Widely considered country music's first superstar, Hiram "Hank" Williams was born September 17, 1923, in Mount Olive, Alabama. Ultimately, the completion of the album included recordings by Alan Jackson, Norah Jones, Jack White, Lucinda Williams, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Patty Loveless, Levon Helm, Jakob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and Merle Haggard. Jett, whose legal name is Cathy Deupree Adkinson, was raised by Williams' mother for two years until she died. The station's owner called the local police chief. His father worked as a logger before entering the Veterans Administration hospital when young Hank was just six. He formed the Drifting Cowboys backup band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote his time to his career. While her son was not on the stage, his song I Saw The Light opened the show. [9] Dr. P.H. medically disqualified from military service, I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You), Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, "Luke the Drifter and the Secrets of Country | ABCtales", "Cowtown Birthplace of Western Swing - Hank Williams", Escott, Colin, Merritt, George & MacEwen, William 2015, "Show 9 Tennessee Firebird: American country music before and after Elvis. He was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry because of his unreliability and alcoholism. A doctor was called to examine him. His father actually died January 1, 1953, and of course Jr was 3 years old. Williams' version became a huge country hit; the song stayed at number one on the Billboard charts for four consecutive months,[56] and gained Williams a place in the Grand Ole Opry. [3] In October 1952, he married Billie Jean Jones. The identity of her famous father remained a mystery to her until her early twenties. In 1948, he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, and he joined the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show broadcast that propelled him into living rooms all over the Southeast appearing on weekend shows. The result of the original autopsy indicated that Williams died of a heart attack. [100] "Take These Chains From My Heart" was released in April 1953 and reached No. The Journal that day reported WSFA received hundreds of calls and telegrams requesting the station play his songs. Hank Williams died of drug and alcohol abuse at the age of 29. [Part 1]", "Hank Williams Sr. makes his Grand Ole Opry debut", "The Year's Top Country and Western Records", "Hank Williams' last ride: Driver recalls lonesome end", Huber, Patrick, Goodson, Steve & Anderson, David 2014, Haislop, Neil, Lathrop, Tad & Sumrall, Harry 1995, "1985 Inductee: Lifework Award for Performing Achievement", "Hank Williams Wins Again, And Inspires Countless Covers | uDiscover", "Hank Williams receives additional Grammy Recognition as "Lovesick Blues" inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame", "The Beatles' catalogue wins 'Best Historical Album' Grammy", "Hank Williams: Native American group Inducts Him", "The 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners Special Awards and Citations", "Hilary Williams Details Her Brush with Death in 'Sign of Life', "New exhibit explores Hank Williams' family legacy", "Hilary Williams on Triumphant New Album 'My Lucky Scars,' Family Legacy", "Country Singer Hank Williams Jr.'s Daughter, 27, Killed in Tennessee Car Crash", "The Hank Williams Lineage Continues with Hank3's Son "IV", "Nashville Skyline: Hank Williams' Life After Death", "The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams to be released in October", "Nashville Skyline: Johnny Cash and Hank Williams: Got Some More Music Here", "Hear a newly discovered Hank Williams performance", "Six Decades Later, A Long-Lost Hank Williams Recording Resurfaces", "Newly Discovered Hank! YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Heart failure and hard living did him in. [13][14], As a child, Williams was nicknamed "Harm" by his family and "Herky" or "Skeets" by his friends. Carr talked to Williams for the last time when they stopped at a restaurant in Bristol, Virginia. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "[25] An estimated 15,000 to 25,000 people passed by the silver coffin, and the auditorium was filled with 2,750 mourners. [32] The Cadillac in which Williams was riding just before he died is now preserved at the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. While living in Georgiana, Williams met Rufus "Tee-Tot" Payne, a street performer. [22] At a chance meeting in Georgiana, Williams met U.S. Representative J. Lister Hill while Hill was campaigning across Alabama. What began with Williams writing material for singer Molly O'Day eventually gave way to a record contract with the recently created MGM label. He was very kind, and said Oak Hill General Hospital was six miles on my left," and that would place him in Mount Hope. His life and music received a fresh look in 2019 with Ken Burns' 16-hour documentary, Country Music, which prominently featured the icon in an episode titled "The Hillbilly Shakespeare.". For Hank to have lived even a normal life span, he would have had to avoid chemical dependence. "Your Cheatin' Heart" was written and recorded in 1952 but released in 1953 after Williams's death. There was desire, burden, fear, ambition, reverse after reverse, bitter disappointment, joy, success, sympathy, love for people. The first celebration, in 1954, featured the unveiling of a monument at the Cramton Bowl that was later placed at the gravesite of Williams. A doctor injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that contained morphine. One woman was carried out after she collapsed. He was driving Hank Williams, 29, who died that night. Roy Acuff, along with a host of countrys biggest stars, performed I Saw The Light., MONTGOMERY, AL - JANUARY 4: Guitar themed flower arrangements adorn the gravesite of country singer Hank Williams as he is laid to rest at the Oakwood Cemetary Annex on January 4, 1953 in Montgomery, Alabama. Celebrity Births Deaths and Ages Hank Williams Sr. [31], In July 1937, the Williams and McNeils opened a boarding house on South Perry Street in downtown Montgomery. [107] He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame[108] in 1961 and into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1985. His childhood was also shaped by his spinal condition, spina bifida, which set him apart from other kids his age and fostered a sense of separation from the world around him. [77] It was the second marriage for both (each being divorced with children). His father was a railroad engineer who was also a victim of shell shock after a year of fighting in France in 1918 during World War I and spent many years in veterans hospitals. Among other fake titles, he said that he was a Doctor of Science. Long plagued by alcoholism, Williams fell ill at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville on the last night of 1952. The marriage was always turbulent and rapidly disintegrated, and Williams developed serious problems with alcohol, morphine, and other painkillers prescribed for him to ease the severe back pain caused by his spina bifida occulta. By the end of 1952, Williams had started to have heart problems. All Rights Reserved. [92] In Williams' Cadillac, the police found some empty beer cans and unfinished handwritten lyrics. Williams had to cancel the concert due to an ice storm; he hired college student Charles Carr to drive him to his next appearance, a concert on New Year's Day 1953, at the Canton Memorial Auditorium in Canton, Ohio. [142], For other people named Hank Williams, see. Lillie was unwilling to let him reclaim his position as the head of the household. The set was re-released on Hank Williams: The Legend Begins in 2011. He found hemorrhages in the heart and neck and pronounced the cause of death as "insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart". Lillie Stone, Audrey Williams, and Hank Williams, Jr., seated on a bed while looking through letters and cards received after the death of Hank Williams, Sr. The house had a small garden on which they grew diverse crops that Williams and his sister Irene sold around Georgiana. He had 2 stepmothers and a mother. Author Colin Escott concluded in his . They began to fill the auditorium hours before the afternoon funeral. Carr immediately realized that he was dead and informed the filling station's owner, Glenn Burdette, who called the chief of the local police, O.H. The two were often rivals for Williams' time and attention. His body was initially transported to Montgomery and placed in a silver coffin shown at his mother's boarding house. After the failure of his audition, Williams and Audrey Sheppard attempted to interest the recently formed music publishing firm Acuff-Rose Music. As the titles of some of Williams' songs suggest, heartbreak and turmoil were never that far from his life. The world he seemed to identify most with was the musical sounds that poured out of the radio and emanated from church choirs. The day after Williams died, The Montgomery Advertiser recalled Williams as a former peanut vendor who learned to play guitar at age 6. He was scheduled to perform a few gigs on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to see in. In 2011, Williams' 1949 MGM number one hit, "Lovesick Blues", was inducted into the Recording Academy Grammy Hall of Fame. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [71] On December 13, 1951, he had a spinal fusion at the Vanderbilt University Hospital, being released on December 24. [127] His great-grandson Coleman Finchum, son of Hank Williams III, released his debut single credited to IV and the Strange Band in 2021. Alternate titles: Hiram King Williams, the Hillbilly Shakespeare. [59] He met Horace "Toby" Marshall in Oklahoma City, who said that he was a doctor. [102], Williams has been called "the King of Country Music" in popular culture. He purchased the DSC title for $35 from the "Chicago School of Applied Science"; in the diploma, he requested that the DSc was spelled out as "Doctor of Science and Psychology". [52] Rose signed Williams to a six-song contract, and leveraged this deal to sign Williams with Sterling Records. "Long Gone Daddy: A Biography of Hank Williams, Country Music's Tragic Hero". Hank Williams, Jr., was only 3 years old when his father died ("Hank".Bio para.4). [84], A man named Lewis Fitzgerald (born 1943) claimed to be Williams' illegitimate son; he was the son of Marie McNeil, Williams' cousin. Probably taught his first chords by Payne, Williams began playing the guitar at age 8. [61], In 1950, Williams began recording as "Luke the Drifter" for his religious-themed recordings, many of which are recitations rather than singing. His father was a Mason and his mother was a member of the. On New Year's Day 1953, he took his seat in the back of his 1952 powder blue Cadillac. [17] From that time on, Lillie assumed responsibility for the family. The Opry eventually fired him, and in 1952, he and Sheppard divorced. The 27-year-old was driving the car, which was. Hank Williams was just 29-years-old when he died, but had lived quite a life in his short years. In regards to her half-brother and where they stand today, Jett said: As far as having a personal relationship, we dont have like a brother-sister relationship, but we do get along; we do business and I think the world does realize that both of us have our dads best interest at heart.. He had a message. Keillor, Garrison. If he came to this conclusion (of suicide), he still had enough prestige left as a star to make a first-class production of it whereas, six months from now, unless he pulled himself back up into some high-class bookings, he might have been playing for nickels and dimes on skid row. This being the days of Jim Crow, the 200 Black mourners were in a segregated balcony. "[36], On March 19, Marshall declared that he felt Williams was depressed and committed suicide by taking a higher dose of the drugs he had prescribed. There he sang "Hey Good Lookin'", and the next week Como opened the show singing the same song, with apologies to Williams. [47] As a result of the new variety of his repertoire, Williams published his first songbook, Original Songs of Hank Williams. Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Hank Williams, Birth Year: 1923, Birth date: September 17, 1923, Birth State: Alabama, Birth City: Mount Olive, Birth Country: United States. One famous person of Williams, Jr.'s . Hank Williams, the 29-year-old King of Country Music, was to have flown to Charleston, West Virginia for a New Year's Eve concert but an ice storm near Nashville kept him away. Corrections? The Montgomery Auditorium, located at the intersection of Perry and Monroe Street, "Long forgotten Montgomery auditorium to see new life", "Convict Says Williams Depressed Singer Said Possible Suicide", "Name is Forged to Prescriptions, Expert Says", I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_of_Hank_Williams&oldid=1137643276, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart, January 4, 1953 at Oakwood Annex Cemetery in, January 1, 1953 in Oak Hill, West Virginia, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 18:47. . [33] In 1943, Williams met Audrey Sheppard at a medicine show in Banks, Alabama. In 1947, he released "Move It on Over", which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. He purchased the DSC title for $25 from the Chicago School of Applied Science; in the diploma, he requested that the DSc be spelled out as "Doctor of Science and Psychology". [36] So many listeners contacted the radio station asking for more of "the singing kid", possibly influenced by his mother, that the producers hired him to host his own 15-minute show twice a week for a weekly salary of US$15 (equivalent to $300 in 2021). After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. [95] That evening, when the announcer in Canton announced Williams' death to the gathered crowd, they started laughing because they thought it was just another excuse. Jett Williams, 39, was born to Bobbie Jett five days after Williams died. Because a corpse was involved, Stamey called in radio officer Howard Janney. Why was Hank Williams an alcoholic? [38] The band traveled throughout central and southern Alabama performing in clubs and at private gatherings. As his success deepened, so did Williams' dependence on alcohol and morphine. Williams said he did not, and those are thought to be his last words. Their son, Randall Hank Williams (now known as Hank Williams Jr.), was born on May 26, 1949. [10] Carr and Williams headed out of Knoxville from the Andrew Johnson Hotel via Gay Street to Magnolia Ave to 11w. The performances greatly increased Williams' name recognition, but he still lacked a number one hit. [125][126] In July 2020, his granddaughter Katherine (Hank Jr.'s daughter) died in a car crash at the age of 27. In 1989, the Alabama State Supreme Court ultimately ruled in her favor and found her to be an equal heir, after an old document was recovered that showed Williams and Jett's mother had signed a shared custody agreement. His mother stated that she bought it with money from selling peanuts, but many other prominent residents of the town claimed to have been the one who purchased the guitar for him. The investigating officer in Oak Hill declared later that Carr told him that he had pulled over at the Skyline Drive-In restaurant outside Oak Hill, and found Williams dead. Carr told Cooper this happened at the side of the road six miles from Oak Hill, but investigating officer Howard Janney placed it in the Skyline Drive-In restaurant's parking lot, noting that Carr sought help from a Skyline employee. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Williams' son, Hank Williams Jr., and widow, Billie Jean Williams Berlin, currently split the royalties. On . Under the name of Dr. C. W. Lemon he prescribed Williams with amphetamines, Seconal, chloral hydrate, and morphine.[6]. [8] Williams and Carr departed from Montgomery, Alabama at around 1:00p.m. Williams arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Carr checked in at 7:08 p.m and ordered two steaks in the lobby to be delivered to their rooms from the hotel's restaurant. Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. It was all in Hanks heart. [85], Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia, on December 31, 1952. It's hard to know another's lips will kiss you And hold you just the way I used to do Williams dropped out of school in October 1939 so that he and the Drifting Cowboys could work full-time. His breakthrough moment came in 1949 with the release of Lovesick Blues, an old show tune that Williams parlayed into a chart-topping hit, an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and international fame. A doctor injected Williams with B12 and morphine and porters carried the legendary singer-songwriter to the car. Fearful that disc jockeys and jukebox operators would hesitate to accept these unusual recordings, Williams used this alias to avoid hurting the marketability of his name. [39] Oklahoma Governor Johnston Murray revoked the parole of Horace Raphol "Toby" Marshall, who returned to prison to complete his forgery sentence.[40]. On New Year's Day 1953, at the age of 29, Williams suffered from heart failure while being driven to his next scheduled concert in Charleston, West Virginia, and died suddenly in the back seat of the car in Oak Hill, West Virginia. But coupled with Williams' obvious talents as a singer and songwriter was an increasing dependence on alcohol, which he'd started abusing in order to relieve his sometimes excruciating back pain. [28] His musical style contained influences from Payne along with several other country influences, among them Jimmie Rodgers, Moon Mullican, and Roy Acuff. Most of the material was written by Williams himself, in some cases with the help of Fred Rose and his son Wesley. In February 2005, the Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling stating that Williams' heirsson, Hank Williams Jr, and daughter, Jett Williamshave the sole rights to sell his recordings made for a Nashville radio station in 1951. Another researcher decided it could have happened at any of the gas stations near Mount Hope. Before it was over, some 20,000 people had filled the auditorium and the street outside for what was described as the largest funeral in Montgomerys history. [138], After Williams' death, Audrey Williams filed a suit in Nashville against MGM Records and Acuff-Rose. [19] Carr's account of how he discovered that Williams was dead outside Oak Hill is challenged by Dr. Leo Killorn, a Canadian intern at Beckley hospital, West Virginia, fifteen miles from Oak Hill, who claims that Carr drove up to the hospital and asked him to see Williams. [120] The same year, Hank Williams: The Complete Mother's Best RecordingsPlus! Later he would dull his physical pain with morphine, but alcohol remained his painkiller of choice when he sought to relieve the heartache of his tumultuous relationship with Audrey Sheppard, whom he married in 1942 (they divorced in 1952). Also, the Drifting Cowboys were at the time backing Ray Price, while Williams was backed by local bands. In the years since his death, Williams' impact has only grown, with artists as varied as Perry Como, Dinah Washington, Norah Jones and Bob Dylan all covering his work. In April 1948, he scored a second Billboard success with "Honky Tonkin.'". [67], Williams' career reached a peak in the late summer of 1951 with his Hadacol tour of the U.S. with Bob Hope and other actors. Both women had been using the description professionally. [62] Although the real identity of Luke the Drifter was supposed to be anonymous, Williams often performed part of the material of the recordings on stage. Elonzo stayed to celebrate his son's birthday in September before he returned to the medical center in Louisiana. His hair began falling out, and he put on 30 extra pounds. You wrote only what happened to you and the people around you, Advertiser columnist Allen Rankin wrote on the day of the funeral. [75], On August 11, 1952, Williams was dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness and missing shows. As if straight out of a country song, it was revealed decades later that Williams had fathered a daughter, Jett, who was born shortly after his death. Lillie Williams became the Drifting Cowboys' manager. [83], On January 2, Williams' body was transported to Montgomery, Alabama, where it was placed in a silver casket that was displayed at his mother's boarding house for two days. [21] Their first house burned down, and the family lost their possessions. [59] During 1949, he joined the first European tour of the Grand Ole Opry, performing in military bases in England, Germany and the Azores. When he tried to move his hands, they snapped back to the same position the hotel porters had arranged him in. The song resonated with music fans, as well as executives at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, who invited Williams to perform. While he was medically disqualified from military service after suffering a back injury caused by falling from a bull during a rodeo in Texas, his band members were all drafted to serve. [94] He also wrote that Williams had been severely beaten and kicked in the groin recently (during a fight in a Montgomery bar a few days earlier), and local magistrate Virgil F. Lyons ordered an inquest into Williams' death concerning a welt that was visible on his head. By the end of 1952, Williams had started to suffer heart problems. [41], The American entry into World War II in 1941 marked the beginning of hard times for Williams. Picking up the guitar for the first time at the age of eight, Williams was just 13 when he made his radio debut. He made his radio debut at age 13; formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14; and early on began wearing the cowboy hats and western clothing that later were so associated with him. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel, but the porters had to carry Williams to the car as he was coughing and hiccuping. Hank Williams was born Hiram Williams[3] on September 17, 1923,[4] in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama. [43] The book only listed lyrics, since its main purpose was to attract more audiences, though it is also possible that he did not want to pay for transcribing the notes. Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely compromised Williams' health. [16], The circumstances of Williams's death are still controversial. She stated that she received after Williams' death a bill for $800 from Marshall for the treatment. Payne gave Williams guitar lessons in exchange for money or meals prepared by Lillie. By the time he'd moved with his mother to Montgomery in 1937, Williams' music career was already in motion. [62] He was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree. was honored with a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album. It was placed in a silver coffin that was first shown at his mother's boarding house at 318 McDounough Street for two days. His performances were acclaimed when he was sober, but despite the efforts of his work associates to get him to shows sober, his abuse of alcohol resulted in occasions when he did not appear or his performances were poor. His first wife and his mother were the driving forces behind having the marriage declared invalid, and they pursued the matter for years. His son, Hank Jr., was ranked on the same list. Is Hank Williams Sr single? Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Sheppard, it seems, was extremely eager to make a mark in show business and, despite her obviously limited talent, pushed her husband to let her sing. [90], At around midnight on January 1, 1953, when the two crossed the Tennessee state line and arrived in Bristol, Virginia, Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. Picking up the guitar for the first time at the age of eight, Williams was just 13 when he made his radio debut. Williams had also married Sheppard before her divorce was final, on the 10th day of a required 60-day reconciliation period. His funeral was held the next day, Sunday Jan. 4, 1953, at Montgomerys City Auditorium. "I think he had a profound sadness in him," says Marc Abraham, writer and director of I Saw The Light.

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