Retro Spotlight: Hank Williams, Sr. [VIDEO]

You may have been hearing a lot of news about Hank Williams, Sr. lately. There is a movie being released about him, a collection of songs (some previously unreleased) being released, and a couple of up and comers mentioning him.

What you may not know about him, and should is that he is cornerstone of the music you love. He's like Country music's "Thomas Jefferson"; he was a framer of the genre.

Others came before Hank, and helped him along, but Hank's charisma and sound hooked many a new fan. In his 29 short years on Earth, Hank wrote and recorded several Top 10 songs and wrote one of the most popular gospel songs ever; "I Saw The Light."

Hank tried to overcome spina bifida, but the back pain that haunted him through out his life is a big contributor to his early death. Hank became legend in his death. The onetime Grand Ole Opry member (and probably one of the very few stripped of the membership due to alcoholism) has sold more albums since his death in 1952 than during his life.

If you have never heard a Hank Williams, Sr. song... you should. If not for him, Country would not be where it is now.

Here are a couple of tunes to whet your whistle. And you can read more about his colorful life here.