Girls Guns and Glory tributes Hank

"Hank Williams was a game changer," said Girls Guns and Glory vocalist/guitarist Ward Hayden. "I've read a few Hank biographies and something that often gets mentioned that I feel a connection with is that before Hank Williams there weren't cowboy hats in 'Hillbilly Folk,' which became country music. That's a western thing. Hank's from Alabama, and there aren't too many cowboys in Alabama. He got the image of the American Cowboy from watching guys like Gene Autry on TV, and he incorporated it into his style and after his success it became commonplace for that western style to show up in country music."

While Hayden grew up in a household that listened to classic country music, such as Merle Haggard, Charlie Pride, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Williams, he said it wasn't his "bag" at first. "Around when I turned 20 and the lyrics stated making a whole lot of sense is when it hit me. If you've never had your heart broken then country music can sound like a bunch of twangy gibberish," he said.

The 12-track "Girls Guns and Glory Presents: A Tribute to Hank Williams - Live!" was recorded on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 2014 at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Mass. "We chose these two days because in the legacy of Hank Williams these are the dates of the two final shows he never got to play," said Hayden. "On New Year's Eve back in 1952, Hank Williams was slated to perform in Charleston, West Va. He wound up staying the night in Knoxville, Tenn. and never arriving at that show due to foul weather. New Year's Eve 1953, is a key date in Hank's legacy because en route to his show in Canton, Ohio his driver pulled off at a gas station to find Hank unresponsive in the backseat of his Cadillac. Jan. 1, 1953 for all intents and purposes, is the day the world bid farewell to its greatest country songwriter."

"He was a wild man and he felt both physical and emotional pain in a very intense and deep way," said Hayden. "His songs are a testament to that. Hank's music has had a huge impact on the way I view music and songwriting and the emotional honesty that can get put into a three minute long song. He was a master of boiling down a moment and an emotion, and in my own songwriting, I have constantly used his work as an example of how you don't need to necessarily get wordy and say a lot, all the while still saying so much on a much deeper level. This tribute has been a dream come true and the icing on the cake is that we had such a good time performing his songs and bringing up friends to guest with us and share in the experience."

Girls Guns and Glory performed a week of Williams tribute shows around the Christmas holiday period.

Songs on the CD are:
1. "Jambalaya"
2. "Moanin' The Blues"
3. "Hey Good Lookin'"
4. "Move It On Over"
5."So Lonesome I Could Cry"
6. "Honky Tonk Blues"
7. "Dear John"
8. "Your Cheatin' Heart"
9. "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It"
10. "Rockin' Chair Money"
11. "I Saw The Light"
12. "The Old Log Train"

Tour dates are:
Jan. 16 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
Jan. 17 - Annapolis, MD - The Metroplitan
Jan. 18 - Arlington, VA - Iota Club
Jan. 22 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
Jan. 23 - Raleigh, NC - The Pour House
Jan. 24 - Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre
Feb. 6 - Waterford, CT - Eugene O'Neill Theater Center (Rose Barn)
Feb. 7 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow Square
Feb. 13 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine
Feb. 20 - Marblehead, MA - Me & Thee Coffee House
Feb. 21 - Manchester, CT - The Hungry Tiger
Feb. 27 - Thomas, WV - The Purple Fiddle
Feb. 28 - Rehoboth Beach, DE - Dogfish Head Brew Pub
March 6 - Northampton, MA - The Parlor Room at Signature Sounds
March 7 - Sunday River, Maine - Foggy Goggle
March 28 - Bethlehem, PA - Godfrey Daniels
April 10 - Ashland, VA - Ashland Coffee & Tea