His Greatest Hits, Volume 1 - Honky Tonkin'

Through Fred Rose, Hank gained his first recording contract with the small New York-based STERLING label and for whom he recorded two four-title sessions, in December 1946 and the following February. Heard on this CD from those first recordings are "Calling You", "Never Again (Will I Knock On Your Door)", "I Don't Care If Tomorrow Never Comes" and "Pan American". Whilst all were claimed Williams originals, the melodies and themes were sometimes 'borrowed'; thus "Pan American" owed more than a little to "The Wabash Cannon Ball".Although the STERLING releases did not set the world on fire, Fred Rose was sufficiently encouraged to persuade the newly-formed M-G-M record label, offshoot of the giant Hollywood film company, to give Hank a chance. The first M-G-M session took place in April 1947 in Nashville, using musicians from Red Foley's band, including Zeke Turner on lead guitar and Tommy Jackson on fiddle. The result was Hank's first hit, "Move It On Over", the start of many. A further session took place in August 1947, producing the a-typical "Fly Trouble" and "On The Banks Of The Old Pontchartrain", followed by two studio days in November to lay down tracks ahead of the Musicians' Union recording ban due to start at the beginning of 1948. Amongst other gems, the November sessions produced "Honky Tonkin'" (a re-make of a STERLING cut), "Rootie Tootie", "The Blues Come Around" and "I'm A Long Gone Daddy", this last proving to be a big 1948 hit.