20 All-Time Country Classics from the Genre's Most Influential Icon!

Once in a great while a truly superlative musical talent comes along, it only happens a handful of times per century, and one of those times "it" was Hank Williams. Despite his swift and total rise to superstardom by the age of 25, by 29 he was dead in the back of his own Cadillac, but it is what happened in the interim that made all the difference.

For all the mystery, myth and misinformation surrounding the life and times of Hank Williams, one truth remains unchallenged: no one in the history of country music (perhaps in all of popular music) has so profoundly influenced those who followed. It is now more than sixty years since his passing - double the time than he spent on earth - and still he serves as the model for countless singers and his songs are cited as the highest standard of the writer's craft.

From 1947 to 1953 Hank Williams recorded 66 songs under his own name, of which 37 were hits, enough to last country music stations for the next half a century and beyond. Williams had 11 #1 hits in his career ("Lovesick Blues," "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," "Why Don't You Love Me," "Moanin' the Blues," "Cold, Cold, Heart," "Hey Good Lookin'," "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," "Kaw-Liga'," "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Take These Chains From My Heart") as well as many more Top 10 hits.