Since the revelation of her famous father, she initiated legal claims to his estate and battled her half-brother, who refused to acknowledge her for a long time. No, Hank Williams Sr is not single. Over the next several years he churned out a number of other big hits, including "Cold, Cold Heart," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey Good Lookin'," "Lost Highway," and I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." Prior to that, duplicates were made and intended to be published by a third party. In 1951, Williams fell during a hunting trip in Tennessee, reactivating his old back pains. He also wrote a number of religious songs under the pseudonym Luke the Drifter. Now free to travel without Williams' schooling taking precedence, the band could tour as far away as western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. The local record shops reportedly sold all their Williams records, and customers were asking for all records ever released by Williams. The Opry eventually fired him, and in 1952, he and Sheppard divorced. They are in a bedroom in the home of Lillie (Hank Williams's mother) on North McDonough Street in Montgomery, Alabama. Cut from rural stock, Williams, the third child of Lon and Lillie Williams, grew up in a household that never had much money. Meanwhile, between tour schedules, Williams returned to Montgomery to host his radio show. Because Williams may have left no will, the disposition of the remaining 50 percent was considered uncertain; those involved included Williams' second wife, Billie Jean Horton and her daughter, and Williams' mother and sister. And he looked so satisfied I can't help it if I'm still in love with you. [102], Williams has been called "the King of Country Music" in popular culture. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame in 1999. Under the name of Dr. C. W. Lemon he prescribed Williams with amphetamines, Seconal, chloral hydrate, and morphine.[6]. [36] So many listeners contacted the radio station asking for more of "the singing kid", possibly influenced by his mother, that the producers hired him to host his own 15-minute show twice a week for a weekly salary of US$15 (equivalent to $300 in 2021). When he played on his guitar, he played on the heart-strings of millions, pastor Henry Lyons of Highland Avenue Baptist Church told the crowd gathered on Perry Street. About 3,000 friends of the family shuffled through his mothers living room on Montgomerys North McDonough Street where Williams body was lain in state that Saturday night. [40] Williams' alcohol use started to become a problem during the tours; on occasion he spent a large part of the show revenues on alcohol. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The original members were guitarist Braxton Schuffert, fiddler Freddie Beach, and comedian Smith "Hezzy" Adair. But coupled with Williams' obvious talents as a singer and songwriter was an increasing dependence on alcohol, which he'd started abusing in order to relieve his sometimes excruciating back pain. [72], During the spring of 1952, Williams flew to New York with steel guitarist Don Helms, where he made two appearances with other Grand Ole Opry members on The Kate Smith Evening Hour. Best Known For: Hank Williams became one of America's first country music superstars, with hits like "Your Cheatin' Heart," before his early death at 29. [43] The recordings "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" became successful, and earned Williams the attention of MGM Records. He returned to Shreveport, Louisiana, to perform on KWKH and WBAM shows and in the Louisiana Hayride, for which he toured again. With Hill's help, the family began collecting the money. [121] In 1999, Williams was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame. Born and raised in Alabama, Williams was given guitar lessons by African-American blues musician Rufus Payne in exchange for meals or money. Long plagued by alcoholism, Williams fell ill at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville on the last night of 1952. Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. 1 on the country charts. Ernest Tubbs began the funeral with Beyond the Sunset and Red Foley and The Statesman Quartet sang Peace In The Valley.. Omissions? By the end of 1952, Williams had started to suffer heart problems. Among the hits he wrote were "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'", and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". His father actually died January 1, 1953, and of course Jr was 3 years old. Hank Williams was an aspiring country music singer when he first met Audrey Williams. The song was number one on the country charts for six weeks. [71] On December 13, 1951, he had a spinal fusion at the Vanderbilt University Hospital, being released on December 24. Jett was then legally adopted. Their son, Randall Hank Williams (now known as Hank Williams Jr.), was born on May 26, 1949. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him number 74 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. [106], On February 8, 1960, Williams' star was placed at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Williams and Sheppard married in 1944. His funeral took place on January 4 at the Montgomery Auditorium,[23] with his coffin placed on the flower-covered stage. Hank Williams had something that humanity universally needs -- a song with a heart-felt message.. He was driving Hank Williams, 29, who died that night. ), He was racked by physical and emotional afflictions, and these coupled with his gift of song, made him kin to millions.. Tributes to Williams took place the day after his death. [50], On September 14, 1946, Williams auditioned for Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, but was rejected. Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely compromised Williams' health. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)Getty Images. [13][14], As a child, Williams was nicknamed "Harm" by his family and "Herky" or "Skeets" by his friends. Williams had an agreement giving his first wife half of the royalties, but allegedly there was no clarification that the deal was valid after his death. [90], At around midnight on January 1, 1953, when the two crossed the Tennessee state line and arrived in Bristol, Virginia, Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. The prolific musician and performer wrote songs such as "Your Cheatin' Heart," drank too much whiskey, had family problems. PolyGram contended that Williams' contract with MGM Records, whose back catalogue they owned at the time, prior to current owner Universal Music's absorption of PolyGram the next year, gave them rights to release the radio recordings. In 1946 Williams landed a songwriting contract with Acuff-Rose Publications and began composing material for singer Molly ODay. In 1952, he divorced Sheppard and married singer Billie Jean Horton. Carr later kept driving until he reached a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where Williams was discovered unresponsive in the back seat. When new wife Billie Jean asked what was the matter, she claimed his. Malinin also found that, apparently unrelated to his death, Williams had also been severely kicked in the groin during a fight in a Montgomery bar a few days earlier[14] in which he had also injured his left arm, which had been subsequently bandaged. Wiki User. Chief Winfred Patterson who arrested Hank said to the Alabama Journal in 1971 that Hank was "more or less having DT's (delirium tremens). Discover Hank Williams' Death Car in Montgomery, Alabama: Cadillac where country's first big star was found dead. In April 1948, he scored a second Billboard success with "Honky Tonkin.'". Reporters answering telephoned queries concerning Williams death said many of the callers cried when informed that the reports were true.. Having only recently recorded what would become some of his best-loved songs -- including Kawliga and Your Cheatin Heart -- Williams performed his final concert in Austin, Texas on Dec. 19, 1952. He purchased the DSC title for $35 from the "Chicago School of Applied Science"; in the diploma, he requested that the DSc was spelled out as "Doctor of Science and Psychology". [68] In October, Williams recorded a demo, "There's a Tear in My Beer" for a friend, "Big Bill Lister", who recorded it in the studio. [11] Carr later drove on until he stopped for fuel at a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where he discovered Williams seemingly asleep in the back seat. Defending his position, he claimed that Williams possibly committed suicide. Williams' son, Hank Williams Jr., and widow, Billie Jean Williams Berlin, currently split the royalties. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Burt Bacharachs Legacy: 5 Notable Collaborations, 2023 Grammy Awards: Six Winners Who Made History. Hank Williams was born Hiram Williams[3] on September 17, 1923,[4] in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama. Hank Williams, Sr. was an American singer-songwriter and musician who had a net worth equal to $100 thousand at the time of his death after adjusting for inflation (approximately $10 thousand in 1953) Williamss music itself was not especially groundbreaking, though he was a deft synthesizer of blues, honky-tonk country, western swing, and other genres. [84], A man named Lewis Fitzgerald (born 1943) claimed to be Williams' illegitimate son; he was the son of Marie McNeil, Williams' cousin. [83] After Williams' death, a judge ruled that the wedding was not legal because Jones' divorce had not become final until 11 days after she married Williams. After the failure of his audition, Williams and Audrey Sheppard attempted to interest the recently formed music publishing firm Acuff-Rose Music. The break had to come, he added. [18], In the fall of 1934, the Williams family moved to Greenville, Alabama, where Lillie opened a boarding house next to the Butler County courthouse. Finally, after not hearing from the singer for two solid hours, the driver pulled the car over in Oak Hill, West Virginia, at 5:30 in the morning. A doctor was called to examine him. The marriage was always turbulent and rapidly disintegrated, and Williams developed serious problems with alcohol, morphine, and other painkillers prescribed for him to ease the severe back pain caused by his spina bifida occulta. A line of thousands filled two-and-a-half city blocks as the funeral procession carried Hank to Oakwood Cemetery. On . His funeral took place on January 4 at the Montgomery Auditorium, with his casket placed on the flower-covered stage. Hank Williams Sr. Hank Williams was just 29-years-old when he died, but had lived quite a life in his short years. Audrey Williams divorced him that year; the next day he recorded "You Win Again" and "I Won't be Home No More". Later that year he received his first recording contract, with Sterling Records; however, it was on the start-up label MGM that he had his first hit, Move It on Over in 1947. [43] The book only listed lyrics, since its main purpose was to attract more audiences, though it is also possible that he did not want to pay for transcribing the notes. If a song can't be written in 20 minutes, it ain't worth writing. [35] His recent win at the Empire Theater and the street performances caught the attention of WSFA producers who occasionally invited him to perform on air. [87] Carr called the Charleston auditorium from Knoxville to say that Williams would not arrive on time owing to the ice storm and was instead ordered to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio, for a New Year's Day concert there. He won the first prize of $15, singing his first original song "WPA Blues". [88] The two arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Carr requested a doctor for Williams, who was affected by the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had consumed on the way to Knoxville. Picking up the guitar for the first time at the age of eight, Williams was just 13 when he made his radio debut. The worker claimed that she sold Williams' notes to a representative of the Honky-Tonk Hall of Fame and the Rock-N-Roll Roadshow. She drove her son and his band to shows throughout southern Alabama. Montgomery, Alabama Hank Williams was country music's first megastar. His substance abuse problems continued to spiral out of control as he moved to Nashville and officially divorced Sheppard. Country music historian Bill Malone wrote that Williams sang with the quality that has characterized every great hillbilly singer: utter sincerity. Despite Williamss many well-known heartbreak songs, it should also be remembered that he was capable of writing and singing with great joy and humour, as on, for example, Howlin at the Moon., The last years of his life were suffused in increasing sadness and substance abuse. Ultimately, the completion of the album included recordings by Alan Jackson, Norah Jones, Jack White, Lucinda Williams, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Patty Loveless, Levon Helm, Jakob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and Merle Haggard. Carr immediately realized that he was dead and informed the filling station's owner, Glenn Burdette, who called the chief of the local police, O.H. Hank Williams, Sr. passed away on January 1, 1953 at 29 years old.Hank Williams Net Worth. Hank Williams Sr. was born on Monday and have been alive for 10,699 days, Hank Williams Sr. next B'Day will be after 7 Months, 12 Days, See detailed result below. Probably taught his first chords by Payne, Williams began playing the guitar at age 8. [clarification needed][20], The body was transported to Montgomery on January 2. [60] Williams released seven hit songs after "Lovesick Blues", including "Wedding Bells",[55] "Mind Your Own Business", "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)", and "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It". He was only 29. That night, the singers body was taken back to Montgomery. I was a pretty good imitator of Roy Acuff, but then I found out they already had a Roy Acuff, so I started singin' like myself. 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. . [26] His final single released during his lifetime was ironically titled "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." [24] During the ceremony, Ernest Tubb sang "Beyond the Sunset" followed by Roy Acuff with "I Saw the Light" and Red Foley with "Peace in the Valley. [89] Dr. P. H. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain of morphine. [19] In 1935, they settled in Garland, Alabama, where Lillie opened a new boarding house; they later moved with Williams' cousin Opal McNeil to Georgiana, Alabama,[20] where Lillie took several side jobs to support the family despite the bleak economic climate of the Great Depression. One year later, he released a cover of "Lovesick Blues", a huge country hit, which propelled him to stardom on the Grand Ole Opry. [138], After Williams' death, Audrey Williams filed a suit in Nashville against MGM Records and Acuff-Rose. Williams had also married Sheppard before her divorce was final, on the 10th day of a required 60-day reconciliation period. Since Williams' parents were both followers of Freemasonry,[7] Williams was named after Hiram I. His mother adopted Jett, who was made a ward of the state after her grandmother died and then adopted by another couple. Corrections? I told Carr that Williams looked dead but I did not press the point when Carr explained that Williams had been given two sedatives, Kitts was quoted as saying. As a result, he was not considered a reliable performer. "When I pulled it back up, I noticed that his hand was stiff and cold." A. You wrote only what happened to you and the people around you, Advertiser columnist Allen Rankin wrote on the day of the funeral. He made his radio debut at age 13; formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14; and early on began wearing the cowboy hats and western clothing that later were so associated with him. One characteristic of Williams' recordings as "Luke the Drifter" is the use of narration rather than singing. In the 1970s, he created his own musical identity, combining country with Southern rock and blues. Lillie Williams became the Drifting Cowboys' manager. Hank Williams, the 29-year-old King of Country Music, was to have flown to Charleston, West Virginia for a New Year's Eve concert but an ice storm near Nashville kept him away. His iconic status was amplified by his death at age 29 and by his reputation for hard living and heart-on-the-sleeve vulnerability. James Ellis Garner later played fiddle for him. A year later he was entering talent shows and had his own band, Hank. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. [25][26] Payne's base musical style was blues. In full support of Williams' musical aspirations was his mother, Lillie. Roy Acuff leads a host of country stars singing at the funeral of Hank Williams. 'The Garden Spot Programs' 1950", "Hank Williams' 'The Garden Spot Programs' Named Best Historical Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards", "Tom Hiddleston played country icon Hank Williams in biopic", "File Action to Untangle Hank Williams Estate", "Mother's Best, Hank's Best: A Conversation With Jett Williams and the Students", "The Year's Top Country & Western Artists/The Year's Top Country & Western Records", "PBS 'Country Music' - Native stories of Hank Williams Sr., Loretta Lynn and Peter La Farge", "Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame", "Country Music by Ken Burns Episode 3 The Hillbilly Shakespeare", Listing of all Hank Williams's songs and alternatives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hank_Williams&oldid=1142672396, Special Awards and Citation for his pivotal role in transforming country music, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 19:34. Due to Williams' excesses, Fred Rose stopped working with him. One famous person of Williams, Jr.'s . During an initial hearing, Marshall insisted that he was a doctor, refusing to answer further statements. For a time his relationship with Fred Rose deteriorated, but the two were able to mend fences, paving the way for Williams to become a regular on the "Louisiana Hayride," a regular Saturday night performance hosted by a radio station in Shreveport. Williams said he did not, and those are believed to be his last words. [32] During the same year, he participated in a talent show at the Empire Theater. Elonzo was a railroad engineer for the W. T. Smith lumber company and was drafted during World War I, serving from July 1918 to June 1919. A picture from the past came slowly stealing As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you Then suddenly I got that old time feeling I can't help it if I'm still in love with you. The house had a small garden on which they grew diverse crops that Williams and his sister Irene sold around Georgiana. It provided the title for the 1964 biographical film of the same name, which starred George Hamilton as Williams. . Celebrity Births Deaths and Ages Hank Williams Sr. The man in the back seat was singer-songwriter Hank Williams Sr. "I ran in and explained my situation to the two interns who were in the hospital," said Carr, now a 67-year-old Montgomery businessman. He died of a heart attack at the age of 29 in 1953 in the backseat of his Cadillac. [16] Williams' father was frequently relocated by the lumber company railway for which he worked, and the family lived in many southern Alabama towns. [23] Despite his medical condition, the family managed fairly well financially throughout the Great Depression. [25] His funeral was said to have been far larger than any ever held for any other citizen of Alabama,[27][21] and the largest event ever held in Montgomery,[28] surpassing Jefferson Davis' inauguration as President of the Confederacy. [70], In November 1951, Williams fell during a hunting trip with his fiddler Jerry Rivers in Franklin, Tennessee. The suit demanded that both of the publishing companies continue to pay her half of the royalties from Hank Williams' records. On the evening of Dec. 30, 1952, the restless, rail-thin 29-year-old tossed and turned in bed at his home in Montgomery, Ala. Father and son rarely saw each other over the next decade, with Williams' mother, who ran rooming houses, moving the family to Greenville and later Montgomery, Alabama. The newlyweds spent Christmas 1952 with Williamss mother in Montgomery. Williams had married his second wife, Billie Jean Jones in October 1952, as 14,000 people looked on in Louisiana where Williams hosted radio shows after being fired from the Grand Ole Opry in August of that year. Payne gave Williams guitar lessons in exchange for money or meals prepared by Lillie. Having interviewed Carr, the best that Peter Cooper of The Tennessean could offer was that "somewhere between Mount Hope and Oak Hill", Carr noticed Williams' blanket had fallen off. While he was medically disqualified from military service after suffering a back injury caused by falling from a bull during a rodeo in Texas, his band members were all drafted to serve. [29] In 1937, Williams got into a fight with his physical education teacher about exercises the coach wanted him to do. For Hank to have lived even a normal life span, he would have had to avoid chemical dependence. During one of his concerts, Williams met his idol, Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff backstage,[43] who later warned him of the dangers of alcohol, saying, "You've got a million-dollar talent, son, but a ten-cent brain. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). That all changed in 1949 with the release of "Lovesick Blues," a throwaway rendition of an old show tune he'd pushed to tape at the end of a recording session. [77] The next day, two public ceremonies were held at the New Orleans Civic Auditorium, where 14,000 seats were sold for each. The set was re-released on Hank Williams: The Legend Begins in 2011. At cafes across the South, the paper added, his songs blared over radios as news of his death spread. The identity of her famous father remained a mystery to her until her early twenties. "I think he had a profound sadness in him," says Marc Abraham, writer and director of I Saw The Light. He attributed the decision to Williams' declining career: "Most of his bookings were of the honky-tonk beer joint variety that he simply hated. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel at around 10:45p.m. Hotel porters had to carry Williams to his vehicle, an Olympic Blue 1952 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, as he was coughing and hiccupping. On December 11, 1946, in his first recording session, he recorded "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul", "Calling You", "Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)", and "When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels", which was misprinted as "When God Comes and Fathers His Jewels". Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Hank jr. was three years old when his father died in 1959. [123] Several members of Williams' descendants became musicians: Hank Williams Jr., daughter Jett Williams, grandsons Hank Williams III and Sam Williams, and granddaughters Hilary Williams[124] and Holly Williams are also country musicians. Hank Williams, Jr., was only 3 years old when his father died ("Hank".Bio para.4). They began to fill the auditorium hours before the afternoon funeral. On the evening of December 30, 1952, the restless, rail-thin 29-year-old tossed and turned in bed at his home in Montgomery, Ala. The unfinished lyrics were later returned to Sony/ATV, which handed them to Bob Dylan in 2008 to complete the songs for a new album. Carr was 17, a freshman on break from Auburn. Under Williams' guidance, Sheppard started playing bass and began performing in his band. Williams and his wife approached Fred Rose, the president of the company, during one of his habitual ping-pong games at WSM radio studios. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The album, named The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, was released on October 4, 2011. His performances were acclaimed when he was sober, but despite the efforts of his work associates to get him to shows sober, his abuse of alcohol resulted in occasions when he did not appear or his performances were poor. Here are more vintage images and stories of Alabamas past. It was something he apparently saw coming. A doctor injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that contained morphine. Both women had been using the description professionally. Entrance marker of the Oakwood Annex Cemetery in, Grave of Audrey (left) and Hank Williams (right) at Oakwood Annex Cemetery, Oklahoma investigation of Horace Marshall. He also requested a doctor for Williams, as Williams was feeling the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had drunk on the way from Montgomery to Knoxville. Roy Acuff, along with a host of countrys biggest stars, performed I Saw The Light., MONTGOMERY, AL - JANUARY 4: Guitar themed flower arrangements adorn the gravesite of country singer Hank Williams as he is laid to rest at the Oakwood Cemetary Annex on January 4, 1953 in Montgomery, Alabama. Despite his relatively brief career, he is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century, especially in country music. In 1947, he released "Move It on Over", which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. However, his plaintive, bluesy phrasing was unique and became a touchstone of country music. [120] The same year, Hank Williams: The Complete Mother's Best RecordingsPlus! A doctor injected Williams with B12 and morphine and porters carried the legendary singer-songwriter to the car. 7. Secondly,how did hank williams pass away? The fall reactivated his old back pains. Stopping for gas in Oak Hill, West Virginia, Carr realized Williams was dead. There he sang "Hey Good Lookin'", and the next week Como opened the show singing the same song, with apologies to Williams. What we do know is that Williams died when he was just 29 years old. Williams' personal life took a major turn in 1943 when he met Audrey Mae Sheppard, who was the mother of a young daughter and had only recently left a messy marriage. In 1953, months after Hank Sr.'s death, Williams paid his second wife, Billie Jean Jones, $30,000 to relinquish the title of "Hank Williams's Widow". Williams was pronounced dead a short while later. He had a message. [17] Author Colin Escott concluded in his book Hank Williams: The Biography that the cause of death was heart failure caused by the combination of alcohol, morphine and chloral hydrate.[18]. On the weekend after the tour ended, Williams was photographed backstage at the Grand Ole Opry signing a motion picture deal with MGM. Instead of performing, Williams died 70 years ago today, on Jan. 1, 1953. Williams told a story in later concerts that attributed his name change to a cat's yowling. [64][65] Some of the compositions were accompanied by a pipe organ. [8] He was of English and Welsh ancestry,[9][10][11][12] and he was also of Muscogee, Choctaw, and Cherokee descent. His breakthrough moment came in 1949 with the release of Lovesick Blues, an old show tune that Williams parlayed into a chart-topping hit, an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and international fame. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [54] After a few more moderate hits, in 1949 he released his version of the 1922 Cliff Friend and Irving Mills song "Lovesick Blues",[55] made popular by Rex Griffin. His passing did not bring about the end to his stardom, however. [39] The band started playing in theaters before the start of the movies and later in honky-tonks. [59] On May 21, he had been admitted to North Louisiana Sanitarium for the treatment of his alcoholism, leaving on May 24. Lyons recalled how Hank rose from being a shoeshine boy to star of the stage. [16] The couple divorced on May 29, 1952. [122] On April 12, 2010, the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Williams a posthumous special citation that paid tribute to 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". Later, he started to consume painkillers, including morphine, and alcohol to ease the pain. 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. [48] With Williams beginning to be recognized as a songwriter,[49] Sheppard became his manager and occasionally accompanied him on duets in some of his live concerts. Williams was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most significant country music artists of all time. While her son was not on the stage, his song I Saw The Light opened the show. 29, January 1st 1953. His father worked as a logger before entering the Veterans Administration hospital when young Hank was just six.