The Lovesick Drifters: Keeping Hank Williams Sr. Alive—One Show at a Time

If you love the raw, honest heartbeat of classic country—the kind of music that sounds like it was written under a single porch light with nothing but truth for company—then you’ll want to put The Lovesick Drifters on your radar.

The Lovesick Drifters are widely billed as North Carolina’s premier Hank Williams Sr. tribute band, built around the idea that Hank’s songs aren’t museum pieces—they’re living, breathing stories that still hit hard today. And what makes this show special isn’t only the song choices. It’s the commitment to authenticity: the tone, the pacing, the stagecraft, and the musicianship that honors the era without feeling like a costume.

A Hank Williams tribute that feels real (because the details matter)

Plenty of artists can sing Hank’s hits. The Lovesick Drifters aim to recreate the world those songs came from—right down to “period correct instruments,” according to coverage of the band’s live performances.

That’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s how the songs land the way they’re supposed to: direct, uncluttered, and emotionally sharp.

Fans can expect staples like “I Saw the Light” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” alongside deeper cuts—music that reminds you how Hank could say more in two minutes than most people can say in a lifetime.

Front man energy: Garrett Newton “channels a young Hank”

The band is fronted by Garrett Newton on vocals and acoustic guitar. Live-show listings and writeups frequently describe him as someone who can convincingly evoke “young Hank,” with the kind of between-song banter that makes the room feel like it time-traveled back to classic radio days.

Garrett’s background also brings real roots to the project: he got an early start in bluegrass, including time performing with Carolina Road, and released a Pinecastle Records project titled Young Heart, Old Soul.

Meet the Lovesick Drifters lineup

The Lovesick Drifters aren’t “a singer with a backing band.” They’re a full ensemble of seasoned players—plus a little lightning-in-a-bottle youth.

According to the band’s official member bios, the core lineup includes:

• • • Garrett Newton – Vocals / Acoustic guitar
    • Alan Hicks – Bass
    • Clyde Mattocks – Steel guitar
    • Steve Shannon – Guitar
    • Lizzy Tobell – Drums
    • Keith Thomas – Fiddle

A few standout notes that help explain why the show lands so well:

• Clyde Mattocks is celebrated for deep experience as a musician and bandleader, and the group has publicly celebrated his induction into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
  
  
• The band’s approach to Hank’s sound includes steel guitar authenticity that audiences and writers routinely call out as a defining feature of the performance.
  
  
• Lizzy Tobell has been playing drums since early childhood and brings a punchy, modern precision that still respects the old-school groove.
  
  

Not just tribute: originals that feel like they came from Hank’s pen

One of the coolest details about this group is that they don’t only replicate Hank—they also weave original compositions into the show, written in a way that audiences have said feels remarkably true to the Hank Williams style.

That’s a tricky line to walk. But when it works, it turns the night from “a tribute set” into something more like an experience—like you’re hearing the sound continue forward instead of stopping in time.

Where you might have seen them

The Lovesick Drifters have also been promoted as appearing on PBS’s Song of the Mountains. They’re also active on social and in venue calendars, where shows are announced as they’re booked.

Why audiences keep showing up

At the end of the day, this is what people want from a Hank Williams tribute: the feeling that the music still has teeth.

The Lovesick Drifters bring that through:

• • • faithful arrangements and era-appropriate textures
    • a front man who can sell the story, not just the notes
    • a band stacked with players who know exactly how to support the song

If you’ve never seen them, a Lovesick Drifters show is a strong reminder that Hank Williams Sr. wasn’t just influential—he’s still current, because great songs don’t expire.