In the Hank Williams Tradition (1995)

For country music fans, In the Hank Williams Tradition is as good as it gets. This affectionate tribute combines a concise biography of Hank Williams Sr. with reminiscences by such Nashville greats as Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, and Minnie Pearl, and performances of Williams's classics by some of country's finest contemporary artists. Randy Travis's moving rendition of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and Emmylou Harris's mellow take on "Half as Much" are just two examples of talk and music from a stellar lineup including Ricky Skaggs, Dwight Yoakam, Waylon Jennings, and others, all matching their own longevity with the timelessness of Hank Sr.'s musical legacy. Hank Williams Jr. recalls his father from "snapshots of memory," while Hank Sr. lives on through well-chosen performance clips that fully demonstrate his enduring appeal. A superstar jam on "I Saw the Light" puts a spiritual spin on Hank Sr.'s tragically short life, giving this 60-minute program a fitting tone of reverence and respect. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Much Appriciated

This video is appriciated by all who see it, and hear it. These songs are
well known to all of us who live in Nashville, "Music City". Many folks here feel Country has developed away from the Original. Yet this video seems to capture the simple singing from the heart which is the essence
of the tradtion. This is not a 'Hollywood' video with all the glamour,
glitz, and hype. These are the simple songs from the gut, which todays country sometimes forgets. While making this comment, Hank Williams Jr
is well known but does not serve to represent his father's style in this traditon . Hank Jr is Mr Monday Nite Football, not necessarily a Music City Original.
September 22, 2008

Skaggs Performs An Incredible Rendition Of Alone & Forsaken!

I first saw this program on television about 10 or 12 years ago. It was the beginning of an interest/passion for the music of Hank Williams, SR. He was an astounding songwriter and a "pure original"! My favorite part of this program is Ricky Skaggs singing the Hank Williams classic "Alone and Forsaken". He (Skaggs) renders an absolutely haunting verison of that tune that literally gives me goosebumps when I (re)listen to it. I would recommend anyone getting this DVD for that alone if not for anything else. There are many of Williams's songs performed by various country artists throughout this hour-long celebration of the country music legend. I am glad I bought this DVD. November 25, 2004

A must have

To gain a proper understanding of Hank's influence on country music, this is a must have video. Hosted by Dwight Yoakam, this documentary gives an inside glimpse into Hank's personal life and his last days. Of particular interest are the Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff interviews as both knew Hank personally. The Hank, Jr. interruption of "Hey, Good Lookin'" was a bit distracting, but all in all it is a good video featuring a who's who of country music including Ricky Skaggs, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis, Chet Atkins, Hank, Jr., Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson & others. October 31, 2000

A fun film to watch, but more scenes of Hank, please!

I expected this tape to have several "videos" of Hank Williams performing, based on the box's listing of songs performed. I was disappointed, however, to find only one actual performance, and that was cut into by Hank, Jr., describing how his father danced. I'm sure there's not a lot of film or kinescope of Hank actually playing, but I imagined there would be more than this one clip. The three or four other songs listed as being performed by Hank are just audio performances, with still pictures, a la Ken Burns. The rest of the video consists of various stars of country music (Hank, Jr., Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, Minnie Pearl, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Roy Acuff, Kris Kristofferson) reminiscing about Hank and singing his songs. The performances are excellent, and the interviews, especially with Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl, are very revealing. All in all, I liked the video quite a bit; it's probably more essential to fans of Hank than the "Show He Never Gave" video is. I just wish we could see more of Hank performing. END August 7, 1997

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