Hank Williams was just 29-years-old when he died, but had lived quite a life in his short years. Despite his physical failings, Williams was cleared for more travel. By the end of 1952, Williams had started to suffer heart problems. [3] In October 1952, he married Billie Jean Jones. 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. 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. Ernest Tubbs began the funeral with Beyond the Sunset and Red Foley and The Statesman Quartet sang Peace In The Valley.. In June, he divorced Audrey Williams,[2] and on August 11, Williams was dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. Due to Williams' excesses, Fred Rose stopped working with him. The station's owner called the local police chief. His son, Hank Jr., was ranked on the same list. He won the first prize of $15, singing his first original song "WPA Blues". 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. His father worked as a logger before entering the Veterans Administration hospital when young Hank was just six. [41], The American entry into World War II in 1941 marked the beginning of hard times for Williams. [86] Fitzgerald was interviewed, and he suggested that Lillie Williams operated a brothel at her boarding house in Montgomery. [75], On August 11, 1952, Williams was dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness and missing shows. 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. In 1951, Williams fell during a hunting trip in Tennessee, reactivating his old back pains. 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. At his mothers request, the concert in Canton went on as planned. Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia on Wednesday, December 31 (New Year's Eve), 1952. [18], In the fall of 1934, the Williams family moved to Greenville, Alabama, where Lillie opened a boarding house next to the Butler County courthouse. [80] In June 1952, Williams moved in with his mother, even as he released numerous hit songs such as "Half as Much" in April, "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" in July, "You Win Again" in September, and "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" in November. 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. [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. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. [98][99] Williams' remains are interred at the Oakwood Annex in Montgomery. [76] In October 1952 he married Billie Jean Jones. [77] It was the second marriage for both (each being divorced with children). He was severely injured after falling from a truck, breaking his collarbone and suffering a severe blow to the head. [135][136] The release won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album. Jett did not learn that she was Williams' daughter until the early 1980s. 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. [59] He met Horace "Toby" Marshall in Oklahoma City, who said that he was a doctor. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He was scheduled to perform a few gigs on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to see in. 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. Hank Williams Sr. was born on Monday and have been alive for 10,699 days, Hank Williams Sr. next B'Day will be after 7 Months, 12 Days, See detailed result below. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The president of MGM Records told Billboard magazine that the company got only about five requests for pictures of Williams during the weeks before his death, but over 300 afterwards. If a song can't be written in 20 minutes, it ain't worth writing. Best Answer. It could be argued, in fact, that his early death only enhanced his legend. During an initial hearing, Marshall insisted that he was a doctor, refusing to answer further statements. His father was a Mason and his mother was a member of the. [133] In May 2014, further radio recordings by Williams were released. 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". At 11:25 p.m., Hank Williams was arrested in Alexander City at the Russell Hotel for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. On New Year's Day in 1953 the heart of country music was broken; the Shakespeare of Country Music died in the backseat of a powder blue Cadillac in Oak Hill, West Virginia on his way to a booking in Canton, Ohio. Prior to that, duplicates were made and intended to be published by a third party. During World War II Williams commuted between Mobile, where he worked in a shipyard, and Montgomery, where he pursued a musical career. [9] Dr. P.H. Hiram "Hank" Williams died on January 1, 1953, at the age of 29. Williams married singer Audrey Sheppard, who was his manager for nearly a decade. His stardom put money in his pocket and gave him the kind of creative freedom artists long for. From The Montgomery Advertiser. James Ellis Garner later played fiddle for him. While her son was not on the stage, his song I Saw The Light opened the show. Jett, whose legal name is Cathy Deupree Adkinson, was raised by Williams' mother for two years until she died. The Journal that day reported WSFA received hundreds of calls and telegrams requesting the station play his songs. [64][65] Some of the compositions were accompanied by a pipe organ. 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. [129][130], Material recorded by Williams, originally intended for radio broadcasts to be played when he was on tour or for its distribution to radio stations nationwide, resurfaced throughout time. 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. [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. Among other fake titles he claimed to be a Doctor of Science. In 1952, he divorced Sheppard and married singer Billie Jean Horton. He returned to Shreveport, Louisiana, to perform on KWKH and WBAM shows and in the Louisiana Hayride, for which he toured again. While Jett was a college junior at the University of Alabama in Montgomery majoring in recreation therapy, her adoptive . [32] During the same year, he participated in a talent show at the Empire Theater. About 3,000 friends of the family shuffled through his mothers living room on Montgomerys North McDonough Street where Williams body was lain in state that Saturday night. Instead of performing, Williams died 70 years ago today, on Jan. 1, 1953. [84], A man named Lewis Fitzgerald (born 1943) claimed to be Williams' illegitimate son; he was the son of Marie McNeil, Williams' cousin. [21] Their first house burned down, and the family lost their possessions. However, much of what led to his non-sobriety is exactly what made his music as good as it was. Hank Williams was an aspiring country music singer when he first met Audrey Williams. Montgomery, Alabama - Family at Hank Williams memorial unveiling. [71] During his recovery, he lived with his mother in Montgomery, and later moved to Nashville with Ray Price. In mid-June 2020, Katherine Williams-Dunning the daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a car crash in Tennessee. On the weekend after the tour ended, Williams was photographed backstage at the Grand Ole Opry signing a motion picture deal with MGM. 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. His mother subsequently demanded that the school board terminate the coach; when they refused, the family moved to Montgomery, Alabama. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel at around 10:45p.m. Hotel porters had to carry Williams to his vehicle, an Olympic Blue 1952 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, as he was coughing and hiccupping. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hank-Williams. Most of the material was written by Williams himself, in some cases with the help of Fred Rose and his son Wesley. 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. Carr talked to Williams for the last time when they stopped at a restaurant in Bristol, Virginia. The day after Williams died, The Montgomery Advertiser recalled Williams as a former peanut vendor who learned to play guitar at age 6. [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. [137], Williams was portrayed by English actor Tom Hiddleston in the 2016 biopic I Saw the Light, based on Colin Escott's 1994 book Hank Williams: The Biography. 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. [5] He met Horace Raphol "Toby" Marshall in Oklahoma City, who claimed to be a doctor. He died in the back seat of his Cadillac while being driven to a gig on New Year's Day 1953. The pain and anguish that led him to drink could be heard in his songs. And he looked so satisfied I can't help it if I'm still in love with you. [10] Carr and Williams headed out of Knoxville from the Andrew Johnson Hotel via Gay Street to Magnolia Ave to 11w. 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. 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. He remained hospitalized for eight years, rendering him mostly absent throughout Williams' childhood. 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.". Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. Lyons recalled how Hank rose from being a shoeshine boy to star of the 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. It was her second marriage and his first. [134] Gimarc contacted Williams' daughter Jett, and Colin Escott, writer of a biography book on Williams. Hank Williams died of drug and alcohol abuse at the age of 29. The man in the back seat was singer-songwriter Hank Williams Sr. "I ran in and explained my situation to the two interns who were in the hospital," said Carr, now a 67-year-old Montgomery businessman. [24], There are several versions of how Williams got his first guitar. Less than 48 hours later, Hank Williams was dead. As the titles of some of Williams' songs suggest, heartbreak and turmoil were never that far from his life. The album, named The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, was released on October 4, 2011. Father and son rarely saw each other over the next decade, with Williams' mother, who ran rooming houses, moving the family to Greenville and later Montgomery, Alabama. [70], In November 1951, Williams fell during a hunting trip with his fiddler Jerry Rivers in Franklin, Tennessee. Williams' mother had claimed that he was dead. [28] His musical style contained influences from Payne along with several other country influences, among them Jimmie Rodgers, Moon Mullican, and Roy Acuff. A year later he was entering talent shows and had his own band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys. Carr was exhausted and, according to the police reports, nervous enough to invite suspicion that foul play had been involved in Williams' death. A doctor injected Williams with B12 and morphine and porters carried the legendary singer-songwriter to the car. This addiction eventually led to his divorce from Audrey Williams and his dismissal from the Grand Ole Opry. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)Getty Images. They are in a bedroom in the home of Lillie (Hank Williams's mother) on North McDonough Street in Montgomery, Alabama. 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. The house had a small garden on which they grew diverse crops that Williams and his sister Irene sold around Georgiana. Williams was born with a mild undiagnosed case of spina bifida occulta, a disorder of the spinal column, which gave him lifelong paina factor in his later abuse of alcohol and other drugs. As a result, he was not considered a reliable performer. Long plagued by alcoholism, Williams fell ill at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville on the last night of 1952. 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. 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. Marshall admitted that he had also prescribed chloral hydrate to his recently deceased wife, Faye, as a headache medicine. Roy Acuff leads a host of country stars singing at the funeral of Hank Williams. [63] The songs depicted Luke the Drifter traveling around from place to place, narrating stories of different characters and philosophizing about life. On December 11, 1946, in his first recording session, he recorded "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul", "Calling You", "Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)", and "When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels", which was misprinted as "When God Comes and Fathers His Jewels". Hank Williams Sr. was 29 Years, 3 Months, 15 Days old. 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 wrote songs weekly to perform during the shows. The break had to come, he added.
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