On this somber September day, we turn our thoughts to the legend who cast a long shadow upon the fields of country music—Hank Williams, born on this day in 1923. Like a melancholic refrain echoing through the cold, misty hollows of the South, Hank’s music lingers in the hearts of all who hear it, leaving an indelible mark on the soul. His voice, at once sorrowful and sweet, beckoned like a ghostly whisper from the midnight winds, stirring a deep longing in the human spirit.

In 1951, Hank Williams was reigning as the king of country music. A popular star of the Grand Ole Opry, he was in the midst of an amazing, if short-lived, stretch of hit songs. That year he had his own 15-minute radio show that was sponsored by Mother’s Best Flour. Broadcast from 7:15 -7:30 a.m. on the powerhouse Nashville radio station WSM, this program captured Hank at the apex of his career.

Sixty-seven years ago, on New Year’s Day, Hank Williams Sr., passed away. What he did for music in just a short amount of time (29 years) on this Earth is legendary. Talking about legends, every year on Third Street in Bethlehem, PA, at Godfrey Daniels, a group of local legend musicians gets together to pay homage to Williams Sr. 

Omnivore Recordings will soon release the full-length version of The Garden Spot Programs, 1950, featuring 24 performances, unheard for 64 years, from country music legend Hank Williams. Rescued from obscurity, these shows originally aired more than six decades ago; The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 collects material from the four episodes now known to exist.

If only every day could be like Record Store Day. On a mid-April Saturday, the hearty breed of surviving disc emporiums teem with music fans and crate diggers — all hoping to get their hands on the many limited-edition vinyl records issued by the labels.  Omnivore Recordings will contribute four titles to the Record Store Day mix: Hank Williams’ The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 — Extended Play (eight-song EP on brown vinyl), Jaco Pastorius’ Modern American Music . . . Period!