gene Watson has been singing professionally since the late 1950s and has been a country music album recording artist since the late 1960s.
Gene Watson’s contribution to the country music genre is immeasurable.
It is here where you have an opportunity to read a review of the Various Artists’ compilation ‘A Tribute to Hank Williams‘ (EMI Records, 1992), as published in the March 1993 issue of Country Music People.
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Country Music People have long ago nailed its colours to the mast where Gene Watson is concerned.
CMP has rigorously championed Gene Watson’s cause down through the years and have published a number of reviews of his album releases.
All reviews have been reproduced with the kind permission of Country Music People.
Various Artists: ‘A Tribute To Hank Williams‘ (EMI Records, 1992)
Country Music People, March 1993
Track Listing
1 ‘Honky Tonkin’ / this track featured vocals from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2 ‘Half As Much’ / this track featured vocals from Glen Campbell (Wednesday 22 April 1936 – Tuesday 8 August 2017)
3 ‘Hey, Good Looking’ / this track featured vocals from Faron Young (Thursday 25 February 1932 – Tuesday 10 December 1996)
4 ‘I Just Don’t Like This Kind of Living’ / this track featured vocals from George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 – Friday 26 April 2013)
5 ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’ / this track featured vocals from Jody Miller (Saturday 29 November 1941 – Thursday 6 October 2022)
6 ‘A Mansion On The Hill’ / this track featured vocals from Slim Whitman (Saturday 20 January 1923 – Wednesday 19 June 2013)
7 ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’ / this track featured vocals from Gene Watson, and was also included on Gene Watson‘s ‘Should I Come Home‘ (Capitol Records, 1979)
8 ‘Jambalaya’ from / this track featured vocals from Wanda Jackson
9 ‘There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight’ / this track featured vocals from Willie Nelson
10 ‘Lovesick Blues’ / this track featured vocals from Sonny James (Wednesday 1 May 1929 – Monday 22 February 2016)
11 ‘House of Gold’ / this track featured vocals from George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 – Friday 26 April 2013) and Melba Montgomery
12 ‘May You Never Be Alone’ / this track featured vocals from Tennessee Ernie Ford (Thursday 13 February 1919 – Thursday 17 October 1991)
13 ‘Nobody’s Lonesome For Me’ / this track featured vocals from Ronnie Hawkins
14 ‘Move It On Over’ / this track featured vocals from Rose Maddox (Saturday 15 August 1925 – Wednesday 15 April 1998)
15 ‘I Could Never Be Ashamed of You’ / this track featured vocals from George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 – Friday 26 April 2013)
16 ‘I Saw The Light’ / this track featured vocals from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Roy Acuff (Tuesday 15 September 1903 – Monday 23 November 1992)
17 ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ / this track featured vocals from Glen Campbell (Wednesday 22 April 1936 – Tuesday 8 August 2017)
18 ‘Kaw-Liga’ / this track featured vocals from Frank Ifield
19 ‘You Win Again’ / this track featured vocals from Wanda Jackson
20 ‘There’s A Tear In My Beer’ / this track featured vocals from Big Jim Lister (Friday 5 January 1923 – Tuesday 1 December 2009)
21 ‘Why Should We Try Anymore’ / this track featured vocals from Ferlin Husky (Thursday 3 December 1925 – Thursday 17 March 2011)
22 ‘I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive’ / this track featured vocals from Ray Benson & Asleep At The Wheel
This review of ‘A Tribute to Hank Williams‘ (EMI Records, 1992) by Craig Baguley was published in the March 1993 issue of Country Music People, and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the publishers.
Album Review by Craig Baguley
(********** out of 10)
‘That Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 – Thursday 1 January 1953) is the most influential figure in modern country music cannot be denied.
His legacy of songs has had a massive impact on all fields of popular music and is familiar to households throughout the world. That, therefore, he is one of the greatest of country songwriters is indisputable, though I would hesitate to place him on a solitary throne in that respect.
For my money, Willie Nelson ranks alongside Hank as a writer and had the taxman’s favourite already been dead, gone and a legend, this would probably be accepted as received wisdom.
This various artists collection (compiled once more by Tony Byworth – hasn’t he been busy?) is a hit list of typically wonderful Williams compositions. From the musically brilliant ‘Honky Tonkin’ (you try writing a great one chord song) through the awesomely sorrowful ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ to the gospel joy of ‘I Saw The Light’, this is a master at work and many of the performances here do full justice to the quality of the material.
Personal preference in that respect includes Gene Watson‘s tender cut of the lovely ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’, an excellent performance by the unstoppable Slim Whitman (Saturday 20 January 1923 – Wednesday 19 June 2013) on ‘Mansion On The Hill’, a young Willie Nelson from his United Artists days on ‘There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight’, a sparsely backed version (guitar and bass) of ‘May You Never Be Alone’ from Ernie Ford (Thursday 13 February 1919 – Thursday 17 October 1991) who is nowhere near my favourite singer, but whose vocal here is very appealing, the rockabilly girl Wanda Jackson on a straight country cut of ‘You Win Again’, a newly discovered cut on ‘There’s A Tear In My Beer’ by Big Bill Lister (Friday 5 January 1923 – Tuesday 1 December 2009) (who he?) who gives a very good imitation of the great man himself, and any track by George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 – Friday 26 April 2013).
As fans will know, two of the songs here were not actually written by Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 – Thursday 1 January 1953).
Indeed, his first number one hit and a song forever indelibly attached to his name, ‘Lovesick Blues’, was written in the twenties by Cliff Friend (1 October 1893 – Thursday 27 June 1974) and Duke Ellington’s long-time lyricist, Irving Mills (16 January 1894 – Sunday 21 April 1985).
The other, ‘Half As Much’, so beautiful one can be forgiven for thinking Hank did write it, was written by namesake Curley Williams (Wednesday 3 June 1914 – Saturday 5 September 1970) and allows Glen Campbell (Wednesday 22 April 1936 – Tuesday 8 August 2017) to give one of his finest performances.
Diehard fans will surely have many of these cuts already, and I know compilation artist sets are not the most welcome additions to a record collection, but I suspect this might do quite well through non-specialist outlets such as Woolies and Smith’s.
And there must be more than a few fans who would jump at the chance of listening to nearly one hour of Hank Williams by proxy’.
Craig Baguley
Country Music People
March 1993
