The Drifting Cowboys were the backing group for American music legend Hank Williams. The band went through several lineups during Williams's career, and surviving members of the group continue to tour and make public appearances to this day.

One modern day version of the group, the backing band for William's daughter Jett Williams

Jett Williams

Jett Williams is an American country music performer.Jett is the daughter of country music icon Hank Williams, Sr. and Bobbie Jett, whose brief relationship with Hank Williams occurred between his two marriages. She is a posthumous child; her birth in Montgomery, Alabama occurred five days after...

, was led by original Drifting Cowboys steel guitar

Steel guitar

Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...

ist Don Helms

Don Helms

Don Helms was a steel guitarist best known as the steel guitar player of Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys group....

; another version of the group known as "Hank's Drifters" features original Drifting Cowboys members Clent Holmes and Pee Wee Moultrie. Moultrie, Holmes and Helms made many appearances with former Drifting Cowboys bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Herbert "Lum" York until York's death in 2004.

Former Drifting Cowboys lead guitarist Joe Pennington

Joe Pennington

Joe Pennington, aka "Joe Penny," is a former lead guitarist for Hank Williams' backing band, the Drifting Cowboys...

 later became a pioneering Rockabilly

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...

 artist and continues to tour and record both Country Music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 and Gospel Music

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

. Former Drifting Cowboy Hillous Butrum

Hillous Butrum

Hillous Buel "Bew" Butrum was an American country music guitar player and a record and video producer best known as a member of Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys....

 later became a successful record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 and pioneer in the field of music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

s. Ray Price

Ray Price (musician)

Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...

took over the band after Williams' death for a short time.

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