The Hank Williams Albums Ranked
Hank Williams looms large in country and general music iconography. But that presence was made, in part, posthumously. Williams famously died on New Year’s Day 1953 at age 29. The outpouring of sorrow and love from the fans he had steadily accrued from radio appearances and hit singles reached a volume not quite seen during his lifetime, especially as the recording industry had mostly brought Williams into the top charts’ spotlight only through other stars’ covers of the great songs he wrote and performed. Only in death did Williams become what we’d call a “crossover” success, and the music industry capitalized on this with decades of reissues that, in number, dwarf Williams’ original work. The careers of Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams III have continued to keep the legacy of their father and grandfather, respectively, alive, but past all the hero worship (which is of course deserved to some extent), a listener will find a troubled yet hopeful man who wrote, and then performed himself in a way that was certainly not common at the time, many incredible songs.
Working at a time when the album was not the commonly accepted form of full-fledged music release measurement, Williams’ records were never crafted as cohesive concepts by him, instead serving as collections of singles sometimes arranged with some similarity or another. Ranked here are the seven albums released during Williams’ life or just a few years after his death, over the four years from 1951 to 1955. This represents the initial run at bringing the musician’s incredible catalog to longer formats before the decades of greatest hits compilations, completionist retrospectives, and “revived from the grave” duets with his family.
#7 — HANK WILLIAMS AS LUKE THE DRIFTER (1953)
Favorite track: “Ramblin’ Man”
Williams’ Luke the Drifter persona is a perfect encapsulation of the dichotomy within the man. Using the pseudonym to deliver talking blues, gospel, and story songs in a more downtempo way, Williams was circumventing some of the limits placed upon him as a star within a country music industry based on juke joint hits. HANK WILLIAMS AS LUKE THE DRIFTER was a posthumous release that mostly collected these offbeat works, but also carried more typical ballads like “Ramblin’ Man.” The result is an album that, as you can see, ends up as Williams’ “worst.” But that is an incredibly relative evaluation, as LUKE THE DRIFTER is indeed a good record. Where it falls is, perhaps fittingly, not providing the same level of ear-pleasing songwriting talent that defines Williams’ best tunes. LUKE THE DRIFTER is absolutely a worthwhile listen, but its tales and morals collectively provide less sustainable enjoyment than any other album in the icon’s discography.
#6 — I SAW THE LIGHT (1954)
Favorite track: “I Saw the Light”
Although I explained that Williams’ albums aren’t really centered on specific themes and that LUKE THE DRIFTER is a unique example of his attempt to get “serious” messages across, I SAW THE LIGHT complicates both those assertions. In fact, it and LUKE THE DRIFTER were posthumous intents to craft an experience from assortments of prior recordings; the latter obviously for Williams’ pseudonym work and the former for religious lyricism. Believe it or not, as an atheist I actually quite enjoy gospel and other instances of religious music. But within the scope of Williams’ work, a whole run through such songs does not soar above. I SAW THE LIGHT’s titular track is actually a Hank Williams all-timer, and the ones that follow it are still pleasant listens, but together, they don’t carry the emotional range and energy to be found on other releases.
#5 — HANK WILLIAMS SINGS (1951)
Favorite track: “I Saw the Light”
You may notice the crossover in favorite track between this debut album, HANK WILLIAMS SINGS, and I SAW THE LIGHT. That’s because, although I endeavored to only pull together “original” Williams’ records that brought his songs to the album format first, there were a few holdover hits represented across them. That being said, HANK WILLIAMS SINGS is ironically a collection of lesser-known tunes from the country hitmaker. After about a decade of performing and life troubles, he was entering a prosperous time of his career at the turn of the 1950s. MGM capitalized on this with a 10-inch collection of songs they deemed obscure enough to sacrifice to the new-ish format. After all, why have people buy eight songs for a lower price per tune if you could have them buy singles? In any event, in hindsight, Williams’ first album stands as an incredible showcase of old-school country, no matter the commercial status of it or the songs on it at the time. HANK WILLIAMS SINGS is full of emotional resonance that is still affecting so many decades later.
#4 — RAMBLIN’ MAN (1955)
Favorite track: “Ramblin’ Man”
I wish I could ascertain that RAMBLIN’ MAN, the last of Williams’ albums in this “canonical” run I’ve established, also came after the “longest” gap between records at just about a year to illustrate that the singer’s presence was not only not lessened by his death, but enlarged, but release dates from the time were not really uniform, reliable, or tracked. Regardless, what is clear is that RAMBLIN’ MAN is a great collection of songs. On some level, ranking Williams’ albums is a matter of counting the number of absolute bangers over “just good” classic country tracks, as the sonic approach over his career is not markedly different, nor is its quality. By that metric, RAMBLIN’ MAN is neither the least good nor the best, but still a wonderful procession of Williams’ plaintive voice and his (or Don Helms’) steel guitar.
#3 — HONKY TONKIN’ (1954)
Favorite track: “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)”
I haven’t given much space to just why Williams appeals so much to me. There’s something about the recording quality of the time that is endlessly nostalgic, even though I wasn’t even remotely alive then. There’s something about Williams’ drawl. And there’s something about the twang of the guitars. But these are all elements united by Williams’ truly insightful arrangements and songwriting skills, with which he was able to make tear-jerking ballads as well as bouncy fun. HONKY TONKIN’, as suggested by its title, is an album of mostly the latter. The jangle of the album is best exemplified by “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” a song featuring Williams’ playful vocal modulation, but it’s just one piece of a mostly lighthearted and uplifting release. HONKY TONKIN’ has its share of blues, but it’s most successful as an old-school country party album.
#2 — MOANIN’ THE BLUES (1952)
Favorite track: “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
The second and final of Williams’ albums released during his life, MOANIN’ THE BLUES is a downtempo and reflective collection of songs befitting its title. Its eight tracks represent a master class in the era’s approach to country-blues. MOANIN’ THE BLUES, after the collection of relative obscurities that was HANK WILLIAMS SINGS, was a more concerted effort to bring hits into the longer format. Therefore, you have standouts like “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Long Gone Lonesome Blues,” just two examples among a run of all killer no filler. MOANIN’ THE BLUES doesn’t quite represent the whole gamut of Williams’ nuances and talents, but its introspective sadness still carries beautiful heartbreak to this day.
#1 — MEMORIAL ALBUM (1953)
Favorite track: “Cold, Cold Heart”
It’s quite rare that a posthumous album stands as an artist’s best. But then, MEMORIAL ALBUM isn’t quite in the vein of the dips into the well like 2Pac’s latter-day releases or even Williams’ “own” later “collaborations” with his son and grandson. Released shortly after his death with, as you could tell from the title, the full intent to reflect (and capitalize) on Williams’ too-soon demise and the great work he had nevertheless already left behind, the record doesn’t carry a single miss. And as opposed to MOANIN’ THE BLUES, MEMORIAL ALBUM serves up a more diverse cross-section of experiences the singer-songwriter was capable of creating. The range doesn’t confuse the listening experience, instead ably tapping into the various parts of himself that Williams imbued into his songs. MEMORIAL ALBUM is nearly a greatest hits compilation, but because it brought eight outstanding tracks onto an LP for the first time, it instead acts as an original record that is cohesively great yet varied in tone, making it Williams’ best.
