Lost Hank Williams Recordings.

But will they be hybrid SACD mono releases or remastered into 5.1 like some of those Elvis mono master tapes onto DVD-A? Sounds interesting:

Richard.


Hank Williams 'lost songs' freed
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Nashville court has freed for release 150 "lost songs" recorded by country star Hank Williams.

The catalog was ruled to be the exclusive property of the singer's heirs -- son Hank Williams Jr. and daughter Jett Williams.

Since the late 1980s, Jett Williams has had transcription discs of pre-produced segments that Williams recorded in 1951 for "Mother's Best Flour Show," a 15-minute show that once aired on WSM-AM 650.

The discs contain live versions of some of his greatest hits, plus 40 songs that were never commercially released, such as "On Top of Old Smokey" and "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain."

There's enough material for four new original Hank Williams albums, said Keith Adkinson, Jett Williams' husband and the lawyer who filed the lawsuit.

"It's like Hank came back and visited us on his 80th and presented us with a whole new fruit basket of wonderful things," Adkinson told The Tennessean newspaper Thursday.

Through publicist Kirt Webster, Hank Williams Jr. said of the resolution, "It worked out the way Daddy would've wanted."

Hank Williams would have celebrated his 80th birthday on Sept. 17. He was found dead in the back seat of his Cadillac on New Year's Day 1953. The official cause of death was heart failure.

Over the years, Jett Williams has been approached by companies that wanted to market the recordings, Adkinson said. But they have been in a legal tangle since late 1997, when she filed an injunction against Legacy Entertainment Group LLC and its two principals.

Adkinson said Legacy was telemarketing an adulterated version of the recordings that they got from Williams' former bassist, Hillous Butrum. Hank Williams Jr. also was a plaintiff to that lawsuit.

Chancery Court Judge Irvin Kilcrease granted a motion Friday for summary judgment finding that the two heirs own the property and that only they can release it.

Kevin Norwood, president of Legacy Entertainment and a Nashville lawyer, said Wednesday, "We disagree with the decision and we do intend to appeal."


"I spent all my money, on women, guitars and playin', the rest I just wasted."

 

I have a couple of those shows. My friend's father found the discs in the trash dumpster. He transferred them to 1/4" tape in the 70's and has now put them onto CD's. They actually sound pretty clear. It's an interesting listen. Bradley, what did you think of the show?

 

I can't wait to hear these. I wonder when they'll start releasing them.

 

The show was great and I want all of them.

 

I own many Hank Williams Cee Dee's...This is EXCITING NEWS!!!
I can't wait to hear that stuff Jamie, How many Cee Dee's did you friend fill? Total songs?...

 

I have one of the shows.

I'll PM you.

 

I emailed my friend who has all the shows. Here's the actual story:



Jamie,

Your version of the story is better than mine, but I think this is a fairly accurate account:

In 1951 Hank & the Drifting Cowboys were doing a daily radio spot on WSM for Mother's Best Flower. Grant Turner was the host. When Hank and the boys went out on the road they prerecorded the shows direct to disc. At that time, I think it was more of an acetate rather than vinyl, not intended for long storage, really only one use.
But pack rats prevailing, they were stuffed in a closet somewhere and finally
rediscovered around 1997, and tossed in a dumpster because they just looked
like a pile of garbage to some young intern who was record challenged.
However, and fortunately for all of us, a popular photographer downtown (who's name I
can recall) witnessed the travesty and recovered the discs. He brought the
recordings to Hillous Butrum, former Drifting Cowboy who had an office on the
Row, and offered them to him. Even though Hillous wasn't on any of those
recordings, the photographer figured since Hillous was with Hank at one time, he
had some sort of right by association to the discs. And of course, Hillous had
nothing but dollar sign in his eyes. The first thing ole Hillous proceeded to
do was to take Don Helms and Jerry Rivers "off" the recordings by overdubbing
a different steel and a different fiddle. The he found a distributor for the
music, called a press conference. He even paid Don Helms $1000 to give up
any rights and claims to the music. The press conference drew the attention of
Jett Williams' lawyer husband Keith Adkinson and he immediately put a cease and
desist order on the discs. The entire matter has been in court up until
recently, when it was declared that Jett and Hank, Jr are the rightful owners of
the material. Since it was not "recorded" as such for posterity, WSM or MGM
have no legal claim to the material, except for any possible copyright
royalties and publishing agreements to individual songs. So hopefully, Jett and Jr
will do the right thing and take care of Don, because is playing and singing is
all over those 63 shows. And he is truly the last Drifting Cowboy.
Hope that helps. Keep in touch. One of these days I'll get out your way again.

MP