Battling Bobs (Wills) Top Ten: Hang Your Head in Shame (#8)

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Along with the great rocking sounds of Bob Seger, I'm also highlighting my ten favorite songs by another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Bob Wills. It may surprise you that Wills was inducted in 1999 as an "early influence," but if you look at his body of work and how his music "crossed over," it's really not that big a surprise. Here's a good example. #8: Hang Your Head in Shame This is a frequently-recorded hit from Wills' career. Among those who recorded it: Ray Charles. Yes, that Ray Charles. Of course, it wasn't just the fact that other Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have recorded Wills' music. He was an early proponent of using drums in a band, at a time when that was verboten in country music (drums weren't allowed on the Grand Ole Opry until the mid 60s, and even major stars with drawing power and influence had to ask permission to get accompanied by a snare drum!). And we won't even discuss the clarinets, trumpets, and saxophones..... This song features that great "musical deception" that I love so much: lyrics about a love gone wrong thanks to a bad woman with a get-up-and-square-dance-NOW! accompaniment. It's one of Bob Wills' great classics. Hang Your Head in Shame Written by Fred Rose, Edward Nelson, and Steve Nelson Released as a single, 1945 You should go somewhere and hide your face: