Hank Williams Box Set. The finest box set of them all.

Charlie Parker said it so well, "Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art." There are some American musicians whose work lives up to this definition of art. One of these artists is Hank Williams. The Complete Hank Williams box set on Mercury 314 536 is one of these rare gems. All the beauty of Hank Williams is here (except for the complete Happiness and Medicine Shows released on a separate 2 CD set), the Montgomery and Nashville demos, MGM sessions, Shreveport Radio performances and concert performances. We have the founding father of country music in his complete glory.

In listening to this box set one is moved by his perfectly crafted lyrics and delivery of material. For instance, he takes an ordinary song, "Wedding Bells" by Claude Boone and transforms it into one of his early signature songs. It is all here, the lovesick blues, the honky tonkin' and what was to come from Mr. Williams in his years of recording, ending far to early by an untimely death on New Year's Eve 1952 at only 29. His songs mirror our lives, yet take us yet a step further in our own imaginations. No heroes here, just the sorrow of your cheatin' heart, the moanin' blues and a tear in my beer.

His record company wanted him to also put out up tempo songs as well. They are all here too, Rootie Tootie, Hey Good Lookin', Move it on Over and more. This is the most complete packet of Hank Williams ever assembled, 225 songs, 10 CDs, but such a great artist justifies this issue. We even get the odd duets with his wife/manager Audrey, who is the mother of Hank Williams Jr. The six discs of demo and radio performances and concert bring you closer to this man and his music.

Some of my favorites on this set are the gospel hymns like "The Old Country Church" and "The Battle of Armageddon". You can hear the roots of his soul. Born of the blues in Mount Olive, Alabama and tutored by a black street musician known as Tee-Tot (Rufus Payne) in Montgomery, he wrote in a mournful and haunting style that's never since been equaled.

One of my favorite lyrics is from the song, "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry"; "I never seen a night so lone, when time goes crawling by, the moon just went behind the clouds to hide its face and cry." Just as with everything else on this set, it is not just the songs, but his phrasing and performance. He takes you on a ride through the emotions of these circumstances. If more people listen to songs like "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy" or "Why Should We Try Anymore", and heard their wisdom, we might have a better chance to avoid their sorrow. This is what makes for great art. As we look into it, it helps us look at ourselves and hopefully learn from the experience.

I would recommend at some point, you get The Complete Hank Williams. Music of a spiritual depth and honest feeling, which helps the listener experience and share all the poetry and moods contained in his songs. What I love best about these songs, like many of the delta blues man like Blind Willie Johnson and Robert Johnson or Dock Boggs of West Virginia is their sorrow has an air of hope and humanity, even through they lived hard lives. Hank Williams suffered from a severe back injury from a rodeo accident in his teens and later became addicted to drugs and alcohol, which put him on a straight course with an early death. This is art and should be part of your life, so go out and get some Hank Williams and listen. Get the Happiness and Health Shows, or the Hank Williams-The Original Singles Collection or This Complete Hank Williams Box Set. A lifetime of listening from a box of treasure.