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‘Moanin’ The Blues’: Hank Williams’ Country-Blues Winner

The song, which entered the country chart on 18 November 1950, became Hank’s next No.1 in the last week of the year.

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Hank Williams - Photo: Courtesy of Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Hank Williams was the hottest thing in all of country music around the turn of the 1950s. He scored three No.1 ones on Billboard’s country chart in just over a year from May 1949 onwards, racking up an almost unbelievable aggregate of 34 weeks atop the survey with “Lovesick Blues,” “Long Gone Lonesome Blues“ and “Why Don’t You Love Me” (the latter covered by Tom Jones on his 2015 album Long Lost Suitcase).

On November 18, 1950, Hank entered the countdown yet again with the song that, in the last week of the year, would become his next No.1, “Moanin’ The Blues.” The MGM single, written as usual by Williams himself and produced by Fred Rose, was backed with “Nobody’s Lonesome For Me,“ a song strong enough to become a hit in its own right, with a No.9 peak and a four-week chart run.

Moanin' The Blues

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But “Moanin’ The Blues” spent no fewer than 15 weeks on the tally, and ended 1950 by replacing another country classic, Lefty Frizzell’s “If You’ve Got The Money Honey, I’ve Got The Time” as the genre’s most popular song of the week. Williams’ single went on to be the title number from his second album, but not until 1952, when it joined “Lovesick Blues” (by then, three years old) and a then-new hit, “Honky Tonk Blues,” on the LP.

Christmas Music 2024 Playlist
Christmas Music 2024 Playlist
Christmas Music 2024 Playlist

Listen to the best of Hank Williams on Apple Music and Spotify.

“Moanin’ The Blues” was later cut by other country stars such as Marty Robbins and made a modest country chart reappearance in 1989 in a version by Vicki Bird, who regularly appeared on the TV show Hee Haw. There were versions of the tune in the 1970s by Mel Tillis and his band the Statesiders, and Merle Haggard and his, the Strangers, and it was interpreted again in 1980 by Charley Pride.

Buy or stream “Moanin’ The Blues” on Hank Williams’ 40 Greatest Hits.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Don Pusey

    December 8, 2015 at 1:21 am

    I have been a fan since 1949 what a great singer and song writer

  2. Lela Graybeal

    December 13, 2015 at 5:01 am

    Love this man and his music! He is truly the Blues Man!

  3. Tisha cadotte

    September 5, 2016 at 5:49 am

    Hank,was the best then and now!love him

  4. Frank Palumbo

    November 18, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    His live performance on the Grand Ole Opry brought the house down. One of his best. Find this great one on Hank Williams Live at the Grand Ole Opry. A chance to relive this he best in country music.

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