It started with an old demo. Around 1950, Hank Sr. wrote a song called “There’s a Tear in My Beer” and recorded a simple version with just his voice and his guitar. His publisher didn’t want a drinking song from him, so Hank gave the demo to his friend “Big Bill” Lister, who recorded it in 1952.
Many years later, Lister passed that old recording on to Hank Jr. The disc was carefully transferred to tape, and Hank Jr. and his band “filled in the blanks,” adding music and his own voice around his father’s.
The result was a real father-and-son duet. It was released in early 1989 and reached the top ten on the Billboard country chart.
The music video is what made it unforgettable. Hank Jr. sings alone in an old house on a stormy night. Then he hears another voice coming from behind a door. He opens it, and there is his father, singing with his band. Hank Jr. steps through, and the two finish the song side by side.
The footage of Hank Sr. came from a 1952 TV performance, and the team spent a great deal of work blending the two men together. It was groundbreaking for its time.
The video was named Video of the Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, and father and son shared a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration in 1990.
Did you ever see this video when it first came out? Share it with a friend who loves classic country.
