On This Day in 1951, Hank Williams Was at No. 1 With a Song He Recorded After Deciding It Was “Too Good” for Little Jimmy Dickens

On this day (August 13) in 1951, Hank Williams was at the top of the country chart with “Hey Good Lookin’.” The song spent a total of eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. It has since been listed among the greatest country songs ever recorded and has inspired countless cover versions. Williams originally wrote the song for Little Jimmy Dickens, but chose to record it himself.

Dickens made his recording debut with “Take an Old Cold ‘Tater (And Wait)” in 1949, a year after he joined the Grand Ole Opry. It and its follow-up, “Country Boy,” reached No. 7. He released two more top-10 hits that year and one in 1950. After that, though, most of his singles failed to chart. However, he continued to record and remained popular with the Opry crowd.

Hank Williams, Little Jimmy Dickens, and “Hey Good Lookin’”

After Williams joined the Opry, he and Dickens found themselves touring together often. As the story goes, they were on a flight when Williams gave his friend and touring partner some sage advice. He told Dickens that if he ever wanted to be a big star, he would have to release a hit song. Then, he told him he would write one for him. About 20 minutes later, he had penned “Hey Good Lookin’.” The song didn’t go to Dickens, though.

Williams recorded the future hit the next week. He joked with Dickens that he decided it was “too good” for him to record. According to Family Tradition–Three Generations of Hank Williams, they ribbed one another often. For instance, he liked to tease Dickens by saying that “Hey Good Lookin’” was about him. He also called him Tater, taken from his debut single. Before they took the stage, Williams would pull back the curtain and say, “Look out there, Tater. You drew me a good crowd.”

[RELATED: On This Day in 1947, Hank Williams Recorded the Single That Set the Bar for Future Success]

Dickens finally got his big hit when “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” topped the country chart in 1965.

Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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