25
Curb Records Officially Squanders Hank Williams Legacy
Today is the release date of Hank Williams III’s album Rebel Within. This is his sixth and final album with label Curb Records, meaning that he is now a free man, finally done after a 14 year battle with Curb over creative control and timely release of his music.
And Hank III isn’t the only one from the most famous bloodline in country music that is jumping ship. Hank Williams Jr. announced he was leaving Curb Records last July, saying:
“You want to know the bottom line? This is my last album, and he’s (Mike Curb) history. . . We will move onward and upward, You just wait. We’ll have a lot to talk about. I’ve had some recording ideas that they didn’t care for. Well, there’s a lot of other labels that do care about it….We’re going to get off this old, dead sinking ship…They were going to [use] a picture of me from seven years ago when I was 25 pounds heavier. That was going to be the cover. It was ‘Ho hum,’ basically. Well, we didn’t ho-hum this one.”
When Hank Williams III was born, there were two men in the room: Hank Jr. and Mike Curb. Mike Curb wrote Hank Jr.’s first #1 hit in 1970, All For The Love of Sunshine. After Hank Jr. fell off Mt. Ajax in Montana 1975, an accident that took him two years to recover from, he returned to music with his current “southern rock” approach on the Curb Records label, and after over a quarter century partnership, has become Curb’s biggest selling artist of all time.
Hank III signed to Curb after being served papers in 1998 for owing $60,000 in back child support from a one night stand three years before. A judge told Hank III who at the time was playing drums in a punk band for $100 a night to “get a real job.” Hank III’s version of a real job was going down to Music Row and signing with Curb.
At that point Mike Curb had a monopoly on the most famous name in country music, and maybe in American music period. But years of attempting to exude heavy handed control over the music and image of the country music’s royal family has left Curb Records as a footnote in that legacy instead of a current day power player, and Hank Jr.’s 40+ year friendship in shambles.
Hank III has expressed his desire to become an independent artist now that he is done with Curb, but has left open the idea of returning to a label in the future if it makes sense from a business standpoint. And as Hank Jr. said, “…Well, there’s a lot of other labels that do care.” My guess is the line will be long and strong and form to the left of labels willing to pick up the Hank Williams lineage that Curb’s short-sightedness has squandered; a short-sightedness that seems pervasive with Music Row’s major labels as we work into the second decade of the 21st Century.
- – - – - – - – - – - -
This website grew out of an organization called Free Hank III. This day marks the end of that organization, though really the battle was won when Curb announced the release date of Hank III’s previous album Damn Right, Rebel Proud, and Curb Records had a “change of heart,” that was illustrated in the lightning fast release of Rebel Within.
I want to thank ALL the supporters and fans of Hank III for making this day possible, and let’s remember this victory. This is one battle in the war of the people to take back their music. If any of the other battles ever feel hopeless, just remember this victory, of how we stood together, and the grass roots rose up and effected action on a grand scale. We can only celebrate for so long, because there is so much more work to do.
22
Hank Williams Jr. Cans Curb Records
CMT.com is reporting that perennial cash cow Hank Williams Jr. is planning to 86 Curb Records as his label. Hank Jr., who has been close personal friends with Mike Curb in the past and has been on the label for over 25 years, is leaving because he feels he is not being given the promotional and creative support he deserves after such a long and lucrative career.
Hank Jr. newest album 127 Rose Avenue, which refers to Hank Williams Sr.’s boyhood home in Georgiana, AL., will be his last record with Curb.
“You want to know the bottom line? This is my last album, and he’s (Mike Curb) history. . . We will move onward and upward, You just wait. We’ll have a lot to talk about. I’ve had some recording ideas that they didn’t care for. Well, there’s a lot of other labels that do care about it. …”
“We’re going to get off this old, dead sinking ship. (Ouch) . . They were going to [use] a picture of me from seven years ago when I was 25 pounds heavier. That was going to be the cover. It was ‘Ho hum,’ basically. Well, we didn’t ho-hum this one.”
Hank Williams Jr., joins an ever-increasing list of Curb artists tired of the label’s rigid restrictions and lack of support. Artists such as Hank Williams III, Tim McGraw, Leann Rimes, have come out publicly criticizing the label, with Hank III and McGraw both also vowing to leave the label once their contracts are fulfilled.
Say what you want about Hank Jr.’s music (are you ready for some football?), but he is one of the biggest selling country music artists ever, and him leaving Curb Records, especially for the reasons that he expressed without any minced words, can only land a huge blow to Curb, one of Nashville’s largest and most restrictive labels, and to the restrictive environment that a lot of major Nashville labels have been putting on the music and their artists.
I have always been a fan of Hank Jr.’s earlier work, but if you do not like what he’s been putting out lately, the restrictive environment he been working under at Curb could be at least a partial culprit for his lack of creativity.
This is HUGE people. HUGE! HUGE HUGE! When Hank Williams III was born there were two men in the room: Hank Jr. and Mike Curb. Curb and Jr.’s relationship over the years has been legendary, and extremely financially lucrative.
Sure, Hank Jr. will probably just sign on with another major Nashville label, but my guess is he won’t until he secures a significant amount of the creative control over his music. The fight for creative control over the music was the spark that started the first Outlaw country movement, and the underlying theme for the current Outlaw movement.
So I applaud Hank Jr. for taking this bold step, and can only be hopeful about the ramifications this move might cause.
11
Down With the CMA (Part 2-Corruption in Performances)
In the last part we learned from Waylon Jennings about the backroom deals that go on when the CMA decides who to give awards to. Waylon also talked about how he and Ricky van Shelton were asked to cut the songs they were going to perform short for time reasons, and how Waylon and Ricky got in hot water for DARING to cross paths with the CMA.
Well these weren’t the biggest altercations over performances at the CMA Awards.
That distinction lies with George Jones and Alan Jackson. I have to give credit to two of my readers, Vantastic, and Mr. Bandana for tipping me off on this. But when researching what had happened, I found SO SO much more.
So just before the 1999 CMA Awards, George Jones was asked to perform an ‘abbreviated’ version of his song ‘Choices.’ George, feeling that he wasn’t a “baby act” as he put it, refused, and boycotted the show. And in a super act of class, Alan Jackson, while preforming, cut his own song short, and launched into George’s ‘Choices.’
This is from just after the CMA’s, and I love how he says ‘We’re gonna do this one all the way through” at the beginning.
But this is where the story gets as juicy as a deep fried Thanksgiving turkey.
So George’s boycott caused a stir that eventually exposed CORRUPTION in the way the CMA decides who gets to play on the awards show. Long story short, there is a committee of 20 major Nashville label people who decide who gets to play, and they push THEIR performers while other performers get left behind.
From livedaily.com:
“According to a report in Tuesday’s (9/14) Nashville Tennesseean, the two events relate to a controversy surrounding the make-up of the board that selects the awards show’s performers. A CMA Awards performance is considered to be one of country music’s prime gigs because exposure to a network TV audience of millions can often result in a significant spike in album sales.”
“Six of the 15 members of the CMA television committee — who decide which acts are invited to perform by majority-vote — have ties to the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and the Universal Music Group, according to the newspaper. Of the 20 available performance slots for this year’s show, 15 were allotted to BMG and Universal acts. Jones’ current album is distributed by WEA, as is Curb’s label. (Mike) Curb was the only member of the TV committee with ties to WEA, which he reportedly feels is a major reason that Jones wasn’t asked to perform a full song.
In other words, who was a member of this corrupt panel?
MIKE FUCKING CURB !!!!
Herr Fuhrer of Curb Records. The man responsible for suppressing Hank Williams III for a dozen years. The most corrupt label executive in Nashville, and my arch nemesis!!!
And when it came out that the CMA was clearly corrupt in how it dealt with handing out performances, heads had to roll, and whose head was the the first to roll?
From the same livedaily.com article:
“Curb Records President Mike Curb announced that he will step down as a member of the Country Music Association’s television committee after this year, and has asked others with ”conflicts of interest” to resign as well.”
And don’t fool yourself into thinking that Mike Curb was doing the right thing by resigning. Also from that article:
“CMA Executive Director Ed Benson and others have speculated that, rather than shady label politics, Curb’s resignation had to do with the fact that Curb Records’ LeAnn Rimes wasn’t invited to perform this year. She reportedly was asked to be a presenter, but declined the invitation.”
So Mikey was cheezed off that Leann couldn’t perform, that’s why he resigned.
Man, it is absolutely amazing where you can find Mike Curb’s handiwork. This is the kind of stuff we’re dealing with people. Outright corruption.
Like George Jones said “We gonna do this one all the way through.” Well I’m gonna do this job of kicking the pop out of country all the way through, and I won’t rest until it’s done. These people have MURDERED country music, AND WE CAN’T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!
PS: Alan Jackson preformed a version of this song with George Strait. In a blog a while back I said some unkind things about Alan. I have to say, I’m still not a fan of his music, but he is clearly a stand up guy, and for that he should be recognized.
18
Shotgun Willie on a Boob Tube Near You
Shotgun Willie on TV:
This morning Willie is (or was) on The Early Show on CBS, this evening he’ll be on the Late Show with Conan O’Brien , and on Friday he’ll be on The Colbert Report. Check your local listings. Void where prohibited. Refrigerate after opening. All that stuff.
Willie is far from giving up the ghost, and though he’s ignored by pop country radio of course, he one of the most respected men in ALL of music, even by brothers, and continues to stay relevant. From his most recent album:
savingcountrymusic.com
So I need some opinions from you people.
I’m thinking about running the savingcountrymusic.com flag up the MySpace flagpole here.
This is the thinking: even Hank III acknowledged in his promo video for Damn Right, Rebel Proud that Curb Records had to have guts to put the album out. Curb is working with him now, at least to some extent. I don’t want to be the old soldier who doesn’t know when to stop the fight. No, freehank3.org is not going anywhere until Hank III is completely free of Curb Records, and it may not go anywhere ever. This just involves the MySpace site.
Since it became clear that Damn Right, Rebel Proud was truly going to be released and all thins promo stuff has been released for it, I’ve seen my friend requests fall to a trickle. I want to keep this thing growing. I don’t want to limit myself to talking to people who are already fans of Hank III, I want to reach out to the people who are not, but are looking for good and REAL country music.
I want to turn my attention from Curb Records to help promoting Hank III’s music, trying to get it played on the radio, etc. I also want to focus on getting the word about Reinstating Hank Williams to the Grand Ole Opry, and to promoting all of these underground/outlaw country music artists working their ass off out there and putting out great music.
Mike Curb was a worthy adversary, and I mean that. I don’t like the guy, but I’ve respected him this whole time. And out of respect for him and Hank III to some extent, I don’t want to keep fighting with the already vanquished.
There’s also this thing inside of me that just feels weird using someone else’s name. Nobody has claimed I’m exploiting his name, and it would be hard to do so, but still.
So I want to hear from you people about what you think. I’ve said this whole time, I’m not Free Hank III, we all are. So really this is all of our decisions.
And if Curb Records ever fell back into their old patterns, well you can be damned sure I’d be ready to bring the pain once again.
6
The Highwaymen & Hank VS. The Here and Now
I found this on Charlie G’s page. It’s about as poignant and true as it gets. Sure, these old farts are straining to harmonize and the whole thing seems a little contrived, but the verses are so true it hurts.
Charlie G. pointed out in the comments of my last blog that the Grand Ole Opry sold out years ago and that we should get over it. It’s true, the Opry did sell out long ago, and he might have a point that we shouldn’t spend all of our time bitching about this and that, and spend more time celebrating and promoting what is good about the underground/outlaw country movement.
But I must be indulged, at least for today. Because tonight none other than Jessica Simpson is taking the stage at the Opry mother church; that hallowed ground, that majestic WSM microphone that looks so eloquent in that video above.
I’m not going to roast her. We all know she doesn’t belong there. And I have FAITH that when history looks back on this day, they will see it as a tarnish on the history of the Grand Ole Opry. I know other ‘pop’ stars have played there before. But never one so fresh to the country scene, so obviously a product of slick marketing and packaging.
Mike Curb and Garth Brooks, those are worth adversaries. Jessica Simpson is not. She doesn’t even belong in the country music picture.
Just like that song says above, I got no question that Hank Williams is looking down at all of us with our Reinstate Hank banners, and our tributes, and smiling.
Willie, Waylon, Cash, & Kristofferson.
The song remains the same. The torch is passed from one generation of Outlaws to the next, bearing the soul of Hank, and with it the sacrifice and the injustice it carries. We will bear it forever if necessary, until that shining day when it can be laid to rest in it’s rightful place in the mother church of country music: The Grand Ole Opry.
Let Jessica Simpson have her day, and I hope her and the Opry enjoy it. Because even if we lose every battle, I have no doubt we will win the war. This is their high water mark. This is the beginning of the end. It’s a house of cards, built on lies, charades and facades. We will point to this day in the future and say “That’s when they crossed the line. That’s when it all began to unravel for them. When their greed removed all sense of decency.”
I have no doubt.
The Outlaws Will Rise again.
22
Hiram, Randall, & Shelton. (III’s Blessing & Curse)
A lot of the detractors of Shelton Hank Williams III have never or will never give his music a chance simply because they can’t imagine him doing anything but riding off his family name. Furthermore there are some detractors that have figured out that Hank III’s first name is ‘Shelton,’ and with this little bit of knowledge find the power to be ill-informed and stupid by saying, “His name is not even Hank, it’s Shelton. He just changed it to be popular.”
Unfortunately Hank Williams Sr.’s first name isn’t Hank either, it is Hiram. And Hank Williams Jr.’s first name is Randall. ‘Hank’ is the middle name of the 3 generations of Hank Williams’s
Hank Williams Sr. = Hiram Hank Williams Sr.
Hank Williams Jr. = Randall Hank Williams Jr. (nickname Bocephus)
Hank Williams III = Shelton Hank Williams III (Shelton: meaning ‘farm boy’)
Even armed with this information, there are people that say, “Well still, Hank III would’ve never been able to sign a contract with a major label without his daddy’s name.” This might be completely true, but it also might be true that without Curb Records keeping their boot in Shelton’s craw, he might be twice the star he is today, with three or four more albums under his belt.
It’s a fine line Shelton has to walk: using his God-given attributes, including his name, to try to make a living. But also trying to break out of the shadows of his forebearers and forge his own legacy, all while trying to give respect and reverence for the family name.
Shelton’s name is his blessing, and his curse. I honestly believe that if Hank III’s music ever breaks out, it will not be because of his name, but despite it. And I say that also believing that if Hank III wanted to sell out, if he completely let Nashville pulls his strings by letting them write his songs and if he did everything their way, then he could make even Garth Brooks look like a parlor act.
Think about it. He’s got the looks, not only by looking like Hank Sr., but according to all the Hellbetties I speak to, they think he’s pretty easy on the eyes. And he’s got the voice, even the detractors have to admit that.
But unfortunately for you Mike Curb, he does not have the inclination. So you’ll have to find some other joker to be your fashion plate pop country pussified puppet show.
Sorry.
23
Hank Williams Jr. Is No Daddy Warbucks
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL ?!?!
Well your ass will have to wait till September.
This is not going to be a roasting of Hank Williams Jr. I know that lately it seems like he’s whoring himself at every turn on CMT, and that he hangs out with Kid Rock and all that. But he’s an oldtimer, and I grew up being taught to respect the oldtimers.
It seems like when I’m looking at people’s profiles, a lot of people like Hank Sr. & Hank III, but a significantly less number like Hank Jr, or maybe they like ‘some of his stuff.’ I personally do like ‘some of his stuff.’
Some of those old Hank Jr. albums that Curb sells for $5.99 are good for one or two songs a piece. One song off his Habits Old & New album called ‘All in Alabama’ is one of my favorite country songs ever. it is about a time he fell off a mountain in Montana and almost died. Another one I like is ‘A Whole Lot of Hank’ off of Strong Stuff that a lot of people have never heard. But even in the old days, he seemed like the Nashville scene’s answer to Outlaw Country, instead of a true Outlaw Country artist himself.
But the reason I’m writing this is because wanted to dispel the misconception some people have that Hank Williams Jr. is somehow bankrolling Hank III, or that Hank III is not ever worried about the money because he knows when his dad kicks it he’s got a big chunk of cash coming to him. Hank III is all about the music, THAT is why he’s not worried about the money.
I really have no idea if Hank III has any kind of inheritance coming to him, but from everything I’ve read, Hank Jr. has done very very little to help Hank III out financially, from when he was growing up to now. And something tells me that as time goes on, and chance Hank III did have at some inheritance is dwindling. Hank Jr. only saw Shelton once or twice as year as he was growing up, and all indications are that they are not close at all now.
(Shelton hunting with Hank Jr. & Waylon, and the origin of the lyric ‘I remember watching ‘ol Waylon, when he was shooting his shotgun.’)
When Hank III was born, Mike Curb, Grand Master of Curb Records was in the room. Mike Curb and Hank Jr. are very good friends. Hank Jr. was a Curb Records artist from the beginning in 1979, and remains one today. Whatever kind of ‘outlaw’ persona Hank Jr. tried to perpetuate back in the early 80′s, he’s clearly shied away from that now.
As for Hank Jr. & Hank III’s relationship, this was written in the Oregon Music Guide back in 2004:
“It appeared to be momentous occasion when press releases announced that the two Hanks would be performing together for the first time at a Grand Ole Opry show marking the 50th anniversary of Hank Sr.’s death. The only problem was that the youngest Hank never agreed to do it.
Signing on to perform ‘Howlin’ at the Moon,’ Hank 3 declined his father’s invitation to come out on stage to perform ‘I Saw The Light,’ telling his dad, ‘I’m in a band called Superjoint Ritual, right now, and all kinds of weird shit and I don’t feel like I’m seeing the light very much, these days.’
In an act that he claims is typical of his father, Hank Jr. ignored what his son said and asked him to come out during the show. The only problem was that Hank 3 was sitting in a bar with his friends and not even there to take the stage.
Since that night, the two have not spoken.
As soon as he mentions the lack of contact between him and his father, Williams follows it up saying that he still respects his father’s music…or, at least, 1987′s Born to Boogie and its predecessors. It’s one of the few positive acknowledgments he gives of the music coming out of Nashville.”
I’m not trying to stir the pot between Hank Jr. & Hank III. I just don’t like it when I hear people talk about how Hank III doesn’t care about the money because of his daddy, or that his daddy is helping him out in any way, because all indication are that he’s not.
In fact if you want to know who Hank Jr. is helping out, watch this and see who Hank Jr. refers to as his ‘Rebel Son.’
I only know of one Rebel Son and something tells me they would have some choice words for Kid Rock.
If you don’t mind me saying, that song fucking sucks. And Hank III has proven the ‘F’ word DOES have a place in ol’ country.
PS: I know my blogs are getting longer and longer. I can’t help it, I’m a geek about this shit.
29
Hank III on Curb, In His Own Words
Hank III cannot participate in any ‘Fuck Curb’ campaigns or say anything negative publicly about Curb because of an agreement he signed to get Straight to Hell released. For those of you that don’t know, Straight to Hell had the same problems that Damn Right, Rebel Proud is having, which long story short, is legal bullshit.
Hank III can’t say ANYTHING negative about Curb Records.
That’s why WE GOTTA DO IT FOR HIM !!!
But since Hank III can’t speak on it, I tried to hunt up some old interviews, and try to reconstruct what he WOULD be saying today if he could. I found a great interview from 2004 when he was dealing with Curb’s bullshit then, and though its a few years old, the story is the same, ironically the same.
So here is what Hank III would be saying, if his lips weren’t stapled by The Man:
from a Brian Blair article, Oregon Music Guide
:
“I’m dealing with a man that thinks he’s here to protect me and he thinks that I’m the next Hank Williams, and he can’t get that out of his head. And he won’t give it up. That’s what he’s hoping for and that’s what he’s banking for. And he doesn’t realize that that’s not going to happen even though I’m screaming at him, ‘Wake up man!’
“For me to do as much drugs as I’ve done and smoke as much pot as I’ve done, I do a lot of shit. I have two whole notebooks full of songs. I have a recorder full of fucking tons of ideas. There’s only two releases on Curb records, there should be five to six country albums out by now and there should be at least three rock albums out by now. Fuck, Kurt Cobain died at 27, man. I’m 31. So did Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. All them motherfuckers. That’s what freaks me out. Goddamn, the machine is wasting so much of my fucking time. Hopefully that will change here soon.
“Nashville is looking for the puppet…the Mr. Perfect. That’s the problem. Everybody’s too clean. Everybody’s too pretty. Everybody’s too perfect. Everybody’s too not real.
I mean, look at CMT. Turn on CMT and watch 30 minutes worth of videos and look how fucking shitty it is. That’s what country music has lost. They need more outlaws, men and women.”
See, this is the kind of bullshit he’s having to deal with, and since his lips are bound legally, he needs us to help him out. I’m serious about this shit. I get pissed off as I get when I start thinking about this shit. And I won’t give up.
Let me hear what you guys think.
FREE HANK III
12
An Open Letter to Mike Curb
Dear Mike Curb,
I’m writing you in hopes that you would release Hank III’s new album, and furthermore, that you would be fair with his future albums, and maybe give some promotion to the man and the music.
With all due respect, I do not think you understand the scope and the meaning behind Hank III and his music. Yes, he might be a tatted-up, foul-mouthed, loud, hell-raising punk. He might not sell as many albums as your flash-in-the-pan superstars with their airbrushed photos and designer jeans with tube socks stuffed in the crotch. But when your superstar’s one hit is run in the ground by pop radio, where will his fans be? They will be moving on to the next polished and pretty overnight sensation, while the previous superstar is laughed at as he descends into the gutter.
But as for us, we are not Hank III fans and he is not a star. We are his family, and he is our brother, and we are there with him through the high times and the low times. We don’t like him because he’s perfect, we like him because he is like us. Like Hank Williams Sr. sang about, we are all on the Lost Highway, all of us: hellbillies, hillbillies, hippies, and Harley freaks: bound together on this path by Hank III: the exiled heir of the first family of country music.
You might think I’m being dramatic. You might think I’m making too much of this thing. But if you can find a more loyal fan than a Hank III fan, I’ll eat my hat.
You see Mr. Curb, I may not know as much about the inner workings of the country music business as you do, but I do know one thing: the outlaws WILL rise again. The only questions is: are you with us?
Back in the day it was Chet Atkins standing in the way of Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings. When they broke away from him, it gave country music its first ever platinum record, ‘The Outlaws,’ and gave country music its first cross-genre appeal. Now Mr. Curb, you are the symbol of the ‘old guard,’ standing in the way of the new country music outlaws. Country music is hanging on by a thread. All the songs sound the same, sales are down, and your ‘performers’ have no knowledge or respect for the history and heroes that made country music what it is.
Do you smell that smoke? That is our money burning a hole in our pockets, waiting for the next Hank III album to be released. But soon the smoke will be coming from the ruins of the Nashville skyline, if Nashville continues to go down the pop country path. Country music is supposed to be the soul of the South, and the story of the West. But now all we hear is the same tired and empty pop songs with bad lyrics and boring rhythms.
In short, I do not need to write you to say ‘Fuck Curb.’ Because if you do not change your ways, you will fuck yourself.
So I ask, for your sake and ours, please do the right thing and let Hank III do what he was put on this earth to do. Because after all, that is all one human can ask of another.
Sincerely,
Kyle ‘The Triggerman’ Coroneos, a Hank III listener.
Help keep this site going.
Support SCM and start
your Amazon shopping here
