I didn't know that HST was from Louisville. That is entirely fitting :)
Did you know he bought a Vincent to ride for Fear and Loathing? For that alone he shall forever be one of my heroes. It was the fastest production MC in the world in the early 50s and, well, The HAs Harleys weren't. :) If I hit the lottery I'm buying a Vincent. No question.
We haven't had many ballads here, I offer this: Richard Thompson 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
I may have read that, or be getting it mixed up with when he was running with the Angels. I love that song, although I hadn't heard that version until recently. I spent a lot of time in dive bars listening to music, one of my friend's band used to cover that about every night they played.
Del McCourey (from sorta your part of the world) does a blue grass version that is pretty good.
I'm just stone cold sure that I'd love a place where the band covers that song.
The harmonica player in that band was a former president of the local outlaws chapter, they played it every Monday night. That was a hell of a bar for a while.
I'm mostly familiar with del from his work with Steve Earle, but I will have to give that version a listen