Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys will be featured on the soundtrack to I Saw the Light, the Hank Williams biopic starring Hiddleston as Williams. Among the songs included on the upcoming album are “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Move It On Over,” and “Jambalaya,” as well as Eddy Arnold’s “Anytime,” Jo Stafford’s “The Tennessee Waltz,” and Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby.” The soundtrack will be released on March 25, 2016 with the film opening in theaters on April 1st.
I Saw the Light was written and directed by Marc Abraham and stars Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones, Bradley Whitford, Maddie Hasson, and Wrenn Schmidt.
Hiddleston worked with Country singer/music producer Rodney Crowell to prepare for the role and to hone his singing and guitar-playing skills. “After nearly a month spent collaborating with this gifted artist, I’m as respectful of the man’s work ethic as I’m mystified by his transformational skills,” said Crowell. “Without a doubt, the filmmakers chose the right actor for the job.”
I Saw the Light (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Track List:
1. Hey Good Lookin’ – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
2. Move It On Over – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
3. Anytime – Eddy Arnold
4. Field Hand Man – The Delmore Brothers
5. Jambalaya – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
6. The Tennessee Waltz – Jo Stafford
7. My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
8. That’s What’s Knockin’ Me Out – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
9. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
10. Why Don’t You Love Me – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
11. Please Don’t Let Me Love You – George Morgan
12. Honky Tonkin’ – Tom Hiddleston and the Saddle Spring Boys
13. Lovesick Blues – Emmett Miller
THE SADDLE SPRING BOYS:
Richard Bennett (Guitar)
Luke Bulla (Fiddle)
Rodney Crowell (Guitar and Vocals)
Stuart Duncan (Fiddle)
Larry Franklin (Fiddle)
Wes Langlois (Guitar)
Tim Lauer (Organ)
Mickey Raphael (Harmonica)
Michael Rinne (Bass)
Chris Scruggs (Steel Guitar and Vocals)
Nathaniel Smith (Cello)
Takeio Stroud (Drums)
About I Saw the Light and Hank Williams [Courtesy of Legacy Recordings]:
The film chronicles country music singer/songwriter/performer Hank Williams’ rise to fame, his personal and romantic trials, his conflicts and tribulations in a country music industry he helped define, and his sudden tragic death in the back of a limousine on his way to a gig on New Year’s Day 1953.
I Saw the Light follows the journey of the iconic, tormented singer-songwriter who revolutionized country music with his raw charisma, haunting voice and original songs, most of which are considered American standards today and have been recorded many times over by pop, rock and country artists alike.
Williams emerged from the local Alabama music scene after World War II. His wife Audrey, despite an inequity in their respective talents, was desperate to sing with her husband and had fierce ambitions of her own. Hank’s ability to write songs covering a wide range of emotions, using his own personal troubles as inspiration, became the essence of country music. In the end, he realized his dreams: hit records, a place on Nashville’s prestigious stage and radio show the Grand Ole Opry and even guest spots on the then-new medium of TV.
Refusing to hide his longtime alcoholism and dependency on pain killers behind the wholesome facade Nashville and the Opry expects of its stars, Hank remained prolific and immensely popular until the very end of his life. Like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, Hank’s star burned brightly, but briefly over the six years before he died, at the age of 29.
Today, country is arguably the most popular music in America, and Hank Williams had much to do with that. The enduring quality of his character and his music earned him inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1961), the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970) and the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame (1987). Williams had 33 hit country singles during his life; 30 reached the Top Ten; eight hit Number One. Seven more Top Tens came after his death with three of these hitting Number One.
