Hank Williams the Country musician

Williams, Hank (1923-1953), American country music singer, guitarist, and composer who was one of the first crossover artists to help bridge the gap between country and popular music. Born Hiram Williams near Georgiana, Ala., on Sept. 17, 1923, he sang church hymns and played the organ as a child. He was introduced to guitar by black street-singer Rufus "Teetot" Payne and was performing on street corners by the age of 11. The next year he won a prize in a Montgomery, Ala., amateur contest for singing the self-penned W.P.A. Blues. At age 14 he formed his first Drifting Cowboys band (its membership changed over the years), and from 1937 to 1947 he had his own program on a Montgomery radio station. (Flippo, 33)

In 1946 Williams went to Nashville to make his first recordings, and the following year, largely thanks to music publisher Fred Rose, nationwide stardom came as a result of Williams's first hit, Move It on Over (Cusic, 56). He topped the country charts with Lovesick Blues, which also crossed over to the pop top 25, in 1949. After joining the Grand Ole Opry later that year, Williams dominated country music until his untimely death a result of longtime alcohol and substance abuse, combined with heart disease on Jan. 1, 1953, in Oak Hill, W.Va., while on his way to a show in Canton, Ohio. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, one of the first three individuals to be so honored, and many of his songs have endured over the decades as timeless classics (Escott, 77).

As a singer, the mournful- and twangy-voiced Williams scored with songs composed by others, such as Lovesick Blues, and those he wrote himself, such as Cold, Cold Heart; I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry; Long Gone Lonesome Blues; Hey, Good Lookin'; Jambalaya (On the Bayou); and Your Cheatin' Heart (the latter the title of a 1964 movie of Williams's life, starring George Hamilton). In 1989 his vocals were dubbed on to a song recorded by his son, Hank Williams, Jr., and the resultant single, There's a Tear in My Beer, won a Grammy for best country collaboration with vocals. In 1998 The Complete Hank Williams was a Grammy winner for best historical album (Escott, 98).

Hank Williams, Jr. was meant to be a superstar from the day he was born. His father, the legendary Hank Williams, and mother, Audrey Sheppard, both played an intricate part in his early stardom. Hank had to overcome many obstacles in his life including escaping from his father's shadow and a near death experience in 1975. Hank's many triumphs, and his ability to overcome setbacks, have propelled him to a legendary status (Cusic, 56).

Born May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Randall Hank Williams, Jr. was destined to become a star. Tragically, his father died on New Years day, 1953, at the young age on twenty nine ('Official Home Page,' Biography). However, his mother, a country singer in her own right, helped ...