Book Review: Family Tradition: Three Generations of Hank
If you’re looking for a definitive, unabridged biography on the three men that carry the Hank Williams name, this is probably not the book for you. But if you’re looking for a work that for the first time zooms out and looks at how tragedy, women, addiction, fatherhood, and music have played out as recurring themes in these three men’s lives, and how they all intertwine, Family Tradition, Three Generations of Hank Williams should be right in your wheelhouse.
The name “Hank Williams” is a blessing, and a curse, and author Susan Masino does a great job illustrating this in a book that is very engaging and enjoyable to read. Instead of consternating about setting down certain hard facts for all-time, she tells the story, and slowly you begin to see how the three Hanks share much more than a name. A good example is each man’s struggle with fatherhood. Hank Sr. died when Hank Jr. was only 3-years-old. Hank Jr. divorced Hank III’s mother when Hank III was 3-years-old, and was barely around for Hank III’s upbringing. Now Hank III tries to break the cycle by trying to prioritize being a father to a son Hank III never met until he was virtually an adult.
Hank III granted Susan Masino “unprecedented access” for this book, and though it spends pretty equal time on all three men, because it is the first in-depth print book about Hank III’s life and he was the primary source for original material, Hank III feels like the ever-present curator into the Hank Williams world. New facts are revealed and questions answered about Hank III’s relationship with his father and his record label Curb Records (who Hank III battled for fourteen years), as well as about his feuds with other celebrities like Shooter Jennings and Kid Rock. The book mostly follows a chronological order of their lives, but it’s not afraid to jump around a bit when parallel themes come up in each man’s life. The first chapter is actually an account of seeing Hank III in concert, and the youngest Hank’s observations and stories he’s heard from family over the years are peppered throughout the work.
Even if your interest just lies in one or two of the men, this book keeps you interested by the interwoven nature of the story. Say you are into Hank Sr. and Hank III, but don’t care for Hank Jr. By delving into things such as Hank Jr’s relationship with Audrey Williams (Hank Sr.’s wife and Jr.’s mother), or Hank Jr.’s fall off of Ajax Mountain in 1975, or the circumstances around the birth of Hank III, Family Tradition makes you appreciate that you can’t have one man’s story without the other, and how remarkable it is that many of the same mistakes, tragedies, struggles, and successes recur in all three men.
The music nerd in me may have preferred a little more in-depth info in a book like this, but it might have been at the expense of a storyline that flows in a very engaging and accessible manner, and most importantly, makes you appreciate and understand the three generations of Hank Williams in a more in-depth manner than before.
And props must also be given to the cover, which captures the Hatch Show Print approach perfectly.
Two guns up!
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Repohellbilly
May 3, 2011 @ 9:05 am
I’m really looking forward to reading this. I gotta wait till June though cause the wife bought for me as a birthday gift.
bates
May 3, 2011 @ 9:09 am
Badass. Gonna buy it now.
Andra
May 3, 2011 @ 9:19 am
excellent review! Great book!
Jack Williams
May 3, 2011 @ 9:58 am
Well, all right, then. This sounds fascinating. I’m interested in the point you make about Hank Jr., as he’s not someone I’m typically drawn to (this Yankee didn’t appreciate “You can send me to Hell or New York City…”). Also, the fact that Hank III gave the writer so much access. It’s timely for me as I recently picked up “Lonesome, Broke, and Driftin'” and “Straight to Hell” long after picking up “Risin’ Outlaw” over a decade ago. Enjoying the hell out of them!
ShadeGrown
May 3, 2011 @ 10:21 am
I have heard that Jr. can make quite an ass out of himself with his drunken northerner bashing in concert… III’s music has changed my life quite a bit and opened me up to alot of other cool bands (both directly and indirectly). For that reason I am heading over to Amazon to purchase this. Thanx for the review, Triggerman.
Jack Williams
May 3, 2011 @ 11:45 am
Just ordered my copy from Amazon, too. Since I can never just order one thing from Amazon, had to order Hank Sr.’s Unreleased Recordings (first Mother’s Best volume). The ease of point and click is a dangerous thing.
Speaking of Hank III and Straight to Hell, that “Louisiana Stripes” song that leads off disc 2 just gives me the chills. Great song and performance. Johnny Cash would be proud.
spens
May 3, 2011 @ 5:13 pm
Louisiana Stripes is my favorite III song.
Aran
May 3, 2011 @ 5:11 pm
Hank Jr. lives at least part-time just south of Missoula, and I’ve heard some stories about trouble he’s got himself into while intoxicated. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound is a great album, as is the New South.
The Triggerman
May 3, 2011 @ 6:22 pm
Great Hank Jr. song called “Twodot, Montana” off his album Strong Stuff. I believe the picture on the front of that album is Jr. in a Montana cabin. My favorite Hank Jr. song is “All in Alabama” about his fall off of Montana’s Ajax Mountain. Lots of Montana references in his early 80’s stuff.
Carla
May 4, 2011 @ 12:24 am
Trig, can you recommend a Hank Jnr album that might appeal to me? I’ve heard very little of his stuff. Infact the only stuff I’ve heard is cringey ’80s stuff and I’ve based my entire opinion of him on the back of that. Oh, and also whilst his daughter was in hospital following a serious car crash he was charged with sexual harrassment of a hotel employee or something similar. Yuck.
The Triggerman
May 4, 2011 @ 8:34 am
Honestly, he doesn’t have one marquee album that I would recommend. His best ones were from the late 70’s , early 80’s, Habits Old and New, Strong Stuff, Rowdy, The Pressure is On. The problem is, each album has 2 or 3 really good songs, and 2 or 3 REALLY bad songs that make you feel embarrassed for being a Jr. fan (at least for me). Really the only way is to have them all and put your own “Greatest Hits” together. And his greatest hits comps are not much help either.
Jack Williams
May 4, 2011 @ 8:42 am
Not saying they’re the definitive source, but I saw that allmusic.com gave “Hank Williams Jr and Friends” FIVE stars! 4.5 for “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound.” The CD’s are dirt cheap on Amazon, too.
Big A
May 4, 2011 @ 9:44 am
“Each album has 2 or 3 really good songs, and 2 or 3 REALLY bad songs that make you feel embarrassed for being a Jr. fan.” LOL! I love Bocephus, but I think this is the best description of his music that I have ever come across. The highs are high and the lows are low. He’s kind of like your crazy uncle. You never really know what he’s going to say or do, whether he will make you proud or embarrass you, but you love him anyway.
If you want to dive in headfirst you should check out the Bocephus Box Set. It has, like 60+ tracks from his entire career. There are some good ones, several live cuts, some bad ones, but you get a good picture of his body of work.
AdamSheets
May 3, 2011 @ 1:41 pm
Jack, check out “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” one of the best records of it’s kind. You’ll change your mind about Bocephus.
Big A
May 3, 2011 @ 2:34 pm
I love Bocephus and I love Hank III, but for completely different reasons. At his best, Bocephus was damn good. At his worst…well that’s another story. What he has in common with III is that, at his peak, he played whatever the f*ck he wanted – live and on his albums.
Mississippi Lee
May 4, 2011 @ 12:31 am
Damn right. Ol Bocephus’s music has had a lot of southern pride contained in the lyrics, but there has always been a sense of irony in there as well. Nothin wrong with either. A yankee will sometimes get bent outta shape for no reason. Just like anyone else …. I guess.
Jack Williams
May 4, 2011 @ 8:22 am
C’mon now, Mississippi Lee. You wouldn’t be just a little bit irked if someone took a gratuitous pot shot at the place where you came from? If not for that line, I’d probably enjoy that song. I like the way Ronnie Van Zant covered similar subject matter several years earlier in “I’m a Country Boy” from “Nuthin’ Fancy.” Bad ass song too.
New York City is a thousand miles away
And if you ask me, I’ll tell you that’s OK
Now I’m not trying to put the big apple down
‘Cause they don’t need a man like me in town
I pick cotton down on the Dixie line
Work hard all day tryin’ to make a dime
But that’s allright, that’s OK by me
‘Cause that’s the way that it was meant to be
Big city, hard times don’t bother me
I’m a country boy, I’m as happy as I can be
I don’t like smoke chokin’ up my air
And some of those city folks well they don’t care
I don’t like cars buzzing around
I don’t even want a piece of concrete in my town
I like sunshine, fresh clean air
Makes me feel like you wouldn’t care but
that’s all right, each to his own
But one smell from the city
And this country boy is gone
Let me tell you something, let me tell you true
What’s right for me might not be right for you
Well, you live your way, I’ll live mine
And I hope that your happy all the time
I pick cotton down on the Dixie line
Work hard all day tryin’ to make a dime
But that’s all right, that’s OK by me
‘Cause that’s the way that it was supposed to be
PennsWoods
May 4, 2011 @ 10:29 am
Jack if you haven’t already check out “All I Can Do Is Write About It” from their gimme back my bullets album. Similar theme and great tune
Jack Williams
May 4, 2011 @ 10:33 am
PennsWoods: Oh yeah, know it well. Great song and a somewhat overlooked great album. Thanks.
ShadeGrown
May 4, 2011 @ 8:43 pm
The northerner ripping that I was referring to was second hand from a friend’s cousin who told me he used to love Jr. but after seeing him in Spokane (I believe) a few years back he said he’d never support him again because of how a drunken Bocephus talked down to the audience and came across – to him and his wife atleast – as a hater of the north. We all have our drunken moments though… And I live in North Idaho where many people proclaim discust with Washingtonians, who in turn proclaim disgust with Idahoans. And we both talk shit about Montanans, who I am sure return the shit talking… What I am getting at is I still like Hank Williams Jr.
Jack Williams
May 3, 2011 @ 6:26 pm
Adam, Yeah, I heard he had a golden period in the late ’70s/early ’80s. Maybe I will check out some of that stuff out.
Carla
May 4, 2011 @ 12:28 am
Doop, I asked Trig for a recommendation before I read this. Thanks Adam. So very happy to see you around the tracks still 🙂
Mississippi Lee
May 4, 2011 @ 2:49 am
Damn I thought some of these responses were jokes. The man made some of the best albums in country music, from the New South through Man of Steel. Though Old Habits and the Pressure is On were my favorites. I think a lot of pretend they don’t like his music just because Shelton had some bad history with him. Hell that’s between them. The weight of the music is measured by its merit.
Nathan38401
May 4, 2011 @ 3:41 pm
My Favorite Jr song came from Habit old and new. “The Blues Man”.
GVFD3842
May 4, 2011 @ 2:31 am
Man you yanks need to realize you brought the hate on yourselfs not only bc what you did in 1860 but the way you act and talk, the way you think you are better than us, the way you think you own everything, and the way you invaded and RUINED southern Florida. People who get on hank for yankee bashing don’t understand that in the south its a deep rooted genetical hatered for you people. You aren’t taking my home like you took Southern Florida no sir. Here in my home town we got town officials that make sure that aint gonna happen 😉
Jack Williams
May 4, 2011 @ 4:46 am
Thanks for the history lesson. It’s all perfectly clear now.
Nathan38401
May 4, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
@GVFD3842
Grow up man!
I’m Born and raised in the south. My Best friend for the latest half of my life is from Detroit. People are not really that different just because of were they are from. How about you go out and meet people instead of type hate from a keyboard.
Gillian
May 5, 2011 @ 8:19 am
G – Take your hatred elsewhere. You’re not welcome here anymore.
Lilly Ray
May 3, 2011 @ 1:05 pm
Hank Jr wrote “if the South would have won we’d have had it made” but he also wrote “where would we be without yankees” LOL I think all 3 Hanks are equally talented each in his own way and have made great contributions to music. Looking forward to the book 🙂
Jack Williams
May 3, 2011 @ 6:14 pm
The title “Where would we be without yankees” reminds me of a stand-up bit by Marsha Warfield, known best for playing Roz on Night. She said “All black people like white people. I mean, let’s face it. If it weren’t for white people, who would play lead guitar?”
Jack Williams
May 3, 2011 @ 6:14 pm
That is, she played Roz on the sitcom Night Court.
Susan Masino
May 3, 2011 @ 4:54 pm
Hello Triggerman,
I can’t thank you enough for your stellar review of my book. It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and without Hank III’s cooperation, it wouldn’t have been possible.
As a biographer, when you’re keeping the facts straight and following a chronological timeline, sometimes the “story” gets lost. I consider myself a storyteller, and after reading your review, I guess I did my job. 🙂
Thank you so much!
Susan
Carla
May 4, 2011 @ 12:46 am
So wonderful to see you comment here Susan. Welcome to the Saving Country Music family! It sounds like an awesome read and I can’t wait to get my grubby little mitts on it down here in New Zealand. When I first heard about the premise of the book (via this site), I wasn’t particularly interested. I am obsessed with music autobiographies and biographies but having read Colin Escott’s super painful and boring biography about Hank Snr, I worried it was just more of the same. However, reading Triggerman’s review I am fascinated. I also read the interview you did with RNZ magazine and was unexpectedly surprised (and impressed) you were a chick. To me that indicates you will bring woman’s intuition and sensitivity to your writing. From Triggerman’s review it also sounds like it might be an interesting psychological comment on three generations of family and the patterns that have played out. Again, I can’t wait to read it and thanks for taking the time to comment here. Cheers, Carla
Mississippi Lee
May 4, 2011 @ 6:27 am
If you think Colin Escott’s biography was boring, you might hope this one one has some good pictures or steamy sex scandals in it.. : ) Escott’s book was the authoritive biography on Hank, and any true fan of his would appreciate the time effort and attention to fact and detail that was put into that book, despite the lack of documented and accessable undocumented info on the subject.
Denise
May 4, 2011 @ 2:08 pm
I’d have to agree with you Mississippi Lee. I enjoyed it too.
Carla
May 4, 2011 @ 3:07 pm
I read it directly after Peter Guralnick’s evocative Elvis bios. I personally didn’t enjoy Escott’s writing and in response to your comment “any true fan of his would appreciate the time effort and attention to fact and detail that was put into that book”. I did show my appreciation by paying $15.95 for the damned thing!
AdamSheets
May 4, 2011 @ 4:37 pm
In general Escott is a better historian and researcher than he is a writer, as witnessed both by his Hank biography and his history of Sun Records. There’s a place for his books, to be sure, but personally I’ll take Peter Guralnick or Nick Tosches any day.
Carla, have you read Tosches work? I highly recommend “Country,” “Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n Roll,” “Where Dead Voices Gather,” and especially “Hellfire,” his biography of Jerry Lee Lewis. And if you’re into that sort of thing, he also has a biography of Dean Martin.
Denise
May 4, 2011 @ 5:42 pm
LOL You showed more appreciation than me Carla. I checked mine out of the good old library. That’s probably why I enjoyed it so much. I love historians too.
Check out Stevie Ray Vaughn/Caught in the Crossfire for another great read.
Carla
May 5, 2011 @ 2:32 pm
Adam, thank you for validating what I was saying about Escott. I am infatuated with Guralnick’s writing. I actually cried when Sam Phillips passed – I felt like I KNEW him after reading the Elvis bios. I have five of his books and always look for more whenever I am stateside. No, I’ve not heard of Nick Tosches. Thank you so much for the recommendation and yes, yes, yes love Dean Martin! Have you read ‘Howard Hughes The Untold Story’ bio? It’s written by Peter Harry Brown and Pat H Broeske. Fascinating stuff, makes The Aviator look positively vanilla and G rated. Such a fascinating man. I loved ‘Cash’, was a bit disappointed with Dolly’s autobiography. I will happily sacrifice any cred I have here by saying I have David Hasselhoff’s autobiography too. It’s so horrifically bad it’s almost good. Hey, I did say I was obsessed with bio/autobiographies and he’s huge in Germany.
Denise
May 3, 2011 @ 7:19 pm
I think it’s a great story, but more importantly a REAL story, that really gets to the heart of three generations of crooners. I say this without reading Susan M.’s words, just knowing a little about it myself and being a biography lover, it’s something I am sure I will read.
Great blog Triggerman.
Susan Masino
May 4, 2011 @ 5:12 pm
Hello Carla,
Thank you for welcoming me into the Saving Country Music family. Although I am known for my rock and roll background, I grew up on country music and listen to it everyday. I agree with your opinion of Mr. Escott’s work, but I do have to say that his meticulous research was an invaluable asset to me. Also, Lycrecia Williams’ book, Still In Love With You-The Story of Hank Williams and Audrey Williams, and Steve A. Maze’s book, The Drifting Cowboys, were both incredibly helpful. Please let me know what you think once you get the chance to read it. And thanks for being impressed that I am a chick. Being a female in the music business for the past 34 years has been an uphill battle all the way, but I would never let that stop me. My motto has always been, “Make it, or die tryin.'” Also, here’s a couple of things most people don’t know about me, 1-My first celebrity autograph given to me in 1965 at the age of 10 was Ernest Tubb, and 2-I grew up with my step-grandfather’s surname, but my blood name is Williams. Now how cool is that?
All the best,
Susan
Carla
May 5, 2011 @ 2:45 pm
Cheers Susan, you’ve just given me two more books to add to my must-have list. After I’d sent the email I cringed a bit and hoped the word chick wasn’t offensive to you. Cultural differences and all that! Can’t wait to read the book, as I said knowing it’s written by a woman makes it even more interesting to me. I’m sorry to hear – however not surprised – about your struggles being a woman in the music industry. Hope you keep coming back and checking out Triggerman’s other articles. He’s a goodun! Hey, do you still have your Ernest Tubb autograph?
Susan Masino
May 5, 2011 @ 3:06 pm
Cheers Carla,
No worries. I do still have my Ernest Tubb autograph. It was written on a restaurant ticket (that was used to write down your food order), and now I will have to dig it out because I don’t remember what he actually wrote. I do remember that his son was with him, and he jokingly tried to fix us up because we were close in age. His band had played the Lodi Fair in Lodi, Wisconsin in the summer of 1965, and afterwards he came into my parent’s restaurant to eat. What a cool guy he was, not to mention the Godfather of Country Music!
Carla
May 5, 2011 @ 3:15 pm
What a great story. So nice to hear about someone meeting a personal hero and not being disappointed, as can often be the case. Oh yes, that needs to be dug out and framed! I always think it’s nice to write down the history of something like that (ie your cute story above) and hide it in the back of the frame. You never know who might find it many many years from now 😉
Mickey
June 9, 2011 @ 8:37 pm
Hi Triggerman,
For the last three weeks, I’ve been really enjoying the music, the reviews, and the discussions on this website. Thank you for creating and maintaining all that goes on at Saving Country Music. I don’t know very much about country music until I stumbled across SCM, but I would really like to read more about it. Would you be able to recommend any books, whatever comes to mind? Biography, history, criticism, a particular author — anything that would be a good jumping off point to meet all the great musicians that have contributed (or continuing to do so!) to this scene. I tried doing a search at the library and on Amazon.com, but felt really overwhelmed by all the options. Thanks for your time!
PS. I hope it was alright for me to post a comment with this request. If not, I really apologize.
The Triggerman
June 9, 2011 @ 9:34 pm
The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock by Jan Reed
Willie Nelson Autobiography with Bud Shrake
Will The Circle Be Unbroken? by the Country Music Hall of Fame
Unfortunately there are not really any books about the newer folks yet.
Repohellbilly
June 20, 2011 @ 6:53 am
I felt like the book jumped all over the place. The author would start talking about one thing and then jump to something else that had nothing to do with the first thing and then she would jump back to the first thing. I was confused at times reading this book.