On This Day in 1951, a Country Music Icon Made His National Television Debut, Introducing Himself and the Genre to Millions of Viewers

On this day (November 14) in 1951, Hank Williams made his national television debut on The Perry Como Show. At the time, Williams and Como were two of the biggest stars in the United States. Millions of people tuned in three nights a week to watch Como’s landmark variety show. That night, many of his viewers were introduced to country music with a performance of “Hey Good Lookin’.”

Williams was on top of the world in November 1951. When he took the stage, he had six No. 1 singles under his belt. He performed his most recent, which had already spent seven weeks at the top of the best-sellers chart.

Williams had also spent August and September on a 49-stop tour of the South with Minnie Pearl, Milton Berle, Jimmy Durante, and other prominent entertainers. In short, he was poised to transcend the country music world and become a nationwide sensation. Executives at MGM Records saw his rise in popularity coming and readied his debut album, Hank Williams Sings. It hit shelves on November 9.

Unfortunately, no footage of Williams’ appearance on the show exists. However, some evidence of the episode’s impact exists. “Hey Good Lookin’” had already spent seven non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the best-sellers chart. It went back to the top on the chart dated November 17, marking a sharp spike in sales after November 14.

Hank Williams Sings Didn’t Contain Any Hits

Hank Williams’ debut album was a strategic release by MGM. They knew that new fans would go to their local store and grab a copy of the LP after they saw Williams on The Perry Como Show. At the same time, they wanted to make sure sales of his singles remained high. As a result, producer Fred Rose collected enough of Williams’ previously-released singles to make an album and ran with it.

In the interest of sales, MGM didn’t include “Hey Good Lookin’” on the album. In fact, the only hit on the LP was “Wedding Bells,” which had reached No. 2 in 1949. The tracklist was full of B-sides and failed singles. However, more than seven decades later, Hank Williams Sings is full of cherished classics.

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It opens with “Lost Highway,” which later became a country standard. It also features “I Saw the Light,” “I’ve Just Told Mama Goodbye,” “Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul,” and “A Mansion on the Hill.” These are all considered staples of Williams’ catalog by modern fans.

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