Widely regarded as one of the best and most influential country singers of all time, Hank Williams is still remembered for his incredible songs, beautiful voice, and impact on the music industry.
He was born as Hiram Williams on September 17, 1923, in Alabama, and one of the most influential aspects of his childhood was his struggle with spina bifida. He was drafted to serve in World War I; however, he suffered a significant blow to the head and was released from duty only after a year.
Williams always loved music and was greatly influenced by both the blues and the church music in Alabama, and he taught himself to play the guitar from an early age. He made his radio debut at only thirteen years old, and listeners called in requesting to hear more from “the singing kid.”
He also started touring around Alabama and performing at local talent shows with great success. However, his real break came in the early 1940s when he was noticed by Nashville record executives. He had a few hits when working for them, but he wasn’t quite a star yet.
It’s important to note that Williams was not relying on his music to pay the bills and still held odd jobs, especially during WWII when he was deemed unable to serve because of his medical issues.
He tried to put together a new band when the members of the Drifting Cowboys were drafted for the war, but most people found him highly challenging to work with because of his alcoholism.
The truth is, Williams used alcohol to numb his lifelong and excruciating spinal pain, but his addiction affected his solo career as well, and he was widely known as an unreliable performer.
He created several worldwide hits throughout the late 40s and early 50s, including “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Lost Highway,” and I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.”
Finally becoming a celebrity, Hank Williams was at the peak of his career when he sadly died of a heart attack in the back of his car at only 29 years old. His alcoholism played a large part in his death as his physical health was declining very quickly because Williams was not taking care of himself.
William’s tragic and early death did not stunt his career but, in some ways, made his music even more popular as the legend couldn’t make any more for the masses.
We will never know if Hank Williams would have continued to create music that would change the world, but the songs he did sing during his short life are still renowned as some of the best songs in country music.
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