#132 Hank Williams, '40 Greatest Hits' (1978)

Previously #94

This record is a career spanning collection of Country legend, Hank Williams’s singles. Williams tragically died at the age of 29 years old in the back of a Cadillac from heart failure brought on by alcohol and drug abuse. Due to an ice storm, Williams had to be driven from gig to gig and it was on the way to a show in Canton, Ohio on New Year’s Day in 1953.

Williams’s career spanned just 6 years, but in that time he produced 30 Top 10 singles, 11 of them #1. His signature songs include ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,’ ‘Why Don’t You Love Me,’ ‘Cold, Cold Heart,’ ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’ and ‘Hey Good Lookin.’ My Mom sang the latter song to me as a kid. I never knew its context or where it was from. Williams has been covered by countless artists, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins and many others. As well as being a major influence in Country music, Williams laid the foundation for Rockabilly and Rock ‘n Roll.

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