On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain
On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain is a song written by Hank Williams and Ramona Vincent. It was the singer's second single on MGM Records, released in September 1947. Background. According to biographer Colin Escott, Ramona Vincent, a crippled woman, wrote the words of the song as a poem and sent it to Williams, who put a melody to it(According to U.S. Copyright Office, her legal name was Kathleen Ramona Vincent, born 1928). The song was paired with Fred Rose's novelty "Fly Trouble," resulting in perhaps the oddest single the  singer ever released. The song was recorded at Castle Studio in Nashville on August 4, 1947 with Rose producing. Williams was backed by Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Hermon Herron (steel guitar), Sammy Pruett (lead guitar), Slim Thomas (rhythm guitar), and Lum York (bass). Hank had scored his first "Billboard" hit with "Move It on Over" but "On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain" bombed. As Escott notes: