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Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell Co-Write Hank Sr. Song

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Vince Gill photo courtesy of MCA Nashville.


Aug. 25, 2008 — Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell finished writing a song that Hank Williams left unfinished, then recorded it in what may prove to be an extremely historic session.

Vince and Rodney completed "I Hope You Shed A Million Tears," one of a number of lyrics that Hank left behind when he died on New Year’s Day 1953. Bob Dylan is overseeing a project to have many of those songs finished, and Vince and Rodney took the concept the extra mile by bringing in Hank’s former steel guitarist, Don Helms, to play on the session.

"I told Rodney, 'I heard Don play the other day, and I just think it would be so authentic and great if we had him play on it," Vince related to The Los Angeles Times. "The neat thing for me was how the spirit of it felt like the era of that music. We all gathered in a circle and played together, played live; there was no overdubbing, no fixing it in a studio."

Don passed away two weeks ago. He was the last surviving member of Hank’s original Drifting Cowboys band, which makes the recording with Vince and Rodney even more special.

"I don't have any idea if that's the last thing he ever played on," Vince said. "It very well could be. If it was, I'll treasure it like nothing else I've ever done."

Other artists who’ve worked on the Hank Williams project include Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson, Lucinda Williams, Jack White and Norah Jones.

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