The Garden Spot Programs, 1950

As anyone who's heard Hank Williams' music surely knows, the discovery of new recordings demands release. These newly found recordings have been remastered to sound their very best, and the quality here is as good as the era's studio recordings. The performances show Williams in excellent form, running through country classics like “A Mansion on the Hill,” “Lovesick Blues,” “Mind Your Own Business,” “At the First Fall of Snow,” and “Wedding Bells.” Four shows from 1950 starring Williams were discovered from the original transcription discs sent to radio station KSIB-AM in Creston, Iowa, for a radio show called “The Garden Spot” sponsored by Naughton Farms (then one of the nation’s largest plant nurseries). The programs were shipped to many small stations, where it was up to local DJs to splice Williams’ performances in with local talent for a full-fledged radio variety show. Each show starts with an opening jingle and follows with Hank performing two songs, a fiddle break, another Hank tune; they close with “Oh! Susanna” and some banter. It’s another crucial discovery for the era and for the music of Hank Williams.