A man of the century hits the century mark. Tributes here from Dylan, the Beatles and Stones, Emmylou, Waylon, Sheryl Crow, Linda Ronstadt, Tim Hardin, and James Brown (!).
Good ol' Hank! One thing I think is always missing when we talk about the early, wild days of guys like Hank and Johnny Cash is that the demands of the business at the time included a lot of travel, usually by road, at a time when the interstate highway system we have today was just barely being built. This contributed to a lot of particular substance abuse problems those guys had; they didn't have tour busses with drivers much, so they were driving long hours like truckers between gigs; and like truckers, often resorted to chemical means to keep the pace up. The drinking came along with that, to smooth the edges; and they'd come off the road with some pretty fierce habits, and also health problems that they "treated" with more alcohol. That's what took Hank's life, and messed up a lot of others'. Just don't want that to be lost in the glamor of hindsight.
Thanks so much! When I think of country, Hank William's songs are what play in my head.
Good ol' Hank! One thing I think is always missing when we talk about the early, wild days of guys like Hank and Johnny Cash is that the demands of the business at the time included a lot of travel, usually by road, at a time when the interstate highway system we have today was just barely being built. This contributed to a lot of particular substance abuse problems those guys had; they didn't have tour busses with drivers much, so they were driving long hours like truckers between gigs; and like truckers, often resorted to chemical means to keep the pace up. The drinking came along with that, to smooth the edges; and they'd come off the road with some pretty fierce habits, and also health problems that they "treated" with more alcohol. That's what took Hank's life, and messed up a lot of others'. Just don't want that to be lost in the glamor of hindsight.
Wonderful Greg
Excellent, Greg! 🙌🏼