Hank's Still 29 (in Honor of Hank Williams, Sr.'s Birthday)
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- čas přidán 16. 09. 2023
- In early August, I was watching random music on CZcams, when I happened to think of how my friend Sam Ensley, along with his son Sam, Jr. and Wayde Powell, III, used to have a music show on a local cable channel. They called their band Roots & Branches. There's another band by that name now, but to me, I'll always remember them as the original Roots & Branches, even though they are disbanded now. Their show was running in the late 90's and early 2000's. They always made good music, and their show was a lot of fun. They played a wide range of music, including some of the most creative originals I've ever heard from a local band. There was just no telling what kind of songs or music you would hear when you tuned into the show. Anyway, when I remembered their show, I searched CZcams and was surprised to find nothing at all from their show. However, I found several uploads of Sam singing some of his original songs, such as "Brasstown Boy" and "Everywhere I've Ever Been." I commented favorably on every video I found. These videos were on various channels, rather than on one single channel. The next day, to my surprise, Sam called me. Talk about coincidences. We had planned to do a song together for the 2023 Story Song Series back in March, but Sam came down ill. Since that time, he has been battling cancer and also had a bout with Covid. We talked about trying again, and I met with Sam at Martins Creek School on Friday 8/11 to try a story song together. We wound up talking for about 4 hours, mostly music stories. One of the cool things for me, when it comes to talking to Sam, is that he knows some Louvin Brothers stories that I don't know, and I know some that he doesn't know, so we get to swap. :-) We planned to play a short set together the following day at the Byron Herbert Reece Center in North Georgia. Sam let me borrow an old Roots & Branches CD to learn some of the songs we would play in the show. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the show because Sam was feeling poorly. I was blown away by the CD. I already had a copy somewhere in my house, which I had gotten back in the 90's, but it was far better than I realized back then. When I heard track 6 (Hank's Still 29), I knew I had to use it on Hank's birthday. I remember hearing it back when Sam wrote it. At that time, I tried to convince him to enter it into a songwriting contest, but he never did. Back in 2019, I wrote a song about Pap, called "A Wonder." I think the format that Sam created in "Hank's Still 29" probably had a subconscious influence on my song. If you're familiar with "A Wonder," you know that it describes ascending ages and associated events in Pap's life. Though in my song, no one is frozen in time, like Hank is in Sam's song. I think Sam's song is brilliant, especially the way he used touchstone lines from Hank's songs and connected them to his own life events. I appreciate him letting me share the song with you. Lord willing, I hope to share more from Sam next March during our story song series. Thank you for watching. Tune in for another video tomorrow. I put Sam's lyrics below:
On New Year's, 1953, my grandmaw and I cried,
When we heard the news on the radio, they said Hank Williams died.
I only knew him through his songs, but he seemed like a friend of mine.
I was barely 12 years old, and Hank was 29.
Goodbye, Joe. Me gotta go. Me-oh-my-oh.
About to fail in college, had make a speech 'bout who we thanked.
Some thanked Abe; some thanked George; I just thanked 'ole Hank.
We'd sit around and listen to him during study time.
I was in my nineteenth year, and Hank was 29.
Say Hey, goodlookin', how's about cooking something up with me?
With a marriage wrong and wife long gone, I thought I couldn't win.
I dug out all Hank's old records and listened to 'em over again.
We drank and sang about how love hurts until I finished cryin'.
I was 31 years old and Hank was 29.
Your cheatin' heart... will tell on you.
Life slowed down going up love's hill. On the downside, it took off.
If the passing years were lightpoles, they'd look like corduroy cloth.
With grayin' hair and fadin' eyes, got the mid-life 40 blues.
Hank was still just 29 when I turned 42.
I was moanin', moanin' the blues.
Now time just keeps on clickin' along, like ties on a railroad track.
I pay more attention to where I am, 'cause I probably won't be back.
Now, I might die tomorrow or live to 109.
It won't matter how old I get, Hank'll still be 29.
No matter how I struggle and strive, I'll never get out of this world alive.
Just a picture from life's other side...
Listen to original singles released on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6Z...
Listen to original singles on CZcams:
/ @paulwilson6260
Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016):
open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOy... - Hudba
I remember listening to Hank Williams, Sr. On the Radio.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANK..
Ole Hank! Nobody could sang like Hank! A Great Tribute! Thank you.... ❤❤
Very true, Karen. Thanks!
Love ole Hank!
Blessings,
Allison 🍁
Enjoyed this song very much.....Peter
My mama love Hank'Happy Birthday Hank.Great job on the song and thank for sharing with us.God Bless y'all.
Thanks, Jimmy. Hank created an amazing amount of great music in a very short time here on earth.
What a great song! Brilliant story telling. Meaningful lyrics. ❤️ Remembering Hank Williams on his birthday.💐🕯️ (Knoxville,TN)
Thanks, Janet. Glad you liked Sam's song. :-)
That's a catchy song. As a boy I had Hank's pictures and articles on the wall and knew his songs. Later in my 20s I met one of his neighbors and got to learn more about him. He done a lot of living in his years. Thanks for sharing this.
It's always cool to meet someone connected to one of the greats! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I absolutely love this. It brings back memories of my mom who I just lost to lung cancer and God April 6. I sang a lot (probably all) of Hank Sr..😢.
Thanks, Brenda. There's no telling in how many ways or for how many people Hank's songs have brought comfort and a sense of relatability during difficult times.
What an awesome way to start the morning! Happy Birthday Hank!
Many thanks, Paul, for posting Sam Ensley's very fitting birthday tribute to The Original Hank, a.k.a. Luke The Drifter. 👍
Oh that was gooood!!!! 😃 Good job! 🥰
Thanks for this. Beautiful. 😢😊
Love it! Hank was a big part of my early childhood. My mama and daddy loved him! Mr Sam sure did a great song there. Thank you for sharing.
Great tribute
I didn’t realize he was so young when he passed.❤️🙏
Most people don't, Gary. He looked much, much older the last year or so before he passed, mostly due to drugs and poor health.
Love it ❤
Praise the Lord, I saw the light 🌞♥️😢😢😢
Thanks Paul
Happy Birthday to the Hillbilly Shakespeare! Very nice tribute, thank you!
Happy Birthday in heaven brother hank
Thanks Paul, for the song, and for the interesting background.
Thanks for watching!
I grew up listening to The Grand Ole Oort on Saturday nights that is a song I hadn’t heard but I like it a lot. The microphone with WSM is a memory too.
Thanks, Grammy!
@@BlindPigAndTheAcorn you’re very welcome
Hank was the best.
Thanks, great tribute. I love to listen to Hank especially when he's singing gospel.
Mr. Sam Ensley - this is a great song!! I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you, Paul, for the introduction to him. I would love to hear more of his music!! I envy you in so many ways, Paul! First, you grew up in the house you did, with the two fantastic parents God blessed you with. (I had great parents, too, I just wish, though, that we had grown up next to each other because I would have loved knowing your parents in my formative years. What a great influence you had!) Secondly, you got to hear such great radio shows as your friends’, the Wilson Brothers, and more like them. In San Diego, we did not have the kind of radio programming you got to hear in your region. Wolfman Jack broadcasting from Tijuana Mexico was way before my listening ears in my part of the United States. I don’t remember anything like him by the time I was a teenager, not that my parents would have let me listen to him anyways. Growing up only twenty minutes from the Mexican border, all the programming I remember coming from there was in Spanish. And from San Diego I simply don’t remember anything close to what you had. You - you got the kind of radio programs I wish I had then and now. I loved your description for this song. Every bit of it was interesting! Thank you for posting this. You yourself are my absolute favorite to watch and listen to, but I love everything you post and write even if you aren’t in the video. Your taste runs pretty parallel to mine, so I truly enjoy all the new people and songs I get to hear through you. Thank you!!
Donna. : )
Thanks, Donna. Glad you enjoyed the song. When I was a little kid, I thought Wolfman Jack was the coolest. :-)
I had to double check what I clicked, at first I assumed Chris LeDoux was the one singing.
Interesting. I'll have to tell Sam that.
That's cute.