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CD 1 SONGS OF HANK WILLIAMS
1. You Win Again - vocal by Billy Cowsill
2. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - vocal by Jane Hawley
3 Long Gone Lonesome Blues - vocal by Tom Phillips
4. Lost Highway - vocal by Tim Williams (Leon Payne / Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. / BMI)
5. There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight - vocal by Stewart MacDougall
6. Jambalaya (On The Bayou) - vocal by Jane Hawley
7. Your Cheatin' Heart - vocal by Billy Cowsill
8. My Heart Would Know - vocal by Stewart MacDougall
9. Lovesick Blues - vocal by Tom Phillips (Irving Mills - Cliff Friend / Mills Music Inc. / ASCAP)
10. Take These Chains From My Heart - vocal by Jane Hawley (Hy Heath-Fred Rose / Milene Music, Inc. ASCAP)
11. Hey, Good Lookin' - vocal by Billy Cowsill
12. On The Banks of the Old Ponchartrain - vocal by Tim Williams (Hank Williams - Ramona Vincent / PD)
13. Cold, Cold Heart - vocal by Tom Phillips
14. Men With Broken Hearts - vocal by Stewart MacOougall
15. I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow - vocal by Tim Williams
(Hank Williams - Jimmie Davis / Acuff - Rose Music, Inc. / Hiriam Music / Peer International Corp. / BMI)
All songs (unless otherwise noted): Hank Williams / PD
CD 2 TOUCHED BY THE SPIRIT OF HANK
1. Alberta Winds - vocal by Tim Williams (T. Williams / D. Williams Loose Music SOCAN)
2. I'm A Little Bit Lonesome (and Just a little bit blue) - vocal by Bill Cowsill (William Joseph Cowsill Jr. BMI)
3. The Starlight Motel - vocal by Tom Phillips (Tom Phillips Tunzen Music SOCAN)
4. Sympathetic Heart - vocal by Jane Hawley (Jane Hawley Shut Up & Sing Music SOCAN)
5. If You're Still There - vocal by Stewart MacDougall (Stewart MacDougall Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN)
6. Hotter Than Fire - vocal by Billy Cowsill (William J. Cowsill Jr. CDW PublishingBMI)
7. Wouldn't It Be Nice - vocal by Jane Hawley (Jane Hawley Shut Up & Sing Music SOCAN)
8. I'm Not Missing You At All - vocal by Tim Williams (Tim Williams Cayse Music SOCAN)
9. I Was Gonna Clean Up A Little (but I messed up bad instead) - vocal by Tom Phillips (Tom Phillips Tunzen Music SOCAN)
10. Wrong Side Of The Hill - vocal by Stewart MacDougall (Stewart MacDougall Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN)
11. Please Check Your Heart At The Door - vocal by Jane Hawley (Jane Hawley Shut Up S Sing Music SOCAN)
12. Wherever There's A Party - vocal by Tom Phillips (Tom Phillips Tunzen Music SOCAN)
13. For Loving You - vocal by Tim Williams (Tim Williams Loose Music SOCAN)
14. It's Over When Somebody Wins - vocal by Stewart MacDougall (Stewart MacDougall / William J. Cowsill Jr.Trouble Clef Music Ltd. SOCAN / William Joseph Cowsill Jr. BMI)
15. It's Over Now - vocal by Billy Cowsill (William J. Cowsill Jr. / William Josepn Cowsill Jr. BMI)
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In any career in American popular culture can be described as meteoric, it would be that of the late country singer / songwriter Hank Williams. His professional recording career lasted only six years – his reign at the top of the country charts lasted a mere four years and yet he left a volume of work behind which dwarfs those of other icons who died before their time. Robert Johnson left little over two dozen recordings, and James Dean a handful of films, whereas Hank Williams created more than 80 single recordings (including posthumous releases) and literally ruled the country charts for four solid years. After honing his musical skills (and his fondness for liquor) in beer joints and schoolhouse dances in his native Alabama, he burst on the national scene with the recording of “The Lovesick Blues” and a legendary six encores for his first Grande Ole Opry performance. He was the bridge between the musics of Bill Monroe and Elvis Presley, one hand reaching into old-time country music while the other hand played the blues and pointed the way toward rockabilly. After a very public divorce and re-marriage, after being fired by the Opry when his drinking and drug addiction made him chronically unreliable, he died of an overdose after mixing prescription drugs and liquor in the back seat of a Cadillac on his way to a New Year’s Day show on January 1, 1953. He was twenty-nine years old, and left behind a canon of songs which will be performed as long as the human voice and hand make music, as long as the joy and despair of the human conditions remains constant.
The premise for this recording was simple: select five from Alberta’s large community of singers and songwriters, back them with a skilled and sensitive band, and record three of each artist’s favorite Hank Williams songs; then record three originals by each artist which they feel were, in some way, touched by Williams’ spirit and legacy. The sessions took place on consecutive days for just over a week, in the autumn of 2004. Many were cut old-school, live off the studio floor. The lines between producer, artists and band quickly blurred, with suggestions coming from all quarters and artists joining with the studio band on one another’s tracks. The whole process was a reaffirmation of the joy of making music.
This recording is dedicated to the memory of Joel Shortt, founder and owner of Ruby Moon Records. Husband, father, friend, lawyer and discerning music lover, his untimely death during the mixing of threes tracks left a hold if the lives of everyone he touched.
TIM WILLIAMS
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BILLY COWSILL
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Billy joined his siblings in The Cowsills, whose singles included the hit Hair; (also produced by Billy). After leaving the group he carried on a busy solo career, and was a member of two of Western Canada's finest bands, The Blue Shadows and the Co-Dependents. Now making his home in Calgary, Billy appears here as vocalist, harmony vocalist, acoustic rhythm guitarist and co-producer of the vocal tracks. Discs currently in print include The Co-Dependents: Live at The Mecca volumes one and two, and Live From the Crystal Ballroom, a solo cd featuring a young Colin James on lead guitar, all available from Indelible Music of Calgary.
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JANE HAWLEY
Born into a musical family in Toronto, Jane has
lived in Southern Alberta for several years and been
active as a member of two formidable bands, Junior
Gone Wild and Beautiful Joe, as well as featured
vocalist with her own band. Jane appears here on
vocals, harmony vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar and
fiddle. She has two independent cd releases, As We Walk On Thin Ice and Letters To Myself. Making her
home with her family on a ranch in the foothills of
the Rockies, she is currently writing songs for
a third solo release.
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STEWART MACDOUGALL
Since heading west from the Maritimes over twenty-five years ago, Stewart has been one of Alberta's busiest and most diverse musicians,
working with Laura Vinson, k.d. lang, Ian Tyson and the Great Western Orchestra. His songs have been recorded by all these artists and others, including Randy Travis. A stalwart of the music scene in his adopted hometown of Edmonton, Stewart's discography includes three solo recordings (independent): Gathering Time, Hearsay and Ghost Trains. He is heard here as vocalist and pianist.
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TOM PHILLIPS
Tom was born in Calgary, and raised in Calgary and Bragg Creek, Alberta. Tom has been a musician most of his life, with a second career as a bookseller. His love of literature informs his finely crafted songs, which he began writing at age twelve. With his fine honky-tonk band, The Men Of Constant Sorrow, he has recorded three independent cds: the self titled debut disc,The Essential .. (both independent), and the live King of the Broken Heart (Ruby Moon Records). He has also released on acoustic cd, High Flyer (independent). Tom is heard here on vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar.
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TIM WILLIAMS
Since leaving his native California in 1970, Tim has been a mainstay of the roots music scene in Western Canada for thirty-five years, calling Calgary home for the last fifteen. As a performer of vintage blues and ragtime (and his own songs) he has traveled much of the world, appearing at folk, blues, jazz and guitar festivals. A busy producer, he has worked on more than forty recordings for other artists in that role, and played on literally hundreds of sessions as a studio multi-instrumentalist. Appearing here on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, dobro and mandolin (plus producing the sessions), Tim's current discogranhy includes Passed Through Here: Selected Recordings and Tim Williams and the Electro-Fires: Live At Kaos (both Cayuse Music) and Triple Threat: The Terra Firma Boogie (Storm Warning).
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THE PLAYERS
Tim Leacock - acoustic and electric guitars, harmony vocals
Kit Johnson - acoustic bass, harmony vocals
Thorn Moon - drums
Charlie Veilleux - steel guitar, pedal steel guitar
Ron Casat - accordion
Produced by Tim Williams
Joel Stiortt, executive producer
Recorded at Sundae Sound, Calgary (Dave Alcock, engineer)
Mastered by Dave Horrocks for Infinite Wave
Design by Station Studios Inc.
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