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Hank Williams

Biography

Fromwikipedia

Hank Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953), born Hiram King Williams, was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most important country music artists of all time. Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that would place in the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked number one. Born in Mount Olive, Alabama, Williams moved to Georgiana, where he met Rufus Payne, a black street performer who gave him guitar lessons in exchange for meals. Payne had a major influence on Williams's later musical style. During this time, Williams informally changed his name to Hank, believing it to be a better name for country music. After moving to Montgomery, Williams began his career in 1937 when WSFA radio station producers hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He formed as backup the Drifting Cowboys band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote all of his time to his career. When several of his band members were conscripted to military service during World War II, Williams had trouble with their replacements and started drinking heavily, causing WSFA to dismiss him. Williams eventually married Audrey Sheppard, who became his manager for nearly a decade. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. In 1948 he released "Move it on Over," which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. In 1949, he released a cover of "Lovesick Blues," which carried him into the mainstream of music. After an initial rejection, Williams joined the Grand Ole Opry. He had 11 number one songs between 1948 and 1953, though he was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree. Among the hits he wrote were "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. " During his last years Williams's consumption of alcohol, morphine and other painkillers severely compromised his professional and personal life. He divorced his wife and was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry due to frequent drunkenness. Williams died suddenly in the early morning hours of New Years Day in 1953 at the age of 29. Despite his short life, Williams has had a major influence on country music. The songs he wrote and recorded have been covered by numerous artists, many of whom have also had hits with the tunes, in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles.

More about Hank Williams at Wikipedia

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Discography

  • American Legends: Best of the Early Years, 1994
  • A House of Gold / How Can You Refuse Him Now, 1954
  • The Collectors' Edition, Volume 8: I Won't Be Home No More
  • Hank Williams Sings
  • Jambalaya
  • The Best of Hank Williams (disc 1), 2002
  • Hank Williams Rare Demos: First to Last
  • Hank Williams Sings Kaw-Liga and Other Humorous Songs, 1965
  • The Legend Lives Anew, 1995
  • Honky Tonkin / I'll Be a Bachelor 'til I Die, 1948
  • Your Cheatin' Heart (disc 2)
  • Honky Tonk Country, 2008
  • The Unreleased Recordings, 2008
  • The Complete Hank Williams, 1998
  • 24 Greatest Hits, 1976
  • No, No, Joe / Help Me Understand, 1950
  • I Saw the Light / Six More Miles (To the Graveyard), 1947
  • You Win Again
  • A Country Legend, Volume 2
  • Alone with His Guitar
  • I Can't Escape From You / Weary Blues From Waitin', 1954
  • The Collectors' Edition, Volume 1: I Ain't Got Nothin' but Time
  • The Essential Hank Williams: Hillbilly Legend, 2003
  • Let's Turn Back the Years July 1951 - June 1952, Volume 7
  • The Collectors' Edition, Volume 4: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
  • Vintage Vaults - Volume 2
  • Kaw-Liga / Your Cheatin' Heart, 1953
  • Long Gone Lonesome Blues
  • The Hits Volume 1
  • Turn Back the Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection, 2005
  • 20 of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits, 1997
  • The Collectors' Edition, Volume 2: Lovesick Blues
  • The Hank Williams Story, 2006
  • Legendary Country Singers: Hank Williams, 2002
  • His Best Recordings
  • Legendary Country Singers
  • 40 Greatest Hits, 1984
  • My Sweet Love Ain't Around / Rootie Tootie, 1948
  • Health & Happiness Shows, 1993
  • The Legendary Hank Williams, 1999
  • Alone and Forsaken, 1995
  • The Legend of Hank Williams, 1996
  • Lost Highway
  • The Legend, 2001
  • 16 Great Hits
  • Cold Cold Heart (disc 1)
  • (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle / Crazy Heart, 1951
  • Hank Williams: Icon, 2011
  • My Bucket's Got a Hole in It / I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, 1949
  • The Best of Hank & Hank
  • There's Nothing as Sweet as My Baby
  • The Best of Hank Williams, 2001
  • Mind Your Own Business / There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight, 1949
  • The Complete Collection, 2005
  • Honky Tonk Blues / I'm Sorry for You My Friend, 1952
  • I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You) / Howlin' at the Moon, 1951
  • Honky Tonkin'
  • Revealed, 2009
  • Jambalaya (On the Bayou) / Window Shopping, 1952
  • Hank Williams, Sr.: Lonesome Blues
  • Hey Good Lookin' / My Heart Would Know, 1951
  • Move It On Over, 1999
  • Live at the Grand Ole Opry, 1999
  • I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive / I Could Never Be Ashamed of You, 1952
  • Greatest Hits
  • They'll Never Take Her Love From Me / Why Should We Try Anymore, 1950
  • No More Darkness
  • The Ultimate Collection
  • The Original Singles Collection, 1992
  • Fourteen Greatest Hits
  • Take These Chains From My Heart / Ramblin' Man, 1953
  • Vintage Vaults 1
  • The Absolutely Essential Collection
  • 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Hank Williams
  • Low Down Blues, 1996
  • 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Hank Williams, Volume 2, 2006
  • You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave) / Lost Highway, 1949
  • Memorial Album, 1953
  • Hillbilly Hero
  • Lost Highway and Other Live Favourites
  • You Win Again / Settin' the Woods on Fire, 1952
  • The Collectors' Edition, Volume 6: Hey, Good Lookin'
  • I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin' / May You Never Be Alone, 1949
  • Jambalaya (On the Bayou), 2004
  • The Unreleased, 2004
  • Lovesick Blues, 1999
  • Ramblin' Man / Picture From Life's Other Side, 1951
  • The Very Best of Hank Williams
  • Rockin' Chair Money: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight, 2009
  • Your Cheatin' Heart, 2004
  • I Saw the Light
  • Just Waitin' / Men With Broken Hearts, 1951
  • Teardrop on a Rose / Alone and Forsaken, 1955
  • Cold Cold Heart / Dear John, 1951
  • Greatest Hits Vol. 1

This entry is automatically sourced from Musicbrainz external link, the public domain music database. Visit the Hank Williams external link page on Musicbrainz to correct or update this entry. Any changes made to the article will not be immediately available here. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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Recently Played on ABC Country.

6:30am May 16
album cover
SongHey, Good Lookin'
ArtistHank Williams
AlbumHey, Good Lookin'
LabelPolydor
Year1951
3:12am May 14
album cover
SongI Heard That Lonesome Whistle
ArtistHank Williams
AlbumLow Down Blues
LabelMercury Nashville
Year1996
11:12am May 13
album cover
SongWhy Don't You Love Me
ArtistHank Williams
AlbumVol 5 - Long Gone Lonesome Blues
LabelPolygram Records
Year1949
6:13am May 12
album cover
SongYour Cheatin' Heart
ArtistHank Williams
AlbumI Won't Be Home No More
LabelPolydor
Year1952
9:23pm May 9
album cover
SongI Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)
ArtistHank Williams
AlbumHey, Good Lookin'
LabelPolydor
Year1950
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Links suggested here are generated automatically. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Page created on Jun 27, 2009. 9:02pm and updated on May 16, 2012. 6:32am.

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