Hank Williams, Robbins, Carters movies available

These images, shot in 16mm color film, capture these artists in performance and in candid moments. Highlights include Hank Williams singing at a disc jockey convention in Nashville, Marty Robbins playing guitar on a front lawn, Kitty Wells standing in front of her tour car and Merle Travis preparing to board a small plane. This newly recovered footage was shot by John Banks, part owner of radio station KRDU in Dinuba, Cal. while these artists were at the station and his home. In addition to filming these artists in California, Banks took his 16mm camera to Nashville and captured many artists backstage during a convention of disc jockeys held in the early 1950s.

The film has now been restored and transferred directly to digital format, highlighting the richness of depth and color that 16mm film offered and is available for licensing.

"There exists precious little footage of many of these artists shot so early in their careers," said David Peck, President of Reelin' In The Years Productions. "To now have pristine color film documenting Hank Williams just a few short years before his untimely death, is thrilling. This is an important piece of country music history." The forgotten original 16mm color films had been in the garage of Banks' widow Bernice until their recent discovery.

Another recent discovery by Reelin' In The Years is 50 minutes of home movies from the Louisiana Hayride in the late '50s and early '60s featuring color 8mm footage of Johnny Cash, George Jones, Ray Price, Faron Young, Hawkshaw Hawkins and others.

The company was founded in 1992 with the "goal of preserving music performance footage from around the globe and making it available to the entertainment industry and the public through all forms of media," according to its web site.