RIP Hank Williams 1/1/53

[Post Toastie]

Well 57 years since Hank Died in the back seat of a Cadillac. RIP Hank.

[Brad Pittiful]

RIP :(

[cowboytwang]

[Jellyroll]

They'll still be talkin bout him in another 57 years. A true musical genius.

[woodman]

The king of honky-tonk.

[Eric Karonen]

One of my favourites. Tried to learn all his hits at one time.

[P Thought]

I was just thinking about that. I love Hank Williams, for writing those wonderful songs, and letting me use them to make some people think I can play the guitar!

My name is Luke, and people sort themselves out by age, when they say, "Hey, Cool Hand Luke!" or "Hey, Luke Skywalker!" Once in a while an old-timer comes along, and says, "Hey, Luke the Drifter!" That one's my favorite.

[IdahoPicker]

Originally Posted by P Thought

I was just thinking about that. I love Hank Williams, for writing those wonderful songs, and letting me use them to make some people think I can play the guitar!

My name is Luke, and people sort themselves out by age, when they say, "Hey, Cool Hand Luke!" or "Hey, Luke Skywalker!" Once in a while an old-timer comes along, and says, "Hey, Luke the Drifter!" That one's my favorite.

You can't go wrong with any of those handles!

[Johnny Isaacs]

Hank Williams was and is amazing. I visited his grave and museum in Montgomery, AL last month. It meant a lot to me as Hank was such a major influence on me (as well as millions of others before me and I'm sure those to come).

There will never be another like Hank. I encourage everyone to go buy the new Hank CD's that have been released since last year. These live radio shows from 1951 are amazing!

Johnny Isaacs

[JCSouthpawtele]

12/30/52 Hank and Charles Carr leave Montgomery headed for Charleston, WV

1/1/53-Hank discovered dead in back seat of car.

[gmann]

'The silence of a fallen star, lights up a purple sky, and as I wonder where you are, I'm so lonesome I could cry'
What depths of despair could bring a man to write those lines? I can only imagine. If there is a best it's definately Hank. Be around for 57 more yrs? Hell, he'll always be around. He should be given a Kennedy Center Honor. This guy could tap into what the avg everyman was thinkin' and feelin' and express in a way few others could.
'Hey good lookin', what you got cookin', how's about cookin' something up with me.
It don't get any better IMO!

[Vulture]

A real genius, only needed three chords to do it all.

[Twang King]

shame he had an unquenchable thirst for liquor :(

[Badabing]

JCSouthpaw wrote that he was found dead in the back of the caddy...Does anyone know what happend or any of the speculations about it??? When I heard it was in the back of a cadillac I thought it was a car accident but it sounds like maybe it was something else????

Happy Tele New Year to All!!

[Twang King]

Originally Posted by Badabing

JCSouthpaw wrote that he was found dead in the back of the caddy...Does anyone know what happend or any of the speculations about it??? When I heard it was in the back of a cadillac I thought it was a car accident but it sounds like maybe it was something else????

Happy Tele New Year to All!!

i think he died of over-booze in the rear of the car. heart attack/liverfailure or something like that

[Badabing]

Damn!!! Not good! That's got to be a whole lot of Liquor and Beer man! He wasn't even that old...right???

[Twang King]

from wiki

On New Years Day, January 1, 1953, Williams was due to play at a concert in Canton, Ohio, but he was unable to fly due to weather problems with snow and ice. He hired a chauffeur and, before leaving the old Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, injected himself with vitamin B12 and morphine. He then left in a Cadillac; the only items found in the back seat of his car were a few cans of beer and the hand-written lyrics to an unrecorded song.

Later that afternoon, when the 17-year-old chauffeur, Charles Carr, pulled over at an all-night service station in Oak Hill, West Virginia for fuel and to rest, he discovered that Williams was unresponsive and becoming rigid.[8] Upon closer examination, it was discovered that Hank Williams was dead. He was 29. The official cause of death was heart failure, but there’s still some mystery about the circumstances. Controversy has since surrounded Williams's death, with some claiming Williams was dead before leaving Knoxville.[9] But other sources claim, after speculating from the forensic evidence, that Williams died in his sleep while the Cadillac was driving somewhere through Kentucky about an hour before his body was discovered in the back seat.

Williams's final single was coincidentally titled "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive". Five days after his death, his daughter by Bobbie Jett (Jett Williams) was born. His widow, Billie Jean Jones, married country singer Johnny Horton in September 1953. "Your Cheatin' Heart" was written and recorded in 1952 but released in 1953, after his death. The song stayed at number one in country charts for six weeks. The story goes that Williams was prompted to write the song when thinking about his first wife, Audrey Williams, while driving around with his second, Billie Jean Williams; she is supposed to have written down the lyrics for him in the passenger seat. Williams collaborated with Nashville songwriter Fred Rose to produce the song's final draft before recording the song in his last ever recording session, on September 23, 1952. The song provided the title of a 1965 biopic about Williams, which starred George Hamilton.

[Badabing]

Vitamin B12 and Morphine???? Fut the Wuk!!!

Thanks Twang King!!!

[jhundt]

is that B12/morphine injection a confirmed fact or a legend? I notice the Wikipedia article has no reference to support the statement. Can anyone recommend a good bio on Hank? I'd like to read more.

[Twang King]

he would have been taking the b12 as he was an alcoholic and to this day doctors prescribe b12 to alcoholics. as for the morphine, who knows?

[MondoGuitar]

Wow, I didn't know this back story... Musical genius in his own right IMO.

[jhundt]

I found this interesting (if somewhat morbid) site:

http://www.hankwilliams.ws/index.htm

the guy who built the site traces all the last moves of Hank, from the hotel where he spent the night, to the diners and gas stations where the car (may) have stopped, to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, and beyond. Lots of photos and alleged witness statements. He also reports the story of B12/morphine, adding that the injection was administered by a Dr. P Cardwell. Apparently Hank had been taking morphine for a long time, originally to ease the pain he suffered from spina bifida.

and this one:

http://www.popcultmag.com/obsessions...ank/hank1.html

the last days, in minute detail.

[Crotalus Atrox]

Today I passed you on the street
and my heart fell at your feet
I can't help it if I'm still
in love with you.

Hank had a lot of great ones, but that one gets me the most. If the purpose of music is to move people, there's never been anyone better.

[MondoGuitar]

http://www.popcultmag.com/obsessions...ank/hank1.html

WOW. That was an amazing read. What a story. Brilliant link, thanks. Interesting quote:

Acuff knew Williams, but, disgusted by his drug abuse, was said not to be a great admirer

Regarding the morphine being for spina bifida according to that article:

Cardwell later described Williams as "very drunk," and that there were some pills visible in the room. But he gave him two injections, of vitamin B-12 and morphine. By some stories, he gave Williams the morphine accidentally, but he told investigators in the days afterward that the morphine was called for to control Williams' convulsions. It may not have been the only intravenous morphine Hank Williams got in Knoxville that day.

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by Johnny Isaacs

There will never be another like Hank. I encourage everyone to go buy the new Hank CD's that have been released since last year. These live radio shows from 1951 are amazing!

And that's the truth!

[Bill Caldwell]

I saw Hank Williams at the Louisiana Hayride two times....Once with My Father on a combined trip to a Shreveport live stock auction to buy a couple of mules and maybe two years later after Daddy died with one of My uncles that was a good guitar player

All kind of stories about Hank sr. float around North Louisiana...Some good ones told by friend W.T. Eason, Shreveport La. a HELL OF A GUITAR PLAYER that worked the hayride, W.T.s friend Dobber Johnson (great fiddle player ) worked a lot of shows in La. and Texas with Hank, W.T. played a lot of the shows with Dobber

Bill Joe Shaver talks about seein' Hank at a show in Waco, I think Hank was with Homer and Jetho, accordin' to Billy Joe, Hank seemed to be singin' straight at Him, must have been something Hank could do, I left the hayride feelin' the same way an I don't think I sang anything but Hank untill early July 1954.......Heard Elvis beatin' the mortal "HELL" out of a flatop Martin, Scotty slidein' into those chords, carryin' that bass note rhythm, and maybe what drove it all....Bill Black on "DOGHOUSE" bass, "MIXIN' THE WOOD WITH IT"......At that point in time "MUSIC FOR ME CHANGED AN AIN"T BEEN THE SAME SINCE"

When Time permits I'll pass on some of the stories about Hank, JerryLee, some of the others

Wild Bill

[jhundt]

Wild Bill - man, you have seen LIVE some of the greats. Most of us think of those guys like "gods" (in a non-religious sense, of course!) and you have seen them play. I look forward to your stories and memories, and I thank you in advance for sharing with us.

[Buckocaster51]

My parents have told me that I saw HW Sr once.

I personally don't remember it.

Of course I had just turned 1.

[Jakedog]

Just got back from Montgomery. Played Noble's on NYE which was formerly the E-light, last place Hank ever publicly performed. We did a great Hank salute, lots of other, several great artists on the bill with me, and a really wonderful time. We all the club about 11:30 to head over to the cemetery for "Midnite In Montgomery", a little graveside tribute, so that's where I rang in the new year.

The next morning however, was even cooler. Played the Hank Williams museum, and met some really interesting folks. Charles Carr for one. Nice cat, willing to talk all day about Hank and all things pertaining to him. Didn't get into details of the death though, just that he thought he was sleeping, and was discovered to in fact be dead. Also met Braxton Shufert (sp?) a 94 year old songwriting contemporary of Hank's, who had lots of cool stories as well.

One of the most interesting people I talked to though was a 90 year old guy named Alan Duncan. He lived with Hank in their boarding house behind the hotel where the radio station was, and played mando with him in '41 and '42, then got shipped off to war. He claimed the during the time he was with Hank, he got along great with him, although many others did not. In his words- "About half the time Hank was a really good guy. The other half not so much, but we always got along. I didn't ever have problems with him, but I know lots of other people did." He also claims that during the time they played together, he never once saw Hank take a drink of alchohol. He said he heard later when he got back from the war that Hank was drinking, but said he never saw him do it when he'd go by to see him, so he doesn't know how much of the hype to believe.

No one at the get together disputed anything he was saying. And there were lots of old folks there who are "in the know". One other gentlemen claimed that Hank was already unconscious when they put him in the car to head for WV. Charles Carr does not back that up.