Bio of Hank Williams

Popular country music is the way it is today because of Hank Williams, Sr., says Rodney Foster (CMT). Although the full impact of his music was not felt until years after his death, Williams was definitely seen as influential and as a rebel during his lifetime, because of his alcohol, drug, and marital abuses. Williams wrote and lived out most of the mournful and troubling songs he sang (CMG Worldwide 1).
Williamss given name is Hiram Williams, and he was born in Mt. Olive, Alabama in 1923 (Williams). He was the youngest of two children; his fathers name was Lonnie, his mother was Lily, and his sister Irene. He was born with Spinabifida better known as open spine, which would later cause problems for Hank. His father, Lonnie, worked in the coal mines during Hanks early years, and his mother had to take care of the family by herself (CMT). As a young boy, Hank would shine shoes and sell peanuts to earn money for his family. His early fascination with cowboys earned him the name Two-Gun Pete (Williams).
Hanks mom was very controlling, and during his childhood she was the only parent around, since his father was not at home. When Hank showed interest in music, Lily was quick to push him in that direction. When the family moved to Georgiana, Alabama, he met a street singer named Rufus Payne, better known as Tee Top. Payne played the blues, and at that time, young kids, like Hank were not supposed to hear music

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like that. Payne taught Hank how to play chords, and that was the beginning of his musical career (CMG Worldwide 1). At age fourteen, Hank was known as the town drunk in Mt. Olive, and in 1937 his family moved to Montgomery, Alabama (CMT). When Hank was in tenth grade, he dropped out of school to write and play music full time. He put together a band called The Drifting Cowboys and played country music with a touch of the blues mixed in. Lily was the manager of the band and would drive them to concerts in south Alabama. Hank signed on with Montgomerys local radio station, WSFA, in hopes to gain popularity, when he was only nineteen. One night on the way home from a concert, Hank was looking for a landmark that would let him know they were close to home and he saw the radio tower that was in Montgomery and began writing the hit song I Saw the Light. (CMT)
I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin, I wouldn't let my dear Savior in. Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night, Praise the Lord. I saw the light. Chorus - I saw the light, I saw the light, No more in darkness, no more night. Now I'm so happy, no sorrow in sight, Praise the Lord, I saw the light. End Chorus - Just like a blind man I wandered along, Worries and fears I claimed for my own. Then like the blind man that God gave back his sight, Praise the Lord, I saw the light. (Chorus) I was a fool to wander and stray, Straight is the gate and narrow the way. Now I have traded the wrong for the right, Praise the Lord, I saw the light Chorus (Sing365).
This song seems to simply be based on Hank finding a landmark that would tell him he is close to home. Hank does not have many songs written that are based on God or talk about Him.
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Hanks dependence on liquor soon cost him his job on WSFA, and then he got a job with a travelling medicine show. It was there that he met Audrey Sheppard, who was
the mother of a two-year-old girl. In 1944, When Hank was twenty-one, he and Audrey married on December 15. Audrey, like Hanks mother, pushed him to be better at music, and that is the reason that Hank went on to bigger and better things. Audrey wanted
Hank to make a name for him self, and she wasnt about to set around and have him playing in the honky-tonks of South Alabama the rest of his life (CMT).
At age twenty-two, Hank was a local celebrity in Montgomery, but his drinking turned many away from his concerts and music. Audrey made him go to Nashville to try to get a record deal. Fred Rose, a manager in Nashville, was so impressed with Hanks songs that he became his manager, and in 1946 Hank got a deal with Stearling Records. Since Hank was now with an organized and well known company, it was easier to concentrate on his music, witch would help his popularity by having better songs. Then, in 1947 he got a deal with MGM, and recorded Move It On Over, while with them. This song was one that everyday working class folks could relate to (CMG Worldwide 1). This song tells of a man who comes home from work and his wife has locked him out of the house.
I come in last night about half past ten, That baby of mine wouldn't let me in. So move it on over. Rock it on over. Move over little dog, a mean, old dog is movin' in. She told me not to mess around, But I done let the deal go down. Move it on over. Rock it on over. Move over nice dog, a big, fat dog is movin' in. She changed the lock on my back

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door, Now my key won't fit no more. Move it on over. Rock it on over. Move over nice dog, a mean, old dog is movin' in (Sing365). This tells the story of Audrey throwing Hank out of the house when he shot the pistol through the door.
In 1948 Audrey filed for a divorce because Hank had a violent temper and was drunk most of the time. If Hank had a single drink, it began a five or six week streak of drinking. Friends and family members would put him in a dry house for six months, and he would come out only to repeat this behavior (CMT). Later Hank and Audrey did get back together.
Fred Rose tried to get Hank on the Grand Ole Opry; however, the Opry didnt want drunks performing on their show. Rose then signed Hank with a radio program in Shreveport, Louisiana, called the Louisiana Hayride on August 7, 1948. During this time Hank stayed sober for over ten months, and his popularity greatly increased. Along with this reason to be happy, Hank and Audrey had a son whom they named, Randal Hank Williams, Jr., who was born in Shreveport on May 26, 1949. Randal Hank Williams Jr. would follow the musical footsteps of his father, to build his own musical career.
The same week Hank Jr. was born, Hank Sr. had the number one country hit in the nation, Love Sick Blues. It was the biggest hit of the year and stayed at number one for sixteen weeks. With the popularity of this song, the Opry was forced to have Hank on the show. His debut was on June 11, 1949. When he performed this song at the Grand Ole Opry, he performed seven encores; this had never happened before. One week later he became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, and his popularity soared. Hank started
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touring and had many fans. He seemed to be able to connect with his audience while performing. You could tell he was in tune with the songs he was singing (CMT). Songs like, Cold Cold Heart, Im So Lonesome I Could Cry, and Lovesick Blues.
In 1951 at age twenty-seven, Hank was one of the most popular country music singers in America. He made his songs very emotional and this was a fairly new use in the country music industry. Some of his best songs seemed to be inspired by his relationship with Audrey; she seemed to be the inspiration for just about every song Hank sang. However, their marriage was filled with abuse and alcoholism. Hank, throughout his life was a loner; he never had a best friend and had many mood changes. This is where Hank got most of his inspirations for his songs.
During 1951 many of Hanks songs like Hey Good Looking and Cold, Cold Heart were used by artists that were in other types of music. This brought country music to an even wider audience (CMT). Hank, then began drinking regularly in large amounts again. Twice in 1951 he was sent to a sanitarium to sober up. His Spinabifida got worse as he aged, and traveling to shows in the back of a car or bus didnt help his condition. To deal with the pain, he began to use painkillers. Hank would soon find a dependence and addiction to painkillers.
On December 13, 1951, Hank had back surgery because of a hunting accident and because of the surgery he couldnt do much and the pain was very severe. Out of anger, Hank often took his anger out on Audrey. One night while she was getting ready for a concert that Hank could not go to, he shot a bullet through the bedroom door. This scared her enough to finalize their divorce, and she moved out in 1952 (CMT).
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After their divorce Hanks personal life went down hill drastically. Although for basically the last three years his songs had been at the top of the charts, and his career had continued to grow, his drunkenness had also continued to grow. His dependence on pain prescriptions increased along with his drinking. Because of his drinking binges the Grand Ole Opry had to drop him, doing so on August 9, 1952 (CMT). He returned to Shreveport and the Louisiana Hayride, but no one would attend his concerts, so he began to play in schools around South Alabama (CMT). He was inconsistent in showing up for concerts, and fans wanted a sober entertainer to provide a good show. During these tough times, Hank made a bad decision by marring a woman named Billie Jean; most say it was out of spite for Audrey and to prove his manhood. Still this did not have much effect on the popularity of his music, since it was at the top of the charts.
What would have been Hanks next performances were New Years Day concerts in Oak Hill, West Virginia, and Canton, Ohio. Hanks driver was a eighteen year old boy by the name of Charles Carr. The two of them left Montgomery, Alabama, on December 30, 1952, and made it to Birmingham, where Hank purchased beer and spent the night. The next morning they continued north and stopped in Fort Payne, Alabama, where Hank purchased a half pint of liquor, showered and shaved, then continued on as far as Knoxville, Tennessee. Bad weather caused them to stop here and make plans to take a plane from Knoxville. The weather was bad enough that the plane was sent back shortly after take off. Then Hank and Charles checked into the Andrew Johnson Motel where Carr says Hank developed a severe case of hick ups. A doctor was called and gave Hank

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medication. Carr then says he received a call, from his boss, telling Carr to go on to Ohio. Hank was taken to the car with a wheelchair but was able to get in himself. There
are many who debate whether he was wheeled to the car or carried by a nurse, this fact would later be important (CMT).
Later, as they drove on, Carr was pulled over by a patrol officer in Rutledge, Tennessee, for speeding. The officer commented to Carr that Hank looked like he was dead, and Carr said he was just sleeping. As they resumed driving, Hanks overcoat, which was on him to keep him warm, slipped off onto his lap, so Carr pulled over to put
it on him. He had to move Hanks arm and felt resistance when he moved the arm, so he then decided to go to the nearest hospital (CMT).
The nurses came out to the car and immediately realized Hank was dead. He was 29 years old when he died on January 1, 1953. In the autopsy report it stated he had had
a massive coronary, meaning his heart had basically exploded. Many people think the reason for his death was the combination of drugs and alcohol that were in his system.
Hank was buried in the Oakwood Annex Cemetery located in Montgomery, Alabama (CMG Worldwide 2). His funeral was held on January 4, 1953, in Montgomery, Alabama, and then a Memorial Service was held in the Montgomery Auditorium, which seated 2,500 people, but was still not large enough. Close to 17,000 people mourned outside the auditorium, while listening to the service over loudspeakers, and thousands more listened to the two different radio stations broadcasting his service (Williams). His mother, Lily, his ex-wife Audrey, Billy Jean, and a girlfriend, Bobby Jett, who claimed to be pregnant with his child, all attended the funeral.
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Even after his death, his songs were still big hits. Songs he had never even released were released after his death and became hits (CMT). For example, Cold Cold Heart, Hey,
Good Lookin, Honky Tonk Blues, Im So Lonesome I Could Cry, Jambalaya, Lost Highway, Lovesick Blues, Theres Tear In My Beer, and Your Cheatin Heart.
Soon after his death, the battle over his estate began. Kathy Jett, born two days after Hanks death, was the daughter of Bobby Jett and supposedly Hanks daughter. Her maternal grandmother chose to adopt her so she would not know about her father. However, when she turned twenty-one, she inherited two thousand dollars from her mother in the form of a check made out to Kathy Williams. From here she went on to
discover the true history of her beginning. She later found a document signed by her mother, and it said that Hank would take full responsibility for expenses for Bobby Jetts baby and take full custody for the first two years of the childs life. Kathy Jett then let
the world know that Hank Williams was her father, and the estate was divided between her and Hank Williams, Jr (CMT).
In 1961, Hank Williams was among the first three members to be introduced into the newly organized Country Music Hall of Fame. Today the influence of Hank Williams is noticeable in country music, with all the lost girl friend and drinking songs. If not for the rebels like Hank, we would not have the kind of country music that we have in todays society.