HANK WILLIAMS: Lost Highway
Interview with Damon Kiely and Matthew Brumlow
by Kelli Marino, dramaturg
KM: Tell me briefly about the Opry’s and WSM’s importance in Hank’s career.
MB: No doubt, it was a big deal when Hank finally got to play The Grand Ole Opry. That was the pinnacle! When he and The Drifiting Cowboys got their first shot and played “Lovesick Blues,” it was a career-making moment. It instantly introduced Hank to a much larger audience and helped make him a superstar—a label he struggled with at times. But while Hank could step up to the mic and work a crowd at The Grand Ole Opry, he could also do the same in a church or seedy honky tonk. He wasn’t just singing for the suits, he was singing for the poor and working class folks, even after the Opry made him a star.