"California Zephyr" is a song 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 ...

. 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 1956, rock and roll artists like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry had taken the youth culture by storm, and country music would spend the next decade trying to adjust accordingly. However, in the face of the rock and roll tidal wave, Hank Williams was still selling. In fact, many of the new rock and roll artists, such as Presley,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, and Jerry Lee Lewis, greatly admired the late country singer's work, and his songs were still being recorded by artists from all genres, especially country artists. To keep up with the demand, MGM continued releasing singles from what it had left in its archives. "California Zephyr" had been one of the songs Williams sang on his radio show for Mother's Best Flour recorded in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

between January and March 1950. The surviving recordings of these shows feature more than forty songs that Hank never otherwise recorded. The shows present a far different side of Williams than the dark figure that has become ingrained into his legend, as biographer Colin Escott notes: "He's very unguarded, believing that no one aside from early morning listeners in and around Nashville and mid- Alabama would ever hear him. He laughs a lot, sometimes almost giggles, reminding us that he was only twenty-seven. The jokes are usually self-deprecating and the hymns are riveting." "California Zephyr" is likely Hank's take on the popular " Wabash Cannonball," made famous by his hero

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

; the melody and references to American cities and towns is strikingly similar. The recording on the single was taken from a 1951 demo and was issued as a 78 in 1956 with "Thy Burdens Are Greater than Mine" as the B-side.

References

Bibliography

* {{authority control Hank Williams songs 1955 singles 1951 songs MGM Records singles Songs written by Hank Williams