For Hank Williams Fans, These Radio Recordings Are a Must-Own

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Hank Williams
The Garden Spot Recordings, 1950
Omnivore

For someone who passed away in 1953, country-music giant Hank Williams has been awfully productive recently. In 2011, a massive 15-CD set of his radio recordings for Mother’s Best Flour expanded the canon in a major way. Now, here’s a single-disc collection of four radio shows sponsored by Naughton Farms plant nurseries, and it’s a delight. Along with Williams classics like “Lovesick Blues,” “Wedding Bells” and “Mind Your Own Business,” The Garden Spot Recordings, 1950 also features lesser-known gems such as “I’ll Be a Bachelor ‘Til I Die” and “I Don’t Care (If Tomorrow Never Comes).” Add a dash of folksy chatter, a consistently hot band, and amazingly good sound given that the source material is ancient transcription discs, and the result is a must for fans of the “Hillbilly Shakespeare.”