On Wednesday 16 March 2022, Gene Watson recalled a classic song from Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 – Thursday 1 January 1953), ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’ (written by Hank Williams).
‘Today (Friday 16 March) in 1951, at Castle Studios in Nashville, Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 – Thursday 1 January 1953) recorded ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You’. That song is a legend by itself.
That was the song I sang the first time I ever stepped foot on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry, back when I was 21.
I can’t remember the exact year I recorded the song, but it is a Hank Williams’ classic’
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• Gene Watson on Facebook
On Friday 16 March 1951, Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 – Thursday 1 January 1953) recorded the track, ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’ (written by Hank Williams) at Castle Studio in Nashville, which was issued as MGM catalog No.10961.
On the recording of ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’ (written by Hank Williams), Hank Williams was backed by members of his Drifting Cowboys Band, including Jerry Rivers (Saturday 25 August 1928 – Friday 4 October 1996) (fiddle), Don Helms (Monday 28 February 1927 – Monday 11 August 2008) (steel guitar), Samuel K. ‘Sammy’ Pruett (Saturday 27 November 1926 – Thursday 17 March 1988) (electric guitar), Jack Shook (rhythm guitar), Ernie Newton / ‘Cedric Rainwater’ / Howard Watts (bass), and either Owen Bradley (Thursday 21 October 1915 – Wednesday 7 January 1998) or producer Fred Rose (Floyd Jenkins) (24 August 1898 – Wednesday 1 December 1954) (piano).
‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’ (written by Hank Williams) was released as the B-side of ‘Howlin’ At The Moon’ (written by Hank Williams), but on the strength of its simple language and passionate singing, the track soared to No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1951.
Hank Williams’ version of ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’, which reached No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1951, was subsequently included on Hank Williams’ ‘Ramblin’ Man’ (MGM Records, 1955), while Hank Williams’ recording of ‘Howlin’ At The Moon’, which reached No.3 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1951, was subsequently included on Hank Williams’ ‘Honky Tonkin’ (MGM Records, 1954).
Gene Watson recorded ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’, which was written by Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 – Thursday 1 January 1953), and included the track on ‘Should I Come Home‘ (Capitol Records, 1979); the track featured background vocals from ‘The Nashville Edition’, which included of Joseph Babcock, Dolores Edgin, Wendellyn Suits and Hurshel Wayne Wiginton (Saturday 29 January 1938 – Monday 6 March 2017).
Gene Watson‘s version of Hank Williams’ ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)’ was also included on ‘A Tribute To Hank Williams’ (EMI Records, 1992), a various artists collection, which was reviewed by Editor Craig Baguley in the March 1993 issue of Country Music People.
On Tuesday 27 January 2009, England’s Hux Records released Gene Watson‘s ‘Should I Come Home’ (Capitol Records, 1979), along with Gene Watson‘s ‘Reflections‘ (Capitol Records, 1978), as a special 2-for-1 CD set.