According to one source, Hank Williams wrote "Cold, Cold Heart" after visiting his wife in the hospital where she may or may not have been recovering from a self-induced abortion. According to another source, he didn't write the song at all, but rather bought it from the lyricist Paul Gilley (who drowned soon afterward and never claimed credit). In either case, Hank's release reached #1 on the Country chart in 1951, and Tony Bennett's cover reached #1 on the Pop chart the same year, which was a first for a Country music crossover.
In 1952, NBC devoted two full hour episodes of the "Kate Smith Evening Hour" to the Grand Ole Opry, which was its first exposure on national television. Here is Roy Acuff introducing Hank Williams:
Unfortunately, only 46 seconds:
Tony Bennett, this time with lyrics in the third person, instead of Hank's second person:
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Music begins at 1:24
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