"Half as Much"
Single by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys
B-side"Let's Turn Back the Years"
PublishedOctober 17, 1951 (1951-10-17) Acuff-Rose Publications[1]
ReleasedMarch 1952 (1952-03)
RecordedAugust 10, 1951 (1951-08-10)[2]
StudioCastle Studio, Nashville
GenreCountry & Western, Honky-tonk, Country blues
Length2:42
LabelMGM
Songwriter(s)Curley Williams
Producer(s)Fred Rose
Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys singles chronology
"Honky Tonk Blues"
(1952)		 "Half as Much"
(1952)		 "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
(1952)
"Half as Much"
Single by Rosemary Clooney
B-side"Poor Whip-Poor-Will (Move Over, Move Over)"
ReleasedApril 4, 1952 (1952-04-04)
RecordedAugust 23, 1951 (1951-08-23)
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:48
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Curley Williams
Producer(s)Percy Faith
Rosemary Clooney singles chronology
"Tenderly"
(1952)		 "Half as Much"
(1952)		 "Botch-A-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina)"
(1952)

"Half as Much" is an American pop standard song written by Curley Williams in 1951. It was recorded by country music singer Hank Williams in 1952 and reached number two on the Billboard Country Singles chart.[3]

Hank Williams version

According to the 2004 book Hank Williams: The Biography, Williams was not too enamoured with "Half as Much" and only recorded it at producer Fred Rose's insistence.[4] Williams recorded it at a session at Castle Studio in Nashville on August 10, 1951. He was backed by Jerry Rivers (fiddle), Don Helms (steel guitar), Sammy Pruett (lead guitar), Howard Watts (bass), probably Jack Shook (rhythm guitar), and either Owen Bradley or Fred Rose on piano.[5] "Half as Much" is notable for being the only Hank Williams recording to feature a solo barroom piano at its conclusion. Two months after Williams recorded "Half as Much," Curly Williams recorded it for Columbia Records, so Rose held back Hank's release until March 28, 1952, to clear the way for Curley's release on November 2, 1951.[4]

Cover versions

Chart performance

Hank Williams version

Year Chart Position
1952 Billboard Country Singles #2

Rosemary Clooney version

Year Chart Position
1952 Billboard Pop Singles #1
1952 UK Singles Chart #3

See also

References

  1. ↑ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1951). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1951 Published Music Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 5 Pt 5A. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  2. ↑ "Hank Williams Sessions". jazzdiscography.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 387.
  4. 1 2 Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004, p. 178.
  5. ↑ Escott, Merritt & MacEwen 2004, p. 345.
  6. ↑ "ROSEMARY CLOONEY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.

Bibliography

  • Escott, Colin; Merritt, George; MacEwen, William (2004). Hank Williams: The Biography. New York: Little, Brown.


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