Legendary country musician Hank Williams is set to have a special batch of 1940s home recordings released as a special limited edition 45 RPM seven-inch vinyl for Record Store Day Black Friday on November 29th. This press, entitled The 1940 Recordings will feature four new songs “Freight Train Blues,” “New San Antonio Rose,” “St. Louis Blues” and “Greenback Dollar,” recorded by an 18 year old Hank Williams.

These recordings will only have 2500 presses, and will be a Record Store Day exclusive release, meaning that no other issues of this recording will be available. Each of these tracks has been restored and remastered by the Grammy-Award winning Hank Williams team, while BMG Rights Management (US) LLC, are the ones responsible for its distribution.

Williams has had several recordings unearthed and rediscovered throughout the years, such as the track “Jambalaya,” which was included in a special box set released in 2017. Last year’s Record Store Day saw the release of Williams’ seven-inch release The First Recordings which were recorded back in 1938, when the singer-songwriter was a mere 16 years old.

As a songwriter Williams was noted for his dark lyrical subject matter, which often revolved around the themes of depression and heartache. His role in music was defined throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s when Williams recorded 35 singles (five of which were released posthumously) that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Country and Western Best Sellers charts.

While Williams was an acclaimed lyricist and performer, the performer suffered from spina bifida occulta, a spinal issue which caused him lifelong back pain. This led to the performer’s many struggles with drug and alcohol addictions, that ultimately led to an early death at the age of 29.

His grandson, the metal and alternative country singer Hank III has some unreleased material from his grandfather, which was supposedly made in a make your own record kiosk.

The 1940 Recordings

A1) “Freight Train Blues” A2) “New San Antonio Rose”
B1)” St. Louis Blues” B2) “Greenback Dollar”