Hiram " Hank" King Williams was born the September 17th 1923 and deceased on January 1st 1953. It was a Chanteur, Guitariste and American Compositeur which became an icon of the music Country and Rock, and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Influential follower of the style Honky tonk, it recorded many discs with success, and his charisma on scene as its concise compositions fed its celebrity. Its musical catalog is one of the spinal columns of the music Country, and one finds in addition there several Standards pop. He was taken again by artists pop, Gospel, and Rock. Its legend did nothing but grow since its untimely death at the 29 years age. His/her son Hank Williams, Jr., his/her daughter Jett Williams, and its small sons Hank Williams III and Holly Williams are also professional musicians.

Childhood

Birth

Williams was born in 1923, in the small town (not having even the official statute of city) of Mount Olive, to approximately 8 miles of Georgiana, Alabama. Its name comes from Hiram I of Tyre, but it was badly spelled Hiriam on its certificate of birth. He to him was diagnosed a case of Spina bifida occulted , a problem of spinal column, which accompanied it all its life lasting with a chronic evil of back. His/her parents were Alonzo Huble Williams, known under the name of Lon , an locomotive engineer for a regional forest company and veteran of the First World War, and Jessie Lillybelle Williams, known under the name of Lillie . It had a named big sister Irene.

Childhood

During her early childhood, the Williams family frequently moved, in Alabama of the south, according to the needs for the work of her father. In 1930, whereas Williams was only 7 years old, his/her father started to suffer from a facial paralysis. In a private clinic for veterans of the American ministry of the war veterans to Pensacola, Florida, the doctors diagnosed a cerebral Anévrisme, they thus sent Lon Williams to the medical center of the American ministry of the war veterans to Alexandria, Louisiana. Lon remained hospitalized during 8 years and was thus absent during the majority of the childhood of his/her son.

In 1931, Lillie Williams will enclose his family with Georgiana, Alabama, where she worked as tenancière of a boarding house. She managed to find several employment auxiliary to assume her children, in spite of the morose economic climate of the Grande Depression. She worked in a canning facility and as a nurse of night to the local hospital. Hiram and Irene helped by selling peanuts, by waxing shoes, delivering basic newspapers, and other tasks. With the assistance of the politician J. To list Hill, the family started to receive the military pension of Lon. In spite of the health condition of the father, the Williams family rather of course managed the economic plan throughout the depression.

Adolescence

In 1933, Hank Williams moved with Fountain, Alabama, to live with his/her uncle and his aunt, Walter and Alice McNeil. Meanwhile, his/her cousin Opal McNeil moved in with the Williams family with Georgiana to go there to the college. With Fountain, Williams, 10 years old, became friendly with his/her cousin J.C. McNeil, which was 6 years its elder. It taken there some of the practices which would dominate the remainder of its life. His/her aunt Alice learned how to him to play of the guitar, and his/her cousin J.C learned how to him to drink whiskey.

After one year of common life with his family of Fountain, Williams returned to Georgiana, where it made the meeting of Rufus Payne, a musician Afro-American of blues residing in the city close to Greenville. Payne often passed to Georgiana and in other cities of the corner to occur in the streets and other public places. Rufus Payne, more generally known under the nickname of Tee-Early , became the mentor of Williams and influenced his musical style enormously.

With the autumn 1934, the Williams family moved in with Greenville, Alabama, a larger city with approximately fifteen miles in the north of Georgiana. Lillie opened a boarding house beside the court of Butler County, and Williams could spend more time with Rufus Payne. Sometimes, Williams spent the whole night at Payne. In 1937, Williams was implied in a very violent brawl with its professor of physical education. Furious, his/her mother asked for the expulsion of the professor by the board of directors of the school. When this last refused to make this decision, it decided to move with Montgomery.

Career

Beginnings

In July 1937, the Williams families and McNeil opened a boarding house on the street South Perry in the center of Montgomery, a city larger than all those in which they had lived until now. It is at that time that Hiram decided to change in an abstract way its name for Hank, a name which according to him corresponded better to its desire of career in the Country music.

After the school, and the weekends, Hank sang and played its Silvertone guitar on the pavement in front of the studios of radio WSFA. It quickly obtained the attention of the producers of the station, who invited it some times to come to play on line. As well listeners called the radio station, requiring more of the Singing Kid , as the producers engaged it so that it directs its own fifteen minutes emission, twice by week, for weekly wages of fifteen dollars.

In August 1938, Lon Williams was temporarily authorized to leave the hospital, and arrived without preventing at the family home of Montgomery. Lillie was reticent to let it take again its dominant position, with the head of the management of the household, it remained only sufficiently a long time to celebrate the birthday of Hank in September before turning over to the medical center to Louisiana. It was the first time that Hank saw his/her father in the eight years space, and even after this interview, it had the impression to have grown without father.

Drifting Cowboys

The radio broadcast with success of Hank propelled its choice for a musical career. Its generous wages were sufficient to enable him to start its own group, which it named the Drifting Cowboys. The first members of the group were the guitarist Braxton Schuffert, the violonist Freddie Beach, and comic Smith Hezzy Adair. Drifting Cowboys travelled through the center and the south of Alabama, occurring in the clubs and at the time of private evenings. Hank gave up the school in October 1939, in order to work full-time with the Drifting Cowboys.

Lillie Williams proposed like managing Drifting Cowboys. It started to hold the dates in concert, to negotiate the prices, it led them to some their concerts. From now on free to travel without the school timetable of Hank not taking the top, the group was able to as go far as the west from the Georgia, and the west of the Florida. Meanwhile, Hank turned over to Montgomery each week for its radio broadcast.

The entry of the country in the Second world war, in 1941, marked the beginning of the problems for Hank Williams. All its musicians were called with the army and much their substitutes refused to continue to play in the group, because of the aggravation of the problems of Alcoolisme of Hank. Its god, Roy Acuff, the star of the Large Ole Opry, prevented it dangers of alcohol, saying " You have a voice which is worth a million dollars wire, but a brain which is worth ten centimes." In spite of the warning of Acuff, Williams continued to go to his radio broadcast in a state of intoxication. WSFA finishes by the licencer for intoxication with repetition in August 1942. Hank then worked some time as welder in the large shipyard ADDSCO of Mobile.

Celebrity

Did Williams have twelve titles numbers one of the sales during his short career - Lovesick Blues , I' m So Lonesome I Could Cry , Long Gone Lonesome Blues , Why Don' T You Love Me? , Moanin' the Blues , Cold, Cold Heart , Hey Good Lookin' , Jambalaya (One the Bayou) , I' L Never Get Out off This World Alive , Kaw-Liga , Your Cheatin' Heart , Take Thesis Chains From My Heart - and it had also many other songs in signal 10.

In 1943, Williams met Audrey Sheppard, and the couple Maria one year later. Audrey became also her manager since the career of Williams was growing and that he became a celebrity. In 1946, Williams recorded two albums for Sterling Records, Never Again (1946) and Honky Tonkin' (1947), which was both of business successes. Williams signed soon with MGM Records, and published Move It One Over , a massive commercial success. In August 1948, Williams joined the Louisiana Hayride, emitting since Shreveport, Louisiana, propelling it in the hearths of all the south is. After some other more moderated successes, Williams published his version of Lovesick Blues (written in an original manner by Rex Griffin) in 1949, which became a great success and reaches a vaster public. This year there, Williams interpreted the song with the Grand Ole Opry, where he became the first guest to receive 6 recalls. Moreover, Hank gathered together Bob McNett (Guitare), Hillous Butrum (low Guitare), Jerry Rivers (Violon) and Don Helms (steel guitar) which formed the most famous version of the Drifting Cowboys; this same year, Audrey Williams gave rise to Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams, Jr.). 1949 saw also Williams publishing seven songs with success after Lovesick Blues , whose Wedding Bells , Mind Your Own Business , You' Re Gonna Change (Gold I' m Gonna Leave) and My Bucket' S Got has Hole in It .

In 1950, Williams started to record as a Luke the Drifter, a nickname which was given to him to identify its recordings more the moralists and monk, whose majority are recitations instead of its song usually typified Crooner. Fearing that the disk jockeys and the owners of Jukebox are hesitant to accept these unusual recordings for Williams, thus threatening the potential marketing of the name Williams, the name Luke the Drifter was employed to mask the identity of the artist -- even if the origin of the recordings did not leave a place to the doubt. At that time, Williams produces more songs with success, like My His Cal Another Man Daddy , They' L Never Take Her Love from Me , Why Should We Try Anymore? , Nobody' S Lonesome for Me , Long Gone Lonesome Blues , Why Don' T You Coils Me? , Moanin' the Blues and I Just Don' T Like This Kind off Livin' . In 1951, Dear John became a success but the face B, Cold, Cold Heart , remained like one of its more famous songs, helped by the pop version number 1 by Tony Bennett. This year considering the first of many recordings of the songs of Williams in versions other than Country. ( Cold, Cold Heart was taken again thereafter by Guy Mitchell, Teresa Brewer, Dinah Washington, Lucinda Williams, Cowboy Junkies, Frankie Laine, OJ Stafford, and Norah Jones, inter alia). This same year, Williams published other successes, of which traditional the Crazy Heart .

In spite of many successes Country of Williams, the legend seems to lie in the duality of its texts. On a side, he sang on violence ( Honky Tonkin' ) or idleness ( Lost Highway ), but of the other he sang religious songs on the remord, particularly the song éponyme of the album I Saw The Light .

However, the life of Williams became ingérable because of success. Its marriage, always disturbed, disintegrated quickly, and it developed ones serious problem with the alcohol, the Morphine and other products. The majority as of its abuses came from its attempts to calm its severe evil of back. In 1952, Hank and Audrey separated and it returned in his mother, always publishing many songs with success, as Half ace Much , Jambalaya (One the Bayou) , Settin' the Woods one Fire , You Win Again and I' L Never Get Out off This World Alive . The problem of drug of Williams continued to evolve/move out of any control whereas it moved in with Nashville and separated officially from his wife. A relation with Bobby Jett during this period saw a girl, Jett, to be born right after its death.

In October 1952, Williams was laid off Grand Ole Opry. Informed not to return before being sober, it joined Louisiana Hayride. The October 18th 1952, it Maria with Billie Jean Jones Eshliman. A ceremony was held with the municipal auditorium of the Orleans News, and approximately 14,000 people bought a ticket to assist to with it. A little later the Drifting Cowboys decided to separate from Williams. Their separation was due to the fact that Hank drank more than what the concerts their reported.

Death

January 1st 1953, Williams was supposed to play Canton, Ohio, but it was unable to go there by plane because of a bad weather. It engaged as driver a 17 year old young man, and, before leaving the old hotel Andrew Johnson with Knoxville, Tennessee, a doctor injected to him a mixture of vitamin B12 and Morphine to calm his pains of back. He from went away then in Cadillac, and contrary to the beliefs, he did not have a whiskey bottle with him. He tried to give his career on the rails while proving to the promoters that he could be sober and of confidence. The only objects found on the back bench of its car were some quills of beer and the words written with the hand for a not recorded-" song; Then Cam That Fateful Day".

When the seventeen year old driver stopped at a service station with Oak Hill, Virginia, it discovered that Williams did not answer any more and became rigid After attentive examination, the death of Hank Williams was declared. The controversy since then surrounded its death, with some declaring that Williams had died before leaving Knoxville. A rough estimate of died of Williams the place in the 3 hour old neighborhoods of the morning.

The individual last of Willams prémonitoirement was prémonitoirement entitled I' L Never Get Out off This World Alive . Five days later, his/her illegitimate daughter obtained with Bobbie Jett (Jett Williams) was born. Its widow, Billie Jean, married the singer Country Johnny Horton in September of this same year (1953)

Hank Williams was buried in Montgomery on January 4th in the presence of an immense endimanchée crowd. January 15th left the first disc in its homage: The Death Off Hank Williams of Cardell Jack, follow-up of tens of others. The disc Your Cheatin' Heart will be a posthumous hit in the hits-parades.

Heritage and influence

Its sons Hank Williams, Jr., girl Jett Williams, small son Hank Williams III, and little girl Hillary Williams and Holly Williams are also musicians Country.

The remainders of Hank Williams are buried in Oakwood Annex with Montgomery, Alabama. Its funeral was qualified more important ever held for a citizen of the Alabama and remains, for the moment, the most important event being held with Montgomery, Alabama. Currently, more than fifty years after the death of Williams, of the members of its Drifting Cowboys continue to turn and share its music with generations of fans.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine classified it in 74e position on their list of the 100 larger artists of all times.

In February 2005, it court of call of the Tennessee broke a judgment of a court lower, arbitrating in favor of the heirs to Hank Williams -- his/her son Hank Williams, Jr. and his/her daughter Jett Williams -- who obtain the exclusive rights for the sale of its albums made with a radio station of Nashville, Tennessee with the beginning of the year 1950. The court rejected the claims of Polygram Records and Legacy Entertainment for the publication of the recordings of Williams made for Mother' S Best Flour Show , a program which was diffused in an original manner by WSM-AM. The recordings, acquired by Legacy Entertainment in 1997, include/understand versions as a public of successes of Williams and his resumptions of other songs. Polygram pled that the contract of Williams with MGM Records, now property of Polygram, gave them the right to publish the radio operator recordings.

Quotations

• "A good song is a good song, and if I am sufficiently lucky to have written it, then….! I take more pleasure to write than to sing. I suppose that I wrote more than thousand songs and recorded only approximately 300." of it; — Hank Williams

• "When I write in connection with Hank Williams which it is “hundred stages higher than me in the tower of the song”, it is not by modesty. I know where Hank Williams is located in the history of the popular song. Songs as Your Cheatin' Heart are sublimes, and in comparison I regard myself as a poor good écrivain." — Leonard Cohen

Anecdotes

• Hey Good Lookin' appears in 2004 on the Video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, exploited the station radio virtual K-ROSE, specialized in the music Country.

• part of a highway in Alabama (of Georgiana to Millbrook) is named The Hank Williams Memorial Lost Highway .

• Neil Young bought in Tuck Tailor the old guitar of Hank and occurred with it lasting approximately 30 years. A history on this guitar, and a song inspired by it, can be seen with the 50e minute of the film Neil Young: Heart off Gold .

• Your Cheatin' Heart was used in a publicity of Pepsi.

References

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