Hank Williams' Last Ride

[@otisgibbs]

"Leaving Oak Hill, a modern-day, Nashville-bound car can take one more snaky two-lane highway out of town, then hop on the interstate and make it to big-city Charleston within an hour. Then it’s on to Huntington and down to Olive Hill, where a country music fan can start considering the bucolic birthplace of Tom T. Hall and try to stop dwelling on the hopeless final hours of Hank Williams. Hank’s death is shrouded in questions that are likely unanswerable, and the ride from Knoxville to Oak Hill consequently spurs depth of feeling, not breadth of knowledge. Highway 11W to Highway 19 North was a pathetic, sad-sack end, but Williams’ legacy is as enduring as his life was transitory. Fifty years after he exited that Cadillac, it seems likely that Cold, Cold Heart, Hey, Good Lookin’, Jambalaya and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry will be around, will be enjoyed, will be alive even after Bean Station, Corryton and Mount Olive crumble to history. Curse that road. Bless this music." -Peter Cooper

[@AndySalinger33]

Beautiful quote by Peter Cooper. Thanks for this video this morning, Otis. I call you a friend. Happy New Year to you and Amy.

[@sayeager5559]

Cooper really was a genius.

[@AndySalinger33]

@@sayeager5559 completely! 🕊

[@alext.]

Yes.

[@Dad-979]

I have a question, if Hank was traveling to play a gig, where was his band?

[@jakeyboy8402]

I always play “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” at midnight on every January 1st, as a tribute. Great show Otis!

[@tomlewis5542]

Hank might say..Go to sleep ya dern fool!

[@otisgibbs]

Become a member. kzbin.info/door/YX2... www.patreon.com/otisgibbs Tip jar for anyone who wants to help support this channel. paypal.me/otisgibbs?locale.x=... www.venmo.com/OtisGibbs Paypal: @otisgibbs Venmo: @OtisGibbs

[@MrBlondjohn]

One of my favorite Hank Williams songs was You Win Again, and I'm a steel guitar fanatic so I like what the 1968 overdubs did with You Win Again -- they added some really haunting steel guitar especially the last bridge "You have no heart, you have no shame; You take true love and give the blame . . . " It can still move me to tears. Paging Audry . . . .

[@PedroNord]

“Why Don’t You Love Me Like You Used To Do”...always my favorite. Whenever I put one of his albums on, I always listen to all of it. He’ll always be featured in my playlists. When I think of Hank’s last ride I always think of Blaze Foley’s “Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac”.🦋

[@RockReynolds]

Great 70th Anniversary Tribute, Otis! --- The song that Hank had on the charts when he died, was "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive". --- I believe that "Your Cheatin' Heart" was released a couple months after Hank's death. As far as "Categories" of Music, I think I read that there were three main "Classifications" of Radio Stations: Classical, Pop, and Hillbilly (now called "Country"). --- I think I read, that "Hillbilly" stations did not allow "drums", which is why Elvis' first song, "That's All Right Mama", did not use drums. --- I know, for a long time, the Opry did not allow electric instruments. Hank was one of the first to be allowed. In the Hank Jr./Waylon song, "The Conversation", Hank Jr. opines "when they fired him from the Opry..." --- I saw a KZbin video, with an old acquaintance of Hank, who said that the reason Hank was "fired" from the Opry, was because Hank QUIT. --- Other books I have read about Hank, seem to support the notion, that the "Opry" was more a destination desired by "Miss Audrey" than Hank, although the Movie, "I Saw the Light", portrayed the Opry as Hank's ideal. Tunes: Hey, Good Lookin', Settin' the Woods on Fire, Move it on Over (Same tune as one of the FIRST Rock-n-Roll songs, "Rock Around the Clock", seven years later), Dear John, Why Don't You Love Me, Honky-Tonk Blues, I Can't Help It, and many more. Rock

[@mrDCunningham]

Joe Chambers who just recently passed told me that Hank recorded "Your cheatin heart' in one take and no rehearsal. This baffled me. Amazing. Nice video Otis 👍🏼😎

[@dreamwell2020]

A friend of my brother's, Chuck Prophet, was heading out on tour one time, and checked in to borrow a Nudie suit from Marty Stuart, who maintains quite a collection. He scored a couple beauties, and then as he was taking his leave, Marty said - "Wait there's one more you should try on." It was a plain suit that fit like a glove. Chuck said something like, "Nice. But those two are perfect." "Yeah," said Marty, "but that's the suit Hank Williams died in."

[@georgesullivan7019]

Hank Williams was the greatest singer ever lived I have all his songs and I love all of y Them

[@dekelanson5280]

I threw in my Hank Williams CD in honour of the 70th anniversary. I first got into Hank's music less than a year before the 30th anniversary of his death. I was 16 then. Time flies. My favorites are Take these chains from my heart, and I'm so lonesome I could cry. Hank will always be my favorite. RIP Hank.

[@clyde1279]

I remember the day Hank died. My mom and aunt were driving somewhere in Florida. I was in the back seat. They started crying. I remember that moment well. I was 17 months old.

[@curbmassa]

An interesting factoid: Charlie Parker LOVED Hank's records. He'd play them on the jukebox when he took a break on his gigs. When people asked him why he listened to "that hillbilly crap" he'd say to them "Listen to the man's story."

[@tacmason]

Trained musicians amaze with great technique - folksingers share their music with basic emotional raw power . Happy new year brother Otis !

[@RonaldChappell-lp7xx]

I thank Hank Williams Sr played every day. He was in love with Music. God and Rufus Payne gave Hank Williams Sr the gift and the love for Music.

[@davidbolin8195]

Hank will always be the GOAT! God bless Hank #1

[@davidmontgomery5047]

Was Listening to Some Hank last Night , Some of My Favorites include ;Lovesick Blues ,Your Cheatin Heart ,Weary Blues and I'll Never get out of this World Alive . His Music and Bone Chilling voice are nothing short of amazing .Thank You otis !!

[@chrisbarnette7137]

I just asked for this in your previous video. Thank you !!! I like the Luke the Drifter stuff.. But anything Hank.

[@Slim804]

You can't beat him, you can't mock him, no one has out done him! Hank Williams will always be #1!

[@joaquinybarra8184]

All Songwriters are Cool ! Because, they reflect the pain & agony of the human condition “Moaning Da BLUEZ “& the things that sometimes nobody talks about but we all are equals in our 💔 My #1, “I’m so Lonesome” & Hank Was “The Blues Man “🎙🎙🎙

[@bobblehead67]

Thanks for this, Otis. Man, Peter Cooper was such a good, evocative writer. We'll none of us get out of this world alive but let's make the best of the new year and beyond, right?

[@johndeneka4708]

Hey good looking with a smile on my moosh and tears rolling down cheek. Thanks that was beautiful. Amen

[@drumsleuth]

Your Cheating Heart is my go to Hank song.

[@GRBAquatics]

Very Cool Thankyou. New Year Just happened here in Western Australia. So Very Cool Story Thankyou.

[@frankgoodmanbuzzholland7517]

I was born the day Hank Williams died, and wrote a song by that name. Send it to you sometime, if you like. Thanks, Otis, appreciate what you do. Frank And thanks for reading Peter’s awesome piece.

[@user-dj1gl5ix3m]

That is very prolific of you being able to write a song about Hank Williams the day you were born. ;-)

[@sqrly2u]

Listening to "I Saw the Light". The story behind that song really pulls at my heart strings.

[@timkullman4656]

Only London Wainwright III could craft the song “ Hank and Fred” about him visiting the grave of Hank on the day Mr. Fred Roger’s died. Beautiful….. give it a listen.

[@flhxri]

My grandfather said he saw him in Saginaw, Michigan in the Saginaw auditorium. I'm not sure if it's true but he said the show was very entertaining.

[@MrSwampFox2U]

Today, my jam is Cold Cold Heart. Tomorrow it might be another.

[@bertnobbe2746]

Ramblin Man and Alone and Forsaken are my favourite Hank Williams songs!!

[@whiskeycitydiggers]

I was happy to wake up and see this just now, I love Hank. Thanks for all the entertainment in 2022, Otis! Happy New Year to you and Amy.

[@washingtonbob49]

Thank you Otis for sharing Peter Cooper's story about Hank Williams with us. I am betting you could write and sing a song about Hank's last ride using Peter Cooper's story for your information. Take care and have a wonderful New Year.

[@macdaddy63]

I really enjoyed this Hank Williams passing retrospective from you Otis! Keep it up brother! Happy New Year to you and Amy!

[@Kan-o-tex]

I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive and The Log Train. The Log Train is probably my favorite recording, just Hank and his guitar.

[@Wesley-gq4jq]

5 shots of whiskey hank 3 sounds like his grandfather..

[@PorchHonkey]

"That fellow was bigger than me" Awesome story!

[@mtf347]

Fantastic article, Otis. Thank you. RIP Hank.

[@concertjunkie8592]

I Saw The Light, Lost Highway, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, House of Gold, The Great Judgment Morning, Your Cheatin’ Heart, I Heard That Lonesome Whistle,

[@williamsmith5541]

My dad sang Hank Williams tunes on the weekend. During the week he was a steelworker. I remember as a kid dancing on his bed holding his empty Gibson ES125T guitar case like a bass fiddle pretending to pound out the bass lines while he played and sang songs like, “Hey Good Lookin”. This would have been about ten years after Hanks death. It’s now been 70.

[@lioness7582]

Sounds like you have a wonderful memory of a very cool dad❤️

[@devonfulton1759]

“My mom says he’s a folk singer and that he’s doing his best.” Can’t wait for the Townes talk tomorrow buddy. Happy New Year!

[@Winnie122459]

My dear departed Fathers favorite singer/performer

[@Caperhere]

Thanks, Otis. I’m going to listen to Lost Highway, for the first time. Didn’t know it was a song, and am just realizing that the “ lost highway” Steve Earle sings about is likely a reference to Hank’s song. Wishing you, Amy, and everybody a happy and healthy 2023.

[@sgriffett541]

Otis' the day of chronicles... I love this!!

[@PaisleyPatchouli]

Truly a death on the road. Almost poetic in its way...

[@Wesley-gq4jq]

Raining hear in south georgia as well...Hank 3 has some wonderful music that touches on all musical genres including folk and metal

[@DavidSmith-qs4je]

Gday David here from australia I love 💕 hanks music we lost him way to soon songs from the heart Thankyou

[@HollerboyHellbilly]

Lost Highway

[@ayronsmama05]

Fascinating Otis, thanks so much! Happy New Year to you and Ms. Amy and we love y'all!!

[@dekestone5905]

You are a treasure, Otis. Thank you!

[@gregsprott8923]

Otis, Once again thank you ! I’ve been tumbling down the music rabbit hole all my life from Hank to Hendrix and it’s always so cool to find someone that gathers it all up and gives us a road map to this history you my friend are one of the most interesting at this. I just went to see The Allman Family Revival in Montgomery and it happened to be Greg Allmans 75th birthday .That day I went to Hanks grave site and wouldn’t have known it was there except for you . The concert that night was all the more special because I could see actually see the thread that connects this thing that saved my life , MUSIC .! Keep on trucking Otis !

[@andyford8359]

I'm so lonesome I could cry and Settin the woods on fire are a couple of my favorites.

[@lonestar1123]

I saw the light and tear in my beer

[@julesotis13]

as a non rligious jewish cat i do love i saw he light

[@darrell3368]

Hank Williams is my favorite Country singer of all thanks for sharing and God’s blessings for you and your family

[@sevenmileridgeband]

Thanks for this. Very interesting about the "Folk Singer" moniker. I started a biography of Hank recently, and put it down. I need to get back to it. "Guttural, primitive, and human." Well said Otis. That is the essence and appeal of any artist, and in Hank Williams' case the delivery was pure and simple. Hank truly was for "all time. for all people." What a great description. My wife and I played a few Hank Williams songs yesterday, (and a couple of Townes Van Zandt songs as well), as we should every Jan. 1. There's a sadness about it all, with folks who drink themselves to death. It doesn't have to be that way, but it still happens all the time.

[@robinengland5799]

Loved Hank! Named my son after Luke the Drifter, lot of wisdom in those resertations.

[@MundaSquire]

I thought the last gig was Canton, Ohio, same place Eugene Debs gave his speech that got him jailed. Williams was in car, heading to West Virginia, afterward I believe.

[@RonaldChappell-lp7xx]

I don't know if the radio station. a AM station out of Montgomery. On ever New Year day they would play Hank Williams Sr all day. The Song that I would like to hear would be. My Buckets got a hole init, 😊

[@garvdarb]

Great history lesson Otis. I'm just a 3 fret player . The first song I learned was Ramblin Man then Your Chetin Heart, Lonesome Whistle Blow and more. I listened to your description of him being a Folk singer before C n W was known and how pure his lyrics and music was easy to listen too. We just lost Ian Tyson a few days ago. Another wonderful pure musician, poet and Song writer. Surely missed! Never forgotten!

[@alext.]

By far, the best video of yours that I've enjoyed. Profound and so far-reaching in its influence these many decades later. At 66 years of age, I can say Hank Williams has held a prominent position in my sense of the world and my overall world view, even here in the North Atlantic. Thank you and Happy New Year my brother.

[@solonwoodall1330]

.As the chills bumps go away from your story........Just think of all the songs we will never hear because of his death. I wonder how many more songs he had in him....He seem to write them with ease....Happy New Year Everybody.......... Greetings from Murfreesboro Tennessee

[@scotttrammell3913]

For me, I'd listen to "Kaw-Liga", "I'm so lonesome I could cry", and/or "Hey, good lookin'". But I gotta be in a really dark frame of thought, like, slit-one's-own-throat dark. Kudo's on your channel, this the second video of yours I've listened to, the first being the murder of "Stringbean" Akeman and his wife, Estelle. Keep up the content, as it brings back memories of my Grandparents.

[@TheRWE12]

When folks speak of Hank my minds wanders down the twists and turns of my mind and the 'Lost Highway'.

[@horusheritic]

Excellent video. Enjoyed it much. But we are celebrating Lemmy Kilmister around these parts.

[@ericdguerin]

Great show! I love Hank Williams and have slowly been playing my way through his songbook over the past few years. Lately I've been working on "Lost Highway". I know it was written by Leon Payne but Hank definitely sang it like no one else.

[@lawrenceashlock6392]

Lost Highway, I've placed 3 guitar picks on his grave and played it at his grave. being a Vietnam vet with purple heart, I relate.long live his memory an music. Larry Ashlock, Davison, MI

[@bakmak8199]

I spent an afternoon exploring Oak Hill and Hanks last ride so if you ever get the chance it’s just off I-77 in West Virginia. Also I dont live far from one of the last surviving places Hank recorded at. Herzog Recording Studio in Cincinnati Ohio is where Hank recorded Lovesick Blues and I’m so lonesome I could cry to name a few in the years of 1948-49. It’s also where Flatts and Scruggs recorded Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

[@TheZeekgeek1]

So basically the Tennessee cop was flagrantly caught in the act of extorting the poor kid who drove Hank Williams across state lines through the mountains when Hank died in the car. So he lost money for his work, then got hounded the rest of his life by fans. And Hank was clearly a ladies’ man.

[@purlingbeck9805]

"Singing Waterfall" which was released as a posthumous single in 1956 by MGM. It is always enjoyed when I play and sing it. Check out the cover by Kelly Joe Phelps its stellar!

[@williamlinington9166]

I love the Mothers Best Radio Spots, Followed by the Luke the Drifter recordings.

[@leftwrite]

In 1978 the Skyline Club became the relocated Soak Creek Saloon located on the N. Lamar spot where you filmed. Besides Hank, Elvis played the Skyline, too. The place should have been preserved as a landmark, but like the Armadillo, Liberty Lunch, Castle Creek and so many other cool places to hear great music, it fell to the "progress" of new building and parking lots. You are corrected, it is now a CVS store. Austin used to be so much more cool than it is today.

[@ictengineer738]

For me it was clear which Hank Williams song I would play after listening to your (excellent) tribute to the legendary performer - "Your Cheatin Heart".

[@BubblesBubbles]

Coffee...doobie...Otis ♥

[@treedy52]

He was known as a folksinger but the advertisements for his shows called him a hillbilly singer. As far as the music of his that I most listen to, it's his blues--Moaning the Blues, Long Gone Lonesome Blues, Lonesome Whistle, Lost Highway, etc. I love that bluesy yodel he does when his voice breaks. I also think his gospel songs are underrated. One thing that people get wrong is that they think he was a drunk for his entire career. He was a periodic alcoholic who stayed sober for years. After his back surgery and his wife leaving him was when he got really bad, and he died within a year. Just FYI: The Skyline Club was an AA meeting place in the 1980s before it was torn down.

[@darrylgoodwin7947]

Hank. Bringing together the jazzmen,the squares, and the long hairs. Still does.

[@wongnaichungrd]

Great post Otis. I love Lost Highway such a great song, I know Hank didn’t write it, bit boy he owns it. I get what you say about music Otis. I have a strong background in classical music and play jazz but there’s something like three chords and the truth to use the cliche. I write songs and I try and pare back everything to convey the message, often it’s only 4-5 chords. Happy new year.

[@brad-gu1pt]

I was very young kid looking at a little mono radio tapping my foot for the Cheating Heart then seeing my mom crying .. She said I loved Hank it was a tribute. The next song introduced a kid from tupelo singing a Big MoMA Thornton song that's all right MOMA.

[@michaelsix9684]

Charles Carr, driver who made the trip with Hank, didn't leave written acct. of what happened on the trip, he is now gone

[@Pigsawjanet]

Jambalaya.

[@kerryrasmussen2766]

When I was a kid in the early 60's, my parents had an LP of Hank's "The Immortal Hank Williams." It was mostly a collection of unreleased material scrounged out of the archives, but Hank's voice reached out and grabbed my soul. I have loved his music ever since. September 17, 2023 will be Hank's 100th birthday. It's amazing to think that it is biologically possible that Hank could still be living, even though his life seems like ancient history. The power of his music, though, lives on as strongly as ever. My favorites: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Lost Highway," "Waltz of the Wind," and "Rambling Man."

[@lioness7582]

I wonder if they still sell that LP, in CD form of course.

[@wanagie]

Midnight in Montgomery , because you had mentioned it I had never heard it I listened to Tramp on the Street, also my favorite I'm Still in Love With You. Thanks for all you do Otis.

[@AudioRevive]

My grandfather was a chief X-ray technician /MTSG at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery AL. In the early 1940s, he heard Hank was in the Montgomery County Sanitarium. Back in the day, anyone of higher rank had the authority to remove anyone from their cell. Although, my grandpa probably wasn't supposed to... As the story goes he found Hank there and persuaded him to come back to base with him, in exchange for booze. They managed to sneak Hank onto base and he performed a few songs for Grandpa and his buddies. But eventually, they got caught. And someone got in trouble.😅

[@billlawrence9594]

I listened to Fred Eaglesmiths Alohol and Pills today followed by hank today on Spotify, tomorrow will be Townes and Steve Earle. Also along with a diehard on here I’m also a diehard Orange fan, go CUSE

[@wdude128]

Great video Otis! My favorite song by Hank Williams is Lost Highway. That song tells a great story. Thank you for what you do!

[@RETROTV1394]

Born raised and living in Alabama for nearly 62 years. Hank Sr was the most iconic name in music here . Even all these years later . Good video my friend about a true southern legend.

[@jerryleewillis2492]

Did you know anything about the four orners dance hall in Gridly ,California ? Im wondering if hank once played there. Its long torn down now. Going to work i used to pass by there.Bob Wills and Johnny cash once played there i heard.

[@julesotis13]

I take that personally doctor Say Otis sssss and many others And more often probably Wish we to or feel we do justified In saying thinking feeling We take that personal doctor But the least we take offense At all the things the better That’s the difference it can make Even SJR SF NM Dc 31 2022 For Julesy NYE gig and brother Otis Gibbs

[@josephtravers777]

'Settin' The Woods On Fire' was always my favorite Hank Williams tune.

[@johnfern]

I always loved the Hank Williams song, "Everything's okay." It's one of his talking songs but it's funny as hell with a great message. One of my favorite videos of Hank and Hank Jr. is "A tear in my beer."

[@ministerofdarkness]

"The Singing Waterfall" is definitely my favorite Hank Williams Sr. song. PLAY LOUD

[@wittry2]

I always liked “Move it on Over” his first real hit if I remember right on MGM. Played them all as a country dj.

[@lioness7582]

If his body was stiff in Oak Hill I don't know how they could say he died there,it's where he was found to be dead, poor Hank and also feel very sorry for Carr being just a young man at the time, thank you for a good video..

[@jamesmay4085]

Live at the grand Ole Opry being introduced by Carl Smith doing window shopping. Love it

[@bambam5130]

My great grandpa owened a restaurant in Northwest Florida where Hank use to hang out and Hank let him drive his Cadillac somewhere around 1950 or so

[@danielwakeman9075]

There are too many to have just one favourite. Listening to Mansion on the Hill at the moment, but I will probably land on Ramblin' Man before long.

[@RavioloComboli]

I think Merle Travis used the term country in one of his songs when he was talking about the song and the background of it like he did. Might’ve been Possum up a Simmon Tree. The year was 1946 I think that was released. So it was always around maybe.

[@Drawfornoone]

I've heard he possibly passed through lake charles Louisiana around that time. Is that true?

[@wesleymorris1]

Of course Hank Williams was the first super star. He not only sang them songs but wrote the lyrics and music. Yes it's simple but there still riffs written by him. There some cool little melody's in there.

[@kennethhacker3014]

Great presentation! Nothing has changed in our world the people are still dying young due to pharmaceuticals..dam shame

[@Austin18025]

To answer your question, Luke the Drifter. Love the Luke the Drifter material.

[@jeffhackett6901]

Long Gone Lonesome Blues "I'm going down in it three times, but Lord I'm only comin' up twice."