Life Story of Hank William Sr - Essay Example

Life Story of Hank William Sr. Hank Williams Sr. is known as the father of contemporary country music. Being a guitarist and an influentialsong writer, he became a national legend and his contributions to music are widely commended throughout the world. His short music career of 4 years ended at the age of 29 with him establishing the rules for all the country performers to come. Early Life Hank (Hiram) Williams was born on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama to Lon and Lillie Williams. Small and fragile from the birth, he was brought up by his mother since his father was hospitalized during most of Hank's early life. After his school hours, Williams would sell peanuts and shined shoes at the local depot to help support his family. He befriended music from the very start and the guitar given to him by his mother when he was eight years old, became his lifeline. Williams' childhood friend Rufus Payne (aka Tee Tot) taught him how to play the guitar and sing the blues. Hank Williams' home (now Hank Williams' Boyhood Home & Museum), surroundings and the initial hard family times influenced the style of his songs. Early Struggle in Music Willing to take music as a career, Williams began performing around the Georgiana and Greenville areas of Alabama in his early teens. Forming a local band in Montgomery called the Drifting Cowboys, they became quite popular and the local radio station played their music regularly. Singing songs of the famous artists and his idol, Roy Acuff, the radio station dubbed him the Singing Kid. Lillie became the temporary manager for Williams and collected gate money, contracted and negotiated for gigs. Looking at the face of stardom, Williams contracted with alcoholism and turned intoxicated for his radio shows and eventually got fired due to his "habitual drunkenness". Move to Stardom Audrey Mae Sheppard became Williams' manager and short time later in 1943, his wife. Although at the time Williams was a local hero, but he couldn't make it to big names yet. To get further in the limelight, the couple toured Nashville to meet with a songwriter/music publisher Fred Rose who was one of the heads of Acuff-Rose Publishing. Rose instantaneously liked Williams' songs and recorded two sessions for Sterling Records. This resulted in two singles, both hits. Seeing the success and potential in him, MGM Records signed a contract with him in early in 1947 and Rose became the Williams' manager and record producer. His first single with MGM, 'Move It On Over,' was instant hit and rose to the country Top Five charts. Songs released in 1948 like 'Honky Tonkin' and 'I'm a Long Gone Daddy' peaked in the charts too. Another huge success came in early in 1949 with 'Lovesick Blues,' which remained at number one for 16 weeks and crossing over into the pop Top 25. This song was performed at Grand Ole Opry and received a record six encores from the crowds. During this time, Williams and Audrey had their first child, Randall Hank in 1949. Soon afterwards, Williams gathered the guitarist Bob McNett, bassist Hillous Butrum, fiddler Jerry Rivers, and steel guitarist Don Helms to perform the most acclaimed versions of Drifting Cowboys. He and his band were earning handsomely and most of their shoes were sold out. In the early 1950s Williams made at least seven hits and most of them made it to the Top Five Charts. During these years, a different side of Hank Williams came to be known. He started to record some religious and spiritual records under the name of Luke the Drifter. The change of name was due to the fact that he thought that the dick jockeys and jukebox operators would not play his non-traditional songs and there spiritual songs would hurt his reputation as a country musician. Although the name was chosen to hide his identity, he couldn't cloak his voice. The next year Williams came back with more of the hits to please his fans. He started taking parts in television shows and package tours to market him further. The music was going great with most songs of 1951 entering the top ten charts. He had become a huge star. Deteriorating Personal Life Williams' musical career was booming at a rapid pace with releasing hits after hits. But sadly his personal life was a complete opposite state. His early drinking problem had been controlled for first few years of fame but now his success had gone to his head. He started to stay away from home more regularly and drink more frequently. His marriage was going down the hole with Audery trying to get her own musical career started. They fought more often, separated from each other for longer periods and came together only grudgingly. Williams' drug addiction became a lifelong endeavor when he tripped and fell on a hunting trip, reactivating a dormant back injury. Williams and Audery separated for the final time in January 1952. The career was going as well as it had for the last few years but his recklessness knew no bounds. As a consequence he spent all day drunk and drugged playing with guns and destroying property. The divorce finally came in May and thereon Williams completely broke down. He missed the gigs, was badly drunk even in concerts and sank deeper into self-destructive behavior. He was no longer a part of his band, his friends left him, married a 19 year old and by the end of the year, he developed heart problems. Death Hank Williams received a sad demise on his way to a concert. Being injected with vitamins and morphine, he went to the concert in Canton, Ohio in a chaffer driven car. In the way, the driver was stopped for speeding and it was there when the police officer noticed the dead like condition of Williams. On reaching the hospital, Williams was declared dead at 7:00 AM on January 1, 1953. Williams' funeral took place three days later in Montgomery with a record gathering of loved ones and admirers. MGM kept on releasing Hank Williams old records, demos and anything they could find about him. Hank Williams was inducted in to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. Throughout 60s, Williams' records were released remixed overdubbed versions. Finally in the 80s, his records were restored to its original form and the audience once again enjoyed the real taste of the songs of their hero. His song "No matter how I struggle and strive, I'll never get out of this world alive" is a true reminiscent of how he felt and how hard his life was during his few years of famed life. Works Cited 1. ALAMHOF. "HANK WILLIAMS." 1985. Alabama Music Hall of Fame. 10 March 2008 . 2. "Hank Williams Boyhood Home & Museum." 2006. Hank Museum. 10 March 2008 . 3. NSF. "Hank Williams, Sr." Nashville Songwriters Foundation. 10 March 2008 . 4. Records, Mercury. "Hank Biiography." 2000. Hank Williams. 10 March 2008 . 5. Starpulse. "Hank Williams Sr. Biography." 1999. Starpulse. 10 March 2008 . Read More