"I think he had a profound sadness in him," says Marc Abraham, writer and director of I Saw The Light. He returned to perform in KWKH and WBAM shows and in the Louisiana Hayride, for which he toured again. "When I pulled it back up, I noticed that his hand was stiff and cold." His funeral took place on January 4 at the Montgomery Auditorium, with his casket placed on the flower-covered stage. 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. [122] On April 12, 2010, the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Williams a posthumous special citation that paid tribute to his "craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life". [16] The couple divorced on May 29, 1952. A line of thousands filled two-and-a-half city blocks as the funeral procession carried Hank to Oakwood Cemetery. [60] Williams released seven hit songs after "Lovesick Blues", including "Wedding Bells",[55] "Mind Your Own Business", "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)", and "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It". Payne,[1] along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb,[2] had a major influence on Williams' later musical style. [53], Williams signed with MGM Records in 1947 and released "Move It on Over"; considered an early example of rock and roll music, the song became a country hit. As the titles of some of Williams' songs suggest, heartbreak and turmoil were never that far from his life. His life and career were the subject of I Saw the Light, a 2015 biopic, starring Tom Hiddleston as Williams and Elizabeth Olsen as his first wife, Audrey. Despite his relatively brief career, he is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century, especially in country music. [111] In 1987, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the category "Early Influence". 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. [15] He was born with spina bifida occulta, a birth defect of the spinal column, which gave him lifelong pain; this became a factor in his later alcohol and drug abuse. No, Hank Williams Sr is not single. [58] He brought together Bob McNett (guitar), Hillous Butrum (bass), Jerry Rivers (fiddle) and Don Helms (steel guitar) to form the most famous version of the Drifting Cowboys, earning an estimated $1,000 per show (equivalent to $11,400 in 2021) That year Audrey Williams gave birth to Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams Jr.). He was driving Hank Williams, 29, who died that night. The suit demanded that both of the publishing companies continue to pay her half of the royalties from Hank Williams' records. His substance abuse problems continued to spiral out of control as he moved to Nashville and officially divorced Sheppard. [125][126] In July 2020, his granddaughter Katherine (Hank Jr.'s daughter) died in a car crash at the age of 27. [86] Fitzgerald was interviewed, and he suggested that Lillie Williams operated a brothel at her boarding house in Montgomery. Williams was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most significant country music artists of all time. Lillie was unwilling to let him reclaim his position as the head of the household. [138], After Williams' death, Audrey Williams filed a suit in Nashville against MGM Records and Acuff-Rose. However, his plaintive, bluesy phrasing was unique and became a touchstone of country music. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. [82], On October 18, 1952, Williams and Billie Jean Jones were married by a justice of the peace[83] in Minden, Louisiana. His father actually died January 1, 1953, and of course Jr was 3 years old. Date Of Birth : [28] His musical style contained influences from Payne along with several other country influences, among them Jimmie Rodgers, Moon Mullican, and Roy Acuff. The worker claimed that she sold Williams' notes to a representative of the Honky-Tonk Hall of Fame and the Rock-N-Roll Roadshow. Secondly,how did hank williams pass away? [89] Dr. P. H. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain of morphine. For a time his relationship with Fred Rose deteriorated, but the two were able to mend fences, paving the way for Williams to become a regular on the "Louisiana Hayride," a regular Saturday night performance hosted by a radio station in Shreveport. Why was Hank Williams an alcoholic? [112] He was ranked second in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003, behind only Johnny Cash who recorded the song "The Night Hank Williams Came To Town". A rookie Tennessee highway patrol officer, Swann Kitts, told reporters he had stopped the Cadillac and fined Carr $25 for speeding, The United Press reported on Jan. 2, 1952. [16] Williams' father was frequently relocated by the lumber company railway for which he worked, and the family lived in many southern Alabama towns. His son, Hank Jr., was ranked on the same list. [42] He continued to show up for his radio show intoxicated, so in August 1942 the WSFA radio station fired him for "habitual drunkenness". Wiki User. Stamey. All Rights Reserved. After determining that Williams was dead, Carr asked for help from the owner of the station who notified the police. Williams was pronounced dead a short while later. It was something he apparently saw coming. His first wife and his mother were the driving forces behind having the marriage declared invalid, and they pursued the matter for years. Picking up the guitar for the first time at the age of eight, Williams was just 13 when he made his radio debut. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 55 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 that reached No. 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. Hank Williams was an aspiring country music singer when he first met Audrey Williams. 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. In 1951, Williams fell during a hunting trip in Tennessee, reactivating his old back pains. Williams told a story in later concerts that attributed his name change to a cat's yowling. Around this time Williams released more hit songs, such as "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy", "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me", "Why Should We Try Anymore", "Nobody's Lonesome for Me", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", "Why Don't You Love Me", "Moanin' the Blues", and "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Living". Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel, but the porters had to carry Williams to the car as he was coughing and hiccuping. Later that year he received his first recording contract, with Sterling Records; however, it was on the start-up label MGM that he had his first hit, Move It on Over in 1947. [13][14], As a child, Williams was nicknamed "Harm" by his family and "Herky" or "Skeets" by his friends. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The lanky guitar player with twangy voice began his musical career in Montgomery, singing over WSFA, the newspaper reported. And he looked so satisfied I can't help it if I'm still in love with you. The break had to come, he added. [70], In November 1951, Williams fell during a hunting trip with his fiddler Jerry Rivers in Franklin, Tennessee. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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". They later drove to Oak Hill in search of a hospital, stopping at a Pure Oil station on the edge of town. 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. Williams married singer Audrey Sheppard, who was his manager for nearly a decade. A doctor injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that contained morphine. One characteristic of Williams' recordings as "Luke the Drifter" is the use of narration rather than singing. Advance ticket sales totaled $3,500. The material was restored and remastered by Michael Graves and released by Omnivore Recordings. What we do know is that Williams died when he was just 29 years old. 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. [4], Due to Williams's excesses, Fred Rose stopped working with him. Little did he know that the woman he would fall in love with would be the key to his success. 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. He was one of the finest young men that we ever knew, Acuff said. Hank Williams in his coffin. In late 1951, he suffered a minor heart attack while visiting his sister in Florida. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. This being the days of Jim Crow, the 200 Black mourners were in a segregated balcony. Widely considered country music's first superstar, Hiram "Hank" Williams was born September 17, 1923, in Mount Olive, Alabama. "Tom [Hiddleston, the actor portraying Williams] puts across that impending sense of doom. By the early 1940s, he'd caught the attention of music executives in Nashville. In April 1948, he scored a second Billboard success with "Honky Tonkin.'". The station's owner called the local police chief. The day after Williams died, The Montgomery Advertiser recalled Williams as a former peanut vendor who learned to play guitar at age 6. Williams said he did not, and those are thought to be his last words. Elonzo was a railroad engineer for the W. T. Smith lumber company and was drafted during World War I, serving from July 1918 to June 1919. [96] An estimated 15,000 to 25,000 people passed by the silver casket, and the auditorium was filled with 2,750 mourners. The Georgiana . Killorn stated that the fact that Carr told him it was Hank Williams caused him to remember the incident. Jett did not learn that she was Williams' daughter until the early 1980s. The song, backed by "Kaw-Liga", was No. James Ellis Garner later played fiddle for him. [clarification needed][20], The body was transported to Montgomery on January 2. Ernest Tubbs began the funeral with Beyond the Sunset and Red Foley and The Statesman Quartet sang Peace In The Valley.. [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. They had a son together, .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Hank Williams Jr., on May 26, 1949. She worked in a cannery and served as a night-shift nurse in the local hospital. [1] His alcoholism worsened in 1952. Jett was then legally adopted. The recordings were found by collector George Gimarc at radio station KSIB in Creston, Iowa. 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. [3] In October 1952, he married Billie Jean Jones. Williams' personal life took a major turn in 1943 when he met Audrey Mae Sheppard, who was the mother of a young daughter and had only recently left a messy marriage. 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. His mother was Audrey, and his step mothers were Bobbie Jett, who had his stepsister, and Billie Gean who was a widow just months after she married Williams, Sr. (Williams para.14). In 1953, months after Hank Sr.'s death, Williams paid his second wife, Billie Jean Jones, $30,000 to relinquish the title of "Hank Williams's Widow". 29, January 1st 1953. The album included unreleased songs. [66] In 1951, "Dear John" became a hit, but it was the flip side, "Cold, Cold Heart", that became one of his most recognized songs. It's hard to know another's lips will kiss you And hold you just the way I used to do [132] Broadcast in 1949, the shows were recorded for the promotion of Hadacol. 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. [11] Carr later drove on until he stopped for fuel at a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where he discovered Williams seemingly asleep in the back seat. [83] After Williams' death, a judge ruled that the wedding was not legal because Jones' divorce had not become final until 11 days after she married Williams. [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. [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. Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia on Wednesday, December 31 (New Year's Eve), 1952. She drove her son and his band to shows throughout southern Alabama. [19] In 1935, they settled in Garland, Alabama, where Lillie opened a new boarding house; they later moved with Williams' cousin Opal McNeil to Georgiana, Alabama,[20] where Lillie took several side jobs to support the family despite the bleak economic climate of the Great Depression. 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.. The result of the original autopsy indicated that Williams died of a heart attack. 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. Tributes to Williams took place the day after his death. On the evening of December 30, 1952, the restless, rail-thin 29-year-old tossed and turned in bed at his home in Montgomery, Ala. Jones agreed to Williams's terms. [100] "Take These Chains From My Heart" was released in April 1953 and reached No. 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. [135][136] The release won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Under Williams' guidance, Sheppard started playing bass and began performing in his band. By the end of 1952, Williams had started to have heart problems. [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. As a result, he was not considered a reliable performer. Jett, whose legal name is Cathy Deupree Adkinson, was raised by Williams' mother for two years until she died. [39] The band started playing in theaters before the start of the movies and later in honky-tonks. His passing did not bring about the end to his stardom, however. Meanwhile, between tour schedules, Williams returned to Montgomery to host his radio show. Lyons recalled how Hank rose from being a shoeshine boy to star of the stage. They are in a bedroom in the home of Lillie (Hank Williams's mother) on North McDonough Street in Montgomery, Alabama. Lillie Williams became the Drifting Cowboys' manager. Alabamians mourned the death of their Hank, expressing themselves to newspapers, radio stations and to relatives staying at the home of the stars mother, that report continued. 'The Garden Spot Programs' 1950", "Hank Williams' 'The Garden Spot Programs' Named Best Historical Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards", "Tom Hiddleston played country icon Hank Williams in biopic", "File Action to Untangle Hank Williams Estate", "Mother's Best, Hank's Best: A Conversation With Jett Williams and the Students", "The Year's Top Country & Western Artists/The Year's Top Country & Western Records", "PBS 'Country Music' - Native stories of Hank Williams Sr., Loretta Lynn and Peter La Farge", "Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame", "Country Music by Ken Burns Episode 3 The Hillbilly Shakespeare", Listing of all Hank Williams's songs and alternatives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hank_Williams&oldid=1142672396, Special Awards and Citation for his pivotal role in transforming country music, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 19:34. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Burt Bacharachs Legacy: 5 Notable Collaborations, 2023 Grammy Awards: Six Winners Who Made History. [33], He never learned to read music; instead he based his compositions in storytelling and personal experience. When new wife Billie. He denied any responsibility in both deaths. Prior to that, duplicates were made and intended to be published by a third party. [105] Williams had 11 number one country hits in his career ("Lovesick Blues", "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", "Why Don't You Love Me", "Moanin' the Blues", "Cold, Cold Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'", "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive", "Kaw-Liga", "Your Cheatin' Heart", and "Take These Chains from My Heart"), as well as many other top 10 hits. Charles Carr told the AJC in 2002 he was the only witness when Hank Williams died. [93] Dr. Ivan Malinin performed the autopsy at the Tyree Funeral House. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. [7] Because of an ice storm in the Nashville area that day, Williams could not fly, so he hired a college student, Charles Carr, to drive him to the concerts. The court rejected claims made by PolyGram Records and Legacy Entertainment in releasing recordings Williams made for the Mother's Best Flour Show. [88] The two arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Carr requested a doctor for Williams, who was affected by the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had consumed on the way to Knoxville. He later started to consume painkillers, including morphine, and alcohol to help ease the pain. Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. A doctor injected. Despite his physical failings, Williams was cleared for more travel. [74], In June 1952, he recorded "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)", "Window Shopping", "Settin' the Woods on Fire", and "I'll Never Get out of this World Alive". It was at this time that Williams decided to change his name informally from Hiram to Hank. Because Williams may have left no will, the disposition of the remaining 50 percent was considered uncertain; those involved included Williams' second wife, Billie Jean Horton and her daughter, and Williams' mother and sister. [24], There are several versions of how Williams got his first guitar. [120] The same year, Hank Williams: The Complete Mother's Best RecordingsPlus! 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. At 11:25 p.m., Hank Williams was arrested in Alexander City at the Russell Hotel for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. 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. Hank jr. was three years old when his father died in 1959 His father actually died January 1, 1953, and of course Jr was 3 years old. He died of a heart attack in a drug- and alcohol-induced stupor in the backseat of a car, probably in West Virginia, while being driven from Knoxville, Tennessee, to a concert in Canton, Ohio. Shortly thereafter he became a regular on the newly created Louisiana Hayride radio program based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Montgomery, Alabama - Family at Hank Williams memorial unveiling. It could be argued, in fact, that his early death only enhanced his legend. A year later he was entering talent shows and had his own band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys. 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. When several of his band members were drafted during World War II, he had trouble with their replacements, and WSFA terminated his contract because of his alcoholism. He was unresponsive and rigor mortis had already begun to set in. [76] In October 1952 he married Billie Jean Jones. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain (16.2 mg) of morphine. Audrey Williams divorced him that year; the next day he recorded "You Win Again" and "I Won't be Home No More". Also, the Drifting Cowboys were at the time backing Ray Price, while Williams was backed by local bands. Defending his position, he claimed that Williams possibly committed suicide. Copy. The performances greatly increased Williams' name recognition, but he still lacked a number one hit. The first celebration, in 1954, featured the unveiling of a monument at the Cramton Bowl that was later placed at the gravesite of Williams. [33], As part of an investigation of illicit drug traffic conducted by the Oklahoma legislature, representative Robert Cunningham seized Marshall's files. 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. Hank Williams, the 29-year-old King of Country Music, was to have flown to Charleston, West Virginia for a New Years Eve concert but an ice storm near Nashville kept him away. [25] His funeral was said to have been far larger than any ever held for any other citizen of Alabama,[27][21] and the largest event ever held in Montgomery,[28] surpassing Jefferson Davis' inauguration as President of the Confederacy. 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. The house had a small garden on which they grew diverse crops that Williams and his sister Irene sold around Georgiana. [29] In 1937, Williams got into a fight with his physical education teacher about exercises the coach wanted him to do. Beside Hanks coffin were two large wreaths shaped like guitars, another set of flowers was shaped like a Bible, two lamps were shining purple lights, and in his hands there was a small Bible. However, she was to marry someone else before the . [61], In 1950, Williams began recording as "Luke the Drifter" for his religious-themed recordings, many of which are recitations rather than singing. [31], The president of MGM told Billboard magazine that the company got only about five requests for pictures of Williams during the weeks prior to his death, but over 300 afterwards. [71] On December 13, 1951, he had a spinal fusion at the Vanderbilt University Hospital, being released on December 24. She was a headstrong, recently divorced mother of a 2-year-old, six months his senior and also a musician. He won the first prize of $15, singing his first original song "WPA Blues". Regardless, Carr said he next drove to "a cut-rate gas station". [71] During his recovery, he lived with his mother in Montgomery, and later moved to Nashville with Ray Price. Williams, Sheppard, and the Drifting Cowboys band in 1951 The American entry into World War II in 1941 marked the beginning of hard times for Williams. 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. But along with this early success came increased erratic behavior from Williams, who often showed up at live performances drunk. He acknowledged that in previous testimony he had falsely claimed to be a physician. He was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry because of his unreliability and alcoholism. The world he seemed to identify most with was the musical sounds that poured out of the radio and emanated from church choirs. The two were often rivals for Williams' time and attention. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. In 1952, he divorced Sheppard and married singer Billie Jean Horton. While her son was not on the stage, his song I Saw The Light opened the show. [106], On February 8, 1960, Williams' star was placed at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [43] The recordings "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" became successful, and earned Williams the attention of MGM Records. [48] With Williams beginning to be recognized as a songwriter,[49] Sheppard became his manager and occasionally accompanied him on duets in some of his live concerts. Hank jr. was three years old when his father died in 1959. [22] At a chance meeting in Georgiana, Williams met U.S. Representative J. Lister Hill while Hill was campaigning across Alabama. After an autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be "insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart.". Carr was 17, a freshman on break from Auburn. Williams eventually started to host a show on KWKH and started touring across western Louisiana and eastern Texas, always returning on Saturdays for the weekly broadcast of the Hayride.
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