According to the 2004 book
Hank Williams: The Biography, Williams was not too enamoured with "Half as Much" and only recorded it at producer
Fred Rose's insistence. Williams recorded it at a session at
Castle Studio in
Nashville on August 10, 1951. He was backed by
Jerry Rivers (fiddle),
Don Helms (steel guitar), Sammy Pruett (lead guitar), Howard Watts (bass), probably
Jack Shook (rhythm guitar), and either
Owen Bradley or Fred Rose on piano. "Half as Much" is notable for being the only Hank Williams recording to feature a solo barroom piano at its conclusion. Two months after Williams recorded "Half as Much," Curly Williams recorded it for
Columbia Records, so Rose held back Hank's release until March 28, 1952, to clear the way for Curley's release on November 2, 1951. ==Cover versions==