On 31 August 1950, Hank Williams recorded "Moanin' the Blues" at Castle Studio in Nashville, a session that stands out because it features drums – an instrument he used on only one other track in his entire career. The recording later became his fourth number-one single. Its inclusion of percussion was unusual for the era, since drums were widely viewed as unsuitable for country music and had even been banned at the Grand Ole Opry just six years earlier.

Williams and producer Fred Rose were, in this respect, ahead of their time, as drums would not become standard in country recordings until the Nashville Sound emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with the Opry itself not permitting visible drum kits until the mid-1960s. The only other Williams recording to feature a drummer was "Kaw-Liga", cut in September 1952. Elsewhere, the arrangement on "Moanin' the Blues" remained musically traditional, complete with his signature yodelling and falsetto vocals.