"A Home in Heaven" is a hymn written by

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

and recorded as a duet with his wife Audrey Williams. It was released as a single on

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

in 1956.

Background

By all accounts, Audrey Williams had no sense of time as a singer, but she nonetheless sang with her husband at his personal appearances and on his Mother's Best Flour radio shows. Early Williams band member R.D. Norred later recalled, "Audrey couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, and the more she practiced, the worse she got." Williams was painfully aware of his wife's limitations as a vocalist but indulged her ambitions anyway, allowing her to sing and arranging recording sessions for her. '' Louisiana Hayride'' producer Horace Logan told Williams biographer Colin Escott that he would have never allowed her onstage but claimed Hank told him, "Logan, I've got to let her sing. I've got to live with the woman." Hank had gotten Audrey a deal with Decca but, after quickly recognizing her lack of singing talent, the label dropped her, and in March 1951 he persuaded his producer Fred Rose to cut them singing some duets of spiritual material.

Recording and composition

"A Home in Heaven" was a song that Williams had kicked around in one guise or another for five years; a version had been included on a set of demos sent to

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

in 1946 and it resurfaced again later under the title "Are You Building a Temple in Heaven?" Hank and Audrey were backed on the session by Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), Sammy Pruett (electric guitar), Jack Shook (rhythm guitar), and Howard Watts or Ernie Newton (bass). Largely due to Audrey's tuneless singing, Rose refused to release it, but MGM - desperate for new material after Hank's death in 1953 - released the song in 1956 with another duet, "The Pale Horse and His Rider," as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. Colin Escott observes, "Once again, Hank and Audrey's domestic disharmony seemed to find its extension on disc as she tried for supremacy on every note."

References

;Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Home in Heaven, A 1956 singles Hank Williams songs 1951 songs Song recordings produced by Fred Rose (songwriter) Songs written by Hank Williams MGM Records singles