Hank Williams: The Biography

by Colin Escott

Paperback, 1995

Status

Available

Call number

B Wil

Call number

B Wil

Barcode

1979

Collection

Publication

Little, Brown and Company (1995), Edition: New edition, 336 pages

Description

The book that inspired the major motion picture I Saw the Light. In his brief life, Hank Williams created one of the defining bodies of American music. Songs such as "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," and "Jambalaya" sold millions of records and became the model for virtually all country music that followed. But by the time of his death at age twenty-nine, Williams had drunk and drugged and philandered his way through two messy marriages and out of his headline spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Even though he was country music's top seller, toward the end he was so famously unreliable that he was lucky to get a booking in a beer hall. Colin Escott's enthralling, definitive biograph -- now the basis of the major motion picture I Saw the Light -- vividly details the singer's stunning rise and his spectacular decline, revealing much that was previously unknown or hidden about the life of this country music legend. Originally published as Hank William: The Biography.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member knahs
Well done biography of country legend Hank Williams with plenty of interviews from those who knew and worked with him as well as with relatives. The book is written in a manner that makes it hard to put down. There is plenty of background info on some of the major players in Hank's life include
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Fred Rose, Nudie Cohn, Faron Young, Roy Acuff, and others - just enough info so it doesn't stray from Hank's story. I especially liked that the writers tied up the loose ends by giving us a rundown on what happened to Hank's mother, sister, father, ex-wives, and even Hank Jr. This is what a real biographer should do. The book included a "songography" which consisted of songs that others have recorded using Hank's melodies as well as a discography of all issued recordings. There was a good listing of sources as well as an index. I think there could have been more photographs, especially when the authors describe some photos but they are not in the book, but otherwise, a very good look at the life of a man whose music is still influencing writers today.
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Rating

(16 ratings; 4)

Pages

336
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