On January First, 1953, Hank Williams died of heart failure in the back seat of a car on the way to a gig. (He had hired a student to drive him from Alabama to West Virginia to be there. Dedication.)

Hank liberated the pop music voice to sound wholeheartedly and powerfully American with unparalleled directness and emotional honesty in ways no one had done before.

Bing crooned. Beautiful. Charming. Nice.

Hank wailed. Raw. Powerful. The Undeniable Potency Of Man.

He is not the father of The First Amendment but he is for me a pivotal grandfather of modern freedom of speech

The cultural achievements I revere of Dylan, Elvis, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Michael Murphey, Paul Siebel and the soaring voice of Steve Young were built on what Hank pioneered.

God Bless America.

God Bless Freedom.

Pay attention, modern world.

Your cheating heart will tell on you.

Geoff Fox, January First, 2025, Australia.