Hank Williams Sr./Carter Family

[PHILANDDON]

My two favorite acts bar none. Does anyone know how Hank Williams Sr. recorded those songs where its just him and his guitar. To me that's the most beautiful sound in the world. And those famous Carter Family recordings. How were those done?

Thanks for answering, if you have an idea.

 

[Rokket]

Most of the music was recorded with everyone in the same room, playing live. I heard somewhere that they would be recording the same song over and over again, as they didn't have the ability to mass produce in those days, so each recording was unique. I have seen threads on here concerning this before. You might want to do a seach of the bbs and see what you can come up with.
Sorry I wasn't much help...

 

[thehook]

In the mid-1920s, the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor Records) viewed hillbilly music as a growth genre, and hired talent scout Ralph S. Peer to pioneer its on-location recording. In the summer of 1927, Peer brought an electric recording machine to the Tennessee-Virginia border city of Bristol and, with two engineers, leased a former furniture store for 10 days of recording, July 25 - August 5, 1927. This is where the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers were found. Ralph Peer used equipment made by Western Electric. I would bet one mic close micing in a wooden room. I would say they used either a new dynamic, condensor or velocity mic since carbon mics weren't used much anymore.

 

[Massive Master]

I just ran sound for Hank Sr. about a year ago... He's still got it.

 

[Rokket]

I just ran sound for Hank Sr. about a year ago... He's still got it.

From the grave?????

 

[Light]

I just ran sound for Hank Sr. about a year ago... He's still got it.

Uh, Hank Sr. died like 50 years ago (in the back seat of his caddy, no less).

Hank Jr. NEVER had it, or anything close to "it."

Hank III is, from what I have heard, OK, but no where near as good as his granddad.

Rollin' and ramblin', The women loved him half to death,
Sang with wiskey on his breath,
His heart broke like a child.

Rollin' and ramblin', the sun has set out on the trail,
The hobo's drifted up the rail,
He's taken his last ride.


ROLLIN' AND RAMBLIN' (The Death of Hank Williams)
R. & L. Williams / J. Clark
(Songs of PolyGram/Brantford Music, BMI)

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Rokket]

Uh, Hank Sr. died like 50 years ago (in the back seat of his caddy, no less).

Hank Jr. NEVER had it, or anything close to "it."

Hank III is, from what I have heard, OK, but no where near as good as his granddad.








Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Damn, light that almost inspires me to write a country song. Almost.

 

[AGCurry]

My two favorite acts bar none. Does anyone know how Hank Williams Sr. recorded those songs where its just him and his guitar. To me that's the most beautiful sound in the world. And those famous Carter Family recordings. How were those done?

Thanks for answering, if you have an idea.

I hate it that we have to use "Sr." after Hank Williams's name. As far as I'm concerned, he is the ONLY Hank Williams worthy of my attention.

Hank, whose recording career spanned less than five years, was recorded for MGM records with his band, the Drifting Cowboys. I have not heard any recordings of him solo, although there are quite a few radio transcriptions. Perhaps these were done as demos, I don't know. They certainly weren't released to the public during his [short] lifetime. If they were demos, they were probably recorded a) in radio stations, cutting straight to disc, or b) in a room with a portable wire recorder. The early 50s was a transitional period: Tape was just coming in to recording; studios had it, but a lot of the smaller radio stations couldn't afford it quite yet.

I just listened to the Carters Saturday night - a disc from dates in 1934. The sound on these was pretty good [meaning accurate], so I would guess that they were in a studio which had the new RCA ribbon microphone(s).

Just got a disc of the Stanley Brothers, recorded in 1946-7. All of these recordings were made in radio stations. This practice was very common with country and blues music at that time. Media: RCA ribbon microphones straight through the console to the disc cutter. They'd just gather around the one microphone, mixing themselves by physical position, and step up when it was time to solo.

PHILANDDON, I assume your forum-board name refers to the Everlys. If you love Hank Williams and the Carter Family, you owe it to yourself to check out the Wilburn Brothers and the Louvin Brothers. The Louvins based their sound on the Wilburns, and the Everlys based their sound on the Louvins. Get some "Greatest Hits" packages and dig it.

 

[scottboyher]

Hank Jr. NEVER had it, or anything close to "it."

Huh? What is it then?

 

[PHILANDDON]

Hank Sr./Carter Family

Thanks all. AGCcurry, I'm familiar with the Louvins. "If I could only win your love," is one of my favorite songs.

I knew that the Carter's and Hank Sr. sang to one mic, and my guess it was a ribbon. For those that have never heard the recordings of Hank Williams by himself I recommend "Alone with his Guitar" as a starting point. What's so inspiring about the CD is it makes you think that if you have a good song, can sing with feeling and play a steady rythm you can make a great recording of yourself just with your guitar. They're lots of pictures of Hank singing into RCA 77's. I guess I was wondering about mic positioning, and whether any sort of tube technology. The Carter Family just blows me away. The harmonies are so beautiful blended and Maybele Carters guitar (and what a guitar it is) is right there. As for Jimmie Rodgers, that guy sang with such presence; I'm pretty sure the microphone is way back. Did you know Louis Armstrong played on some Jimmie Rodgers recordings. Cool!!!

 

[PHILANDDON]

And then there's the Everly Brother's my post 1950's heroes. They recorded mono to one tube condenser mic and the sound they got on those early recordings has never been surpassed.

 

[Massive Master]

Oh Jesus - I'm sorry - (Hank Williams Sr.)

I meant Harry Connick.

Boy, is my face red... Start throwing those "Harry's" and "Hank's" and "Jr.'s" and "Sr.'s" around and I get confused...

 

[Light]

Huh? What is it then?

Uhm, I think it's called tallent.


He just trades on his father's name. Kind of like Arlo Guthrie without all that pesky tallent.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[scottboyher]

Uhm, I think it's called tallent.


He just trades on his father's name. Kind of like Arlo Guthrie without all that pesky tallent.

He who is born into the business has no talent? That sir is asinine!

 

[AGCurry]

I knew that the Carter's and Hank Sr. sang to one mic, and my guess it was a ribbon. For those that have never heard the recordings of Hank Williams by himself I recommend "Alone with his Guitar" as a starting point.

Wow, I'll have to get that Hank record. I had no idea...

What's so inspiring about the CD is it makes you think that if you have a good song, can sing with feeling and play a steady rythm you can make a great recording of yourself just with your guitar.

Absolutely. Hank, and Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carters, and Robert Johnson, and... all prove that point: A good song, sold well, can not be beat, and doesn't need a bit of tarting up.

They're lots of pictures of Hank singing into RCA 77's. I guess I was wondering about mic positioning, and whether any sort of tube technology.
[\QUOTE]
Well, it would HAVE to be tubes, wouldn't it?

An early picture of Elvis in the studio is instructive on mic positioning. He's singing into a 77, and the band and the Jordanaires get a 44. Period. My guess is that that kind of arrangement was pretty typical for lots of situations.

The Carter Family just blows me away. The harmonies are so beautiful blended and Maybele Carters guitar (and what a guitar it is) is right there. As for Jimmie Rodgers, that guy sang with such presence; I'm pretty sure the microphone is way back.

I haven't listened to a lot of the Carters (there's a whole lot of material there, and so little time). They don't "blow me away" - it's that their approach was so simple, yet totally effective and competent, and can for a while take me to a time in which my grandparents were young and there was a lot less noise of all kinds.

 

[Light]

He who is born into the business has no talent? That sir is asinine!

Many who are born into the business have talent, such as Arlo there, who is amazing (one of the best shows I have ever worked).

Hank Jr., on the other hand, has no talent.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[scottboyher]

Hank Jr., on the other hand, has no talent.

I have to disagree. Hank Jr. wrote and recorded some great stuff back in the seventies and eighties..

 

[AGCurry]

I have to disagree. Hank Jr. wrote and recorded some great stuff back in the seventies and eighties..

Yeah, it was kinda catchy, but I never did like his message(s). Family Tradition: I'm a f*ckup 'cause my daddy was. Hubris, chauvinism, and name dropping.