Hank Williams enjoyed a simple metaphor as much as he liked a drink, so let’s compare him to a fine liquor. How would you like him served? On the rocks? Neat, undiluted? Two hundred per cent proof?

Because Johnson grew up with an old man named Bob Sellers at the end of the road from him, he noted that they were sheltered in a way. He recalls a specific moment in his career when he realized he’d ...