Used to love hoisting a few with friends and family while listening to an awesome compilation full of country music historical significance called "24 Greatest Hits".Before Williams,a lot of country was stuff like Tex Ritter,Gene Autry and things like that that were fine,but in the final analysis,Hank Sr. did for country what the Beatles did for pop.He took his genre to new and astounding heights and re-invented it altogether.Still considered a major influence even to many of today's major country crooners.Sometimes,I actually liken him to early Bob Dylan in the sense that he had amazing folkie communication skills in regards to his audiences.Songs like "Tear in My Beer" among other heartbreakers are articulate to the point where you can virtually feel exactly what he was going through at the times he wrote these songs.That's a MAJOR hallmark of a truly great artist..............