On This Day in 1952, Hank Williams Recorded Four No. 1 Singles in What Would Be His Final Studio Session Ever

On this day (September 23) in 1952, Hank Williams walked into Castle Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, with a handful of songs in his back pocket. Anyone with ears could hear they were good songs. However, there was no way of knowing they would become classics. At the same time, Williams’ health was deteriorating, but no one knew it would be his final recording session. That day, he cut “Kaw-Liga,” “I Could Never Be Ashamed of You,” “Take These Chains from My Heart,” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

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Only one of the songs Williams cut in his final session would be released before he died on New Year’s Day, a little more than three months later. “I Could Never Be Ashamed of You” was the B-side of “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive,” which was released in November 1952, and went to No. 1 on the country chart. The other three singles were released as A-sides. All of them went to No. 1.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1951, Hank Williams Was on a Six-Week Run Atop a Chart That No Longer Exists With a Single That Became a Standard]

“Take These Chains from My Heart” was the only song from the session that didn’t later appear on the Memorial Album (1953). Instead, it was included on Ramblin’ Man, later that year.

Hank Williams Recorded a Standard in His Final Session

All of the songs from Hank Williams’ final session were hits at the time. Over the years, they’ve remained popular among fans of classic country music in general and Williams in particular. However, one stands out from the others.

“Your Cheatin’ Heart” quickly became a standard. Countless artists across various genres have covered the song. For instance, Frankie Laine and Joni James both had a hit with it in 1953. Ray Charles recorded it a decade later. Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams Jr. are also on the long list of artists who have put their spin on the classic heartbreak tune.

According to Songfacts, Williams was with his then-fiancée and fellow country singer, Billie Jean Jones. They were traveling to her parents’ home in Louisiana to announce their engagement and, during a conversation, he referred to his ex-wife, Audrey Sheppard, as ‘a cheatin’ heart’.”

“Then, he said, ‘Hey, that’d make a good song! Get out my tablet, baby, you and I are gonna write us a song.’ Just about as fast as I could write it, Hank quoted the words to me in a matter of minutes,” Jones recalled.

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