Williams's father was frequently relocated by the lumber company railway for which he worked, and the family lived in many southern Alabama towns. He was born with spina bifida occulta, a birth defect of the spinal column, which gave him lifelong pain this became a factor in his later alcohol and drug abuse. He was of Cherokee and Muscogee descent along with ancestry from various Western European nations.Īs a child, Williams was nicknamed "Harm" by his family and "Herky" or "Skeets" by his friends. His name was misspelled as "Hiriam" on his birth certificate, which was prepared and signed when he was 10 years old. Since Williams's parents were both followers of Freemasonry, Williams was named after Hiram I. The family's first child, Ernest Huble Williams, was born on Jhe died two days later. He was severely injured after falling from a truck, breaking his collarbone and suffering a severe blow to the head. Smith lumber company and was drafted during World War I, serving from July 1918 to June 1919. Elonzo was a railroad engineer for the W. He was the third child of Jessie Lillybelle "Lillie" (née Skipper) (1898–1955) and Elonzo Huble "Lon" Williams (1891–1970). Williams was born Hiram Williams on September 17, 1923, in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama. Williams's family house in Georgiana, Alabama The Pulitzer Prize jury awarded him a posthumous special citation in 2010 for his "craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life". Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Many artists have covered his songs and he has influenced Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, George Strait, Charley Pride and the Rolling Stones, among others. Despite his relatively brief career, he is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century, especially in country music. On New Year's Day 1953, he suffered from heart failure and died suddenly at the age of 29 on the way to Oak Hill, West Virginia. He was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry because of his unreliability and alcoholism. In 1952, he divorced Sheppard and married singer Billie Jean Horton. Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely compromised Williams's health. Among the hits he wrote were " Your Cheatin' Heart", " Hey, Good Lookin'", and " I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". He was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree. After an initial rejection, Williams joined the Grand Ole Opry.
One year later, he released a cover of " Lovesick Blues", which carried him into the mainstream. In 1947, he released " Move It on Over", which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program.
After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. Williams married singer Audrey Sheppard, who was his manager for nearly a decade. When several of his band members were drafted during World War II, he had trouble with their replacements, and WSFA terminated his contract because of his alcoholism. 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. Williams began his music career in Montgomery in 1937, when producers at local radio station WSFA hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. Payne, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb, had a major influence on Williams's later musical style. 1 (three posthumously).īorn and raised in Alabama, Williams was given guitar lessons by African-American blues musician Rufus Payne in exchange for meals or money. 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.
Hiram " Hank" Williams (Septem– January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician.
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