Hank Williams

Hank Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who has become an icon of country music and one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of the 20th century.

A leading pioneer of the honky tonk style, he had numerous hit records, and his charismatic performances and succinct compositions increased his fame. His songbook is one of the backbones of country music, and several of his songs are pop standards as well. He has been covered in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles. His death at the age of twenty-nine helped fuel his legend. His son (Randall) Hank Williams, Jr., nicknamed 'Bocephus', his daughter Jett Williams, and his grandchildren Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, and Hilary Williams are also professional singers.

Birth

Hiram Williams was born in 1923, in the small unincorporated town of Mount Olive, about eight miles southwest of Georgiana, Alabama. He was named after Hiram I of Tyre, but his name was misspelled as "Hiriam" on his birth certificate.^[1] He was born with a mild undiagnosed case of spina bifida occulta, a disorder of the spinal column, which gave him life-long pain—a factor in his later abuse of alcohol and drugs. His parents were Elonzo Huble Williams, known as "Lon," or "Lonnie", a train conductor for a regional lumber company and World War I veteran, and Jessie Lillybelle Williams, known as "Lillie." He had an older half sister (from his father's first marriage) named Irene. He also had a still-born brother, named Robin.

Early childhood

During his early childhood, the Williams family moved frequently throughout southern Alabama as his father's job required. In 1930, when Williams was seven years old, his father began suffering from face paralysis. At a Veterans Affairs clinic in Pensacola, Florida, doctors determined that the cause was a brain aneurysm, so they sent Elonzo Williams to the VA Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana. Lonnie remained hospitalized for eight years and was therefore mostly absent throughout Hank's childhood.

In 1931, Lillie Williams settled her family in Georgiana, Alabama, where she worked as the manager of a boarding house. She managed to find several side jobs to support her children, despite the bleak economic climate of the Great Depression. She worked in a cannery and served as a night-shift nurse in the local hospital. Hiram and Irene also helped out by selling peanuts, shining shoes, delivering newspapers, and doing other simple jobs. With the help of U.S. Representative J. Lister Hill, the family began collecting Lon's military disability pension. Despite Lon's medical condition, the Williams family managed fairly well financially throughout the Depression.

Preteen years

In 1933, Hank Williams moved to Fountain, Alabama, to live with his uncle and aunt, Walter and Alice McNell. Meanwhile, his cousin Opal McNell moved in with the Williams family in Georgiana to attend the high school there. In Fountain, ten-year-old Williams became close friends with his cousin J.C. McNell, who was six years older. There he learned some of the trades and habits that would dominate the rest of his life. His Aunt Alice taught him to play the guitar, and his cousin J.C. taught him to drink whiskey.

In the fall of 1934, the Williams family moved to Greenville, Alabama, a larger town about fifteen miles to the north of Georgiana. Where Lillie then opened a boarding house next to the Butler County courthouse. In 1937, Williams got into a rough fight with his physical-education coach. Furious with the coach, his mother demanded that the school board fire him. When the school board refused to take action, she decided to move the family to Montgomery. 

                                                                                       Home


                                     Ambridge Music ©Copyright 2004-2008  All Rights Reserved

Welcome/
About Us/
His Life/
Biography/
His Achievements/
His Music/
Memories Of Redd/
Family Reflections/
Events/
Photo Gallery/
The Store/
Links/
Contact Us/
Special Thanks/
Newsletters/
Featured Artist/
Redd's CD Reviews/
Redd's Songs/
Billy Stewart/

Friends of Redd
Pee Wee King
Ernest Tubb
Eddy Arnold
Hank Williams
Minnie Pearl
Grandpa Jones
Roy Acuff
Hank Snow
Mel Tillis
Loretta Lynn
Gene Autry
Jimmy Dickens
Patsy Cline
Dolly Parton
Roy Ayres
Red Foley
Howard Vokes