Hank Williams Sr.
July 10, 2008 — Don Helms, a legendary steel guitarist who played on most of Hank Williams’ recordings, was hospitalized in an intensive care unit earlier this week, after suffering a heart attack and a stroke over the Fourth of July weekend.
A note was posted on the TwangTownUSA.com website by Michael Panasuk, of CPR Records, saying the stroke and heart attack were "mild."
"We firmly believe he's going to recover," Panasuk wrote. "We're just not sure how long it will take."
Don, a Nashville resident who turned 91 in February, joined Hank’s Original Drifting Cowboys in 1949 and soon appeared on a host of classic recordings by one of country’s most significant singer-songwriters. Among the Hank hits that featured Don’s steel were "Cold, Cold Heart," "Hey Good Lookin’," "I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)," "Kaw-Liga" and "Your Cheatin’ Heart."
But Don didn’t just impact Hank’s music. He also appeared on such landmarks as Lefty Frizzell’s "The Long Black Veil," Patsy Cline’s "Walkin’ After Midnight" and Ray Price’s "I’ve Got A New Heartache," plus sessions by Loretta Lynn, Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, the Louvin Brothers and Brenda Lee.
"I've had a pretty interesting life," Don recently told The Edmonton Journal. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."