Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues

AMERICAN MASTERS profiles the first country superstar, Hank Williams, whose personal and professional life was one long series of jagged jerks between highs and lows that inevitably led to hit songs. Within a single year, Williams enjoyed his first hit with "Move it on Over," his drinking landed him in a sanatorium, his band left him, and his wife filed for divorce for the first time. From "Your Cheatin' Heart" to "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," Williams' hillbilly hymns continue to sell albums worldwide and are recorded by artists such as Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles, 50 years after Williams' death. The poignant and powerful film features first-ever on-camera interview with Williams' widow and exclusive interviews with son Hank Williams Jr. and grandson Hank Williams III. Also featured are an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Bragg and rare audio and film clips of early performances.