An imposing man at 6 feet 7 inches, Big Bill Lister turned his early 1950's stint as Hank Williams' opening act and rhythm guitarist into several hits when he recorded versions of Williams' songs, "Countryfied," "The Little House We Built Just Over the Hill," and, most memorably, "There's a Tear in My Beer. His skill as a performer kept his career afloat long after he stopped producing hit songs, and his honky-tonk style drew from across the country spectrum. His somewhat raw sound may have kept him from being a commercial smash, but his nearly 50-year career kept soldiering on anyway.