A Legend Unearthed

Hank Williams- what more can be said about this man? He is an absolute legend in American music. A fan of country music or not, his name and music are indisputably well known. Whenever a performance of country music’s master is finally unearthed and polished for release, its time to sit down, crack it open and listen.

The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 takes place over the course of four different shows, all featuring six tracks of some of Hank Williams’ most beloved songs, such as “A Mansion on The Hill,” and a few different performances of “Lovesick Blues,” as well as introduction and commentary from the show’s host. The audio to these long lost tapes are beautifully restored and sounds better than some of the similar music released today. In fact, these tracks are most likely recorded from the sound board, providing the best possible quality recording available from the day it was taped; and with 24 tracks, it is a wondrous experience having them to all sound so good.

The next point of praise is the sheer size of Prorgams; on this record, Omnivore Recordings were able to provide 24 tracks, a bounty for anyone who longs for the true country classics. The performances themselves, for the greater part, are incredibly well done. The songs sound clean, are played correctly and display the band’s prowess in their field. Don’t let the track size frighten you, as most of the songs are pretty short (the closing track “Oh! Susanna” being the longest at 4:11), so the album passes quickly and sweetly.

Hank Williams and his band’s performances of 1950’s Garden Spot Programs are certainly not anything to pass up. His name still manages to release lost performances pretty regularly, however, this one is a particular jewel amongst his work. The closing track also features a morose and grim promise that Hank Williams would “Be back ‘fore too long” and “I’ll see you again.” All in all, this is undoubtedly worth a listen. It is, after all, Hank Williams.