The Night Hank Williams Came to Town

"The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" is a song written by Bobby Braddock and Charlie Williams and originally recorded by Johnny Cash for his Jack Clement–produced 1987 album Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town.

"The Night Hank Williams Came to Town"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town
B-side	"I'd Rather Have You"
Released	1987 (1987)[1][2]
Studio	Cowboy Arms (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Label	Mercury 888 459-7
Songwriter(s)	Bobby Braddock, Charlie Williams
Producer(s)	Jack Clement[3]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"I'm Leaving Now" (1985) "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" (1987) "Sixteen Tons" (1987)
Audio
"The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" on YouTube

The recording featured a guest appearance by Waylon Jennings.^[3][4]

Released in March 1987 as the lead single^{[citation needed]} from the album,^[3][2] the song reached number 43 on U.S. Billboard's country chart for the week of May 9.^[5][6][4]

Content

The song talks about Hank Williams giving a concert on October 15, 1951 (known from the lyrics "I Love Lucy debuted on TV"). In the words of C. Eric Banister (Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black), Cash and Jennings sing "of the excitement that accompanied an appearance by Williams" and of "the memories they'll always have of him."^[4]

Track listing

7" single (Mercury 888 459-7, 1987)^[3]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Night Hank Williams Came to Town"	Bobby Braddock, Charlie Williams	3:23
2.	"I'd Rather Have You"	John R. Cash	3:12

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7]	43

References

1. "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town". Johnny Cash official site. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
2. Smith, John L. (1994). The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. p. 17. ISBN 9780313295065.
3. "Johnny Cash - The Night Hank Williams Came To Town". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-10-09. THE NIGHT HANK WILLIAMS CAME TO TOWN (Bobby Braddock/Charlie Williams) JOHNNY CASH Special Guest Appearance by Waylon Jennings ℗ 1987 PolyGram Records, Inc. // I'D RATHER HAVE YOU (John R. Cash) JOHNNY CASH ℗ 1987 PolyGram Records, Inc.
4. C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2. OCLC 946709700. In "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town," Cash, joined by Ol' Waylon, sings of the excitement that accompanied an appearance by Williams, and the memories they'll always have of him.
5. "Johnny Cash". Billboard.
6. "Hot Country Songs Chart (The week of May 9, 1987)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
7. "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-09.

External links

• "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" on the Johnny Cash official website