"Honky Tonk Blues" was a hit country and western song written and performed by Hank Williams. The original 1952 recording was a major hit, and it later became a hit for later-day superstar Charley Pride.
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The song was about a young farmboy who leaves his father's farm for the enticements of the city, only to become worn down and disillusioned. Williams' version reached No. 2 on the Billboard magazine country best-sellers chart.
| Chart (1952) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2 |
The title served as the name for a documentary about Williams broadcast by PBS as part of its American Masters series.[1] The documentary was also shown at the 48th London Film Festival in 2004.[2]
Since the release of Williams' hit version, the song has been covered by Doc Watson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (with Watson for the album Will the Circle Be Unbroken), Jason & the Scorchers and Williams' son, Hank Williams, Jr.
Huey Lewis and the News covered the song on their 1983 album Sports.
The song was covered in 1990 by Pirates of the Mississippi. Their version was released as a single, and peaked at No. 26. In 2004, The Kentucky Headhunters also covered the song on their Big Boss Man album.
Dion Dimucci covered "Honky Tonk Blues" on his 2007 Grammy Nominated album, "Bronx in Blue".
Richard & Linda Thompson do a live version on the 2010 Deluxe Edition of Shoot Out the Lights.
| "Honky Tonk Blues" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Charley Pride | ||||
| from the album There's a Little Bit of Hank in Me | ||||
| Released | January 1980 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | country | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Hank Williams | |||
| Charley Pride singles chronology | ||||
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The most successful cover version was by Charley Pride; his version reached the top of the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in April 1980.
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Preceded by "Sugar Daddy" by The Bellamy Brothers |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single April 12, 1980 |
Succeeded by "It's Like We Never Said Goodbye" by Crystal Gayle |
| Preceded by "I'd Love to Lay You Down" by Conway Twitty |
RPM Country Tracks number-one single April 26, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Two Story House" by George Jones and Tammy Wynette |
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