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The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945-1953)

How the bluegrass sound spread in post-war America. Honky-tonk star Hank Williams wrote songs of surprising emotional depth, derived from his troubled and tragically short life.

As country music adapted to the cultural changes of post-war society, Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs transformed traditional string band music into something more syncopated - bluegrass.

Out of the bars and juke joints came a new sound - honky-tonk - with electric guitars and songs about drinking, cheating and heartbreak. Its biggest star was Hank Williams, a singer who wrote songs of surprising emotional depth, derived from his troubled and tragically short life.

50 minutes

Music Played

  • Hank Williams

    Honky Tonkin'

  • Bill Monroe

    Bluegrass Special (Album Version)

  • Hank Williams

    Six More Miles (To The Graveyard)

  • Hank Williams

    Wealth Won't Save Your Soul

  • Hank Williams

    Move It On Over

  • Roy Acuff

    Wabash Cannonball

  • Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys

    It's Mighty Dark To Travel

  • Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys

    Bluegrass Breakdown

  • Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys

    Mansions For Me

  • Hank Williams

    (Last Night) I Heard You Crying In Your Sleep

  • Hank Williams, The Drifting Cowboys

    I Saw The Light

  • Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys, Hank Williams, The Drifting Cowboys

    I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Single Version)

  • Hank Williams

    Long Gone Lonesome Blues

  • Hank Williams

    You Win Again

  • Hank Williams

    I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

  • Hank Williams

    Lost Highway

  • Hank Williams

    Your Cheatin' Heart

Credit

Role Contributor
Director Ken Burns

Broadcasts