Today in 1953, Hank Williams’ “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” was #1 on the charts.

Meant to be a humorous song, as evidenced by its ironic title and chorus, the composition took on additional poignancy following Williams’ death. In fact, the urban legend that the song was #1 at the time of his demise is not far from the truth, as he did in fact die in the first hours of January 1953. Williams recorded the song at Castle Studio in Nashville on June 13, 1952 with backing provided by Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), Chet Atkins (lead guitar), Chuck Wright (bass) and probably Ernie Newton (bass).  Atkins recalled later, “We recorded ‘I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive’ and after each take, he’d sit down in a chair. I remember thinking, ‘Hoss, you’re not jivin’,’ because he was so weak that all he could do was just sing a few lines, and then just fall in the chair.”

The song has been covered by artists such as The Delta Rhythm Boys, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Asleep at the Wheel, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams III, and The Little Willies. Steve Earle released an album titled I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive on April 26, 2011, although only the iTunes album download includes a cover of the song. Earle often covers the song in live performances.

Source: Wikipedia