“Full Of Ghosts”: John Osborne Plays Hank Williams’ Guitar
By kncitom on September 5, 2018
This is one of the things I love about country music: the past is always present.
John Osborne, one half of The Brothers Osborne, paid a visit to the Martin Guitar factory, and had a chance to hold history in his hands. He even got to play it a little.
The history in question? Hank Williams Senior’s 1947 Martin acoustic guitar, which is normally in a display case.
Hank Williams, in case you didn’t know, is widely considered to be one the fathers of country music (yes, just like a character in a good country song, the genre has several people who could be considered the father). He died way before his time, at just 29 years old, after struggling with addiction to alcohol and pills. But the legacy he left behind endures to this day, and not just in country music.
Ever heard the George Thorogood song “Move It On Over”?
That’s a Hank song.
So are American staples like
“Honky Tonk Blues”
‘Hey Good Lookin'”
“Your Cheatin’ Heart”
“Cold Cold Heart”
“Jambalaya”
“Mind Your Own Business”
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women”….Keith Richards said he got the idea for the iconic riff when he and Mick were juggling ideas and “…suddenly, Hank Williams came to mind”.
Hank’s short but prodigious career influenced everyone from Bob Dylan to Brad Paisley–who sat down onstage in July with Hank’s son and performed Hank Jr’s “I’m Gonna Get Drunk and Play Hank Williams”.
So, yeah–with all apologies to Ron Burgundy–Hank’s kind of a big deal.
And therefore that guitar of his? It’s basically living history…a fact which did not escape John Osborne after he was lucky enough to noodle around on the thing and post the following short video to Twitter.
Played Hank Williams Sr.’s 1947 D-18 at the @MartinGuitar factory today. Incredibly loud and full of ghosts. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/lUh75XGfyr
— Brothers Osborne (@brothersosborne) September 5, 2018
Now, if you don’t have anything better to do this coming weekend, why not get a little drunk and go listen to some Hank? Or Brothers Osborne. Or hell, both.
