Album: The Complete Hank Williams by Hank Williams (1998)
Genre: Country | Mood: Happy
Record Label: Mercury Nashville
Format: Compilation

Description: The Complete Hank Williams is an award-winning 1998 box set collecting almost all of the recorded works of country music legend Hank Williams, from his first recorded track in 1937 to the last session prior to his untimely death in 1953 at the age of 29. While a number of live and overdubbed songs are excluded, the ten disc collection contains 225 tracks, including studio sessions, live performances and demos. Among those 225 songs are 33 hit singles and 53 previously unreleased tracks.

The New York Times hailed the release of the compilation, timed to coincidence with what would have been Williams' 75th birthday, as "an important event," indicating "that it is impossible to understand contemporary country music, or popular music for that matter, without addressing Hank Williams's legacy". In 1999, the compilation won two Grammy awards, for "Best Historical Album" and "Best Recording Package—Boxed". In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine listed the compilation at #225 in its list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

In addition to the 10 discs, the box set includes a book entitled The Music which holds the CDs and incorporates 30 pages of information about the songs, including photographs of performance and information on charting. It also contains a 120-page book entitled The Stories which includes essays and notes about Williams and his work as well as assembling comments about Williams from other musicians, including Alan Jackson, Tony Bennett and Mike Mills of R.E.M.. Art in the package includes eight postcards, over a hundred photos, replicas of Williams' handwritten lyrics for several songs and a copy of the January 1, 1953 telegraph in which Williams' mother announced his death to his sister.

Artist Background: Hank Williams, born Hiram King Williams, was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most important country music artists of all time. Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that would place in the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked number one. Born in Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama, Williams moved to Georgiana, where he met Rufus Payne, a black street performer who gave him guitar lessons in... Part of the Butler County, Alabama, USA music scene. Emerged in the classic era. Associated with Country movement.

Related Artists: Merle Haggard, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Jimmie Rodgers

Music Scene: Part of the Butler County, Alabama, USA music scene. Emerged in the classic era. Associated with Country movement.

Tags: Country, Happy, 1990s, Compilation, Mercury Nashville


The Complete Hank Williams is an award-winning 1998 box set collecting almost all of the recorded works of country music legend Hank Williams, from his first recorded track in 1937 to the last session prior to his untimely death in 1953 at the age of 29. While a number of live and overdubbed songs are excluded, the ten disc collection contains 225 tracks, including studio sessions, live performances and demos. Among those 225 songs are 33 hit singles and 53 previously unreleased tracks.

The New York Times hailed the release of the compilation, timed to coincidence with what would have been Williams' 75th birthday, as "an important event," indicating "that it is impossible to understand contemporary country music, or popular music for that matter, without addressing Hank Williams's legacy". In 1999, the compilation won two Grammy awards, for "Best Historical Album" and "Best Recording Package—Boxed". In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine listed the compilation at #225 in its list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

In addition to the 10 discs, the box set includes a book entitled The Music which holds the CDs and incorporates 30 pages of information about the songs, including photographs of performance and information on charting. It also contains a 120-page book entitled The Stories which includes essays and notes about Williams and his work as well as assembling comments about Williams from other musicians, including Alan Jackson, Tony Bennett and Mike Mills of R.E.M.. Art in the package includes eight postcards, over a hundred photos, replicas of Williams' handwritten lyrics for several songs and a copy of the January 1, 1953 telegraph in which Williams' mother announced his death to his sister.

The Complete Hank Williams

Hank Williams

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