Customer Reviews

Your Cheatin' Heart

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While Chet Flippo's work is easy to dismiss as "fictionalized," Flippo is by no means flippant! His research is astounding. Flippo was the
(1) first to visit sanitariums where Hank was committed for alcoholism to examine old records;
(2) first to research and diagnose Hank as spina bifida;
(3) first to reveal and publish Hank's final song lyrics which were found on the floor of his Cadillac;
(4) first to reveal Hank's meeting with a Catholic priest on July 15, 1951, in which Hank was advised of his fatal and ultimately crippling condition;
(5) first to reveal the co-author of Hank's "Cold, Cold Heart";
(6) first to print extensive dialogue from Hank's "Health and Happiness Shows" which was not released to the public until 1993.

Try as you may to find contradictions in Flippo's facts, you can't. Is there any doubt that, with Flippo's research, he was able to get inside the man as no one else has been able or willing to? Yes, I've read SING A SAD SONG and HANK WILLIAMS: THE BIOGRAPHY many times, but neither is as entertaining, informative, or satisfying as this work. This book is a
must-read.

An almost pathetic view of a country "super-star," and his reliance to alcohol, narcotics, and women. A picture of an illierate "hill-billy" and his tyranic first wife. Hiram Williams was a man of great talent and personal appeal who let his life spin out of control, resulting in his death at the age of 29.

Too much speculation and dramatic detail of conjectured events. The Escott book is MUCH better.

Undoubtedly, the author hs done a lot of research, but many of the details in this biography have to be fictionalized like quotes from long conversations between Williams and somebody when nobody else, much less the author was present. That said, it is a interesting though at times redundant read. I mean, how many times did the author need to mention yet one more Williams' drinking disaster. The author paints a pretty dismal and dark picture of Williams and also the two major women in his life, his first wife and his mother. Boy, talk about women from Hell. Those two would have driven anyone to drink. Williams himself comes across as a not particularly likeable person. The author points out that it was only after his death that many of his colleagues decided they really did love "Ole Hank". We still play his songs, but I think based on this bio, I'll play them with somewhat less fervor than before.