(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Pat Guadagno and his Lonesome Cowboys celebrated Hank Williams 100th birthday with a special show on Sunday, September 10, 2023 at Bell Works in Holmdel. The show was presented by Axelrod Performing Arts Center. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.
Guadagno, who has shared the stage with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Graham Parker, the Mavericks, Keb' Mo' and the Zac Brown Band, was joined by artists like Norman Seldin, Jackson Pines, PK Lavengood, Michael Patrick, Cranston Dean and Gary Oleyar to mark the 100th birthday anniversary of one of the most influential singers in American history.
Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked number one (three posthumously). He died at age 29 but left behind such enduring hits as “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Lovesick Blues.” He died on January 1, 1953 at the age of 29.
Guadagno first became interested in Hank Williams many years ago during his first trip to Nashville, when he visited a museum that displayed the Cadillac in which Williams died in the back seat on his way to a gig in Canton, Ohio. Williams’ legacy endures because his brutally honest songs were filled with heartache, honesty and raw emotion.
“The drinking, drugs and women all help make for a good story, but it’s really the quality of the music, his art and what he put into the songs as both a writer and performer,” said Guadagno. “They’re songs that anyone can relate to. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is just a work of genius. It tears your heart out.”
Guadagno once again put together a strong band who put forth their own arrangements to the songs, while staying true to the originals. There's nobody better at interpreting songs than Guadagno who regularly performs tributes to Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Van Morrison. Earlier this year, the New Jersey troubadour released his 6th album, 1964, a stirring homage to some of the artists who helped him discover and maintain his passion.
Pat's Tom Waits show - The Heart of Saturday Night - comes to The Vogel in Red Bank on November 4, 2023. Shady Street Showman Ryan Gregg, Jazz-Blues-Hip Hop Powerhouse Deseree Spinks and Alternative Folk Award winner Emily Grove join Guadagno and his band Small Change to deliver the Blood and Whiskey-Stained music of one of the most deviant and provocative artists of our time. Tickets range from $39-$59 and are available for purchase online.
Here are more photos from the show.
John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in photographing live theatre and music performances. Currently, John has spent the last 6 years concentrating on photographing almost 400 theater productions at over 70 different NJ theatres. Click here for John's website.
