Today in 1949, Hank Williams Sr.’s “Lovesick Blues” was released. It was the song that got him his first invitation to perform on the Grand Ole Opry.

Written by Cliff Friend and Irving Mills, the song first appeared in the 1922 musical Oh, Ernest. It was recorded by Emmett Miller in 1925 and 1928, and later by country music singer Rex Griffin. The recordings by Griffin and Miller inspired Hank Williams to perform the song during his first appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1948. Receiving an enthusiastic reception from the audience, Williams decided to record his own version despite initial push back from his producer Fred Rose and his band.

MGM Records released “Lovesick Blues” in February 1949, and it became an overnight success, quickly reaching number one on Billboard’s Top C&W singles and number 24 on the Most Played in Jukeboxes list. The publication named it the top country and western record of the year, while Cashbox named it “Best Hillbilly Record of the Year”.

Several cover versions of the song have been recorded. The most popular, Frank Ifield’s 1962 version, topped the UK Singles Chart. In 2004, Williams’ version was added to the National Recording Registry.

Source: Wikipedia