1937: Hank Williams Sr.
- Biography
- AKA
- Genre(s)
- Years (together)
- Members
- Discography
- Song Highlights
- Videos
- Labels
- Also Member of
- Reference
Hank Williams, Sr. (/hæŋk wɪljəmz /; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953), born Hiram King Williams, was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant country music artists, 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, Butler County, Alabama, Williams moved to Georgiana, where he met Rufus Payne, a black street performer who gave him guitar lessons in exchange for meals or money. 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. He moved to Montgomery and his music career began there 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 his time to his career. When several of his band members were conscripted into military service during World War II, Williams had trouble with their replacements and was dismissed by WSFA due to his alcoholism. Williams eventually married Audrey Sheppard, who managed the singer 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. One year later, 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”. Several years of back pain, alcoholism and prescription drug abuse severely deteriorated Williams’s health; he divorced Audrey and was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry, citing unreliability and frequent drunkenness. Williams died in the early morning hours of New Years Day in 1953 at the age of 29 from heart failure exacerbated by pills and alcohol. Despite his short life, Williams has had a major influence on twentieth-century popular music. The songs he wrote and recorded have been covered by numerous artists, and have been hits in various genres including pop, gospel, and blues. He has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
- Hiram King Williams
- Luke the Drifter
- The Hillbilly Shakespeare
- The Singing Kid
- Country
- Western
- gospel
- blues
- honky-tonk
- folk
- Born: September 17, 1923 Butler County, Alabama
- Died: January 1, 1953 (aged 29) Oak Hill, West Virginia
| Year | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Hank Williams Sings | |||||
| Moanin’ the Blues | — | — | — | |||
| 1953 | Memorial Album | — | — | — | ||
| Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter | — | — | — | |||
| 1954 | Honky Tonkin’ | — | — | — | ||
| I Saw the Light | — | — | — | |||
| Ramblin’ Man | — | — | — | |||
| 1957 | 36 of His Greatest Hits | — | — | |||
| Sing Me a Blue Song | — | — | — | |||
| 1958 | Hank Williams Sings 36 More of His Great Hits | — | — | — | ||
| The Immortal Hank Williams | — | — | — | |||
| 1959 | The Unforgettable Hank Williams | — | — | — | ||
| 1960 | Wait for the Light to Shine | — | — | — | — | |
| The Lonesome Sound of Hank Williams | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961 | The First, Last & Always | — | — | — | — | |
| I’m Blue Inside | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | Hank Williams on Stage | — | — | — | — | |
| 1963 | On Stage Volume II | — | — | — | — | |
| 1965 | Father & Son (w/ Hank Williams, Jr.) | — | — | |||
| 1966 | The Legend Lives Anew | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | Hank Williams / Hank Williams Jr. Again (w/ Hank Williams, Jr.) | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | In the Beginning | — | — | — | ||
| Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits | — | — | ||||
| 1969 | The Essential Hank Williams | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | Life to Legend | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | The Legend of Hank Williams in Song and Story (w/ Hank Williams, Jr.) | — | — | — | ||
| 1974 | Insights Into Hank Williams in Song and Story | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | Hank Williams, Sr. / Live at the Grand Ole Opry | — | — | |||
| 24 of Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits | — | — | ||||
| 1977 | 24 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | 40 Greatest Hits | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | Just Me and My Guitar | — | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | The Best of Hank & Hank (w/ Hank Williams, Jr.) | — | ||||
| 1994 | The Hits, Volume 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts (w/ Hank Williams, Jr. & Hank Williams III) | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | The Complete Hank Williams | — | — | — | — | |
| 20 of Hank Williams’ Greatest Hits | — | — | — | |||
| 2002 | The Ultimate Collection | — | ||||
| 2005 | Hank Williams Gold | — | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | The Unreleased Recordings | — | — | — | ||
| The Unreleased Recordings | — | — | — | |||
| 2009 | The Unreleased Recordings: Gospel Keepsakes | — | — | — | ||
| The Unreleased Recordings: Revealed | — | — | — | |||
| 2010 | The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings…Plus! | — | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | Bound for the Promised Land | — | — | — | ||
| Icon: Hank Williams | ||||||
| 2012 | The Greatest Hits Live: Volume 1 | |||||
| The Greatest Hits Live: Volume 2 | ||||||
| The Lost Concerts | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1947 | “Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)” | — | — | singles only |
| “Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul” | — | — | ||
| “My Love for You (Has Turned to Hate)” | — | — | ||
| “Pan American” | — | — | ||
| “Move It On Over” | 4 | — | ||
| “On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain” | — | — | ||
| 1948 | “My Sweet Love Ain’t Around” | — | — | Moanin’ the Blues |
| “Honky Tonkin'” | 14 | — | Honky Tonkin’ | |
| “I’m a Long Gone Daddy” | 6 | — | Moanin’ the Blues | |
| “I Saw the Light” | — | — | I Saw the Light | |
| “A Mansion on the Hill” | 12 | — | Hank Williams Sings | |
| 1949 | “Lovesick Blues” | 1 | 24 | Moanin’ the Blues |
| “Wedding Bells” | 2 | — | Hank Williams Sings | |
| “Mind Your Own Business” | 5 | — | singles only | |
| “You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave)” | 4 | — | ||
| “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It” | 2 | — | Honky Tonkin’ | |
| 1950 | “I Just Don’t Like This Kind of Living” | 5 | — | single only |
| “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” | 1 | — | Moanin’ the Blues | |
| “Why Don’t You Love Me” | 1 | — | single only | |
| “Why Should We Try Anymore” | 9 | — | Sing Me a Blue Song | |
| “Moanin’ the Blues” | 1 | — | Moanin’ the Blues | |
| 1951 | “Cold, Cold Heart” | 1 | — | The Memorial Album |
| “Howlin’ at the Moon” | 3 | — | Honky Tonkin’ | |
| “Hey Good Lookin’” | 1 | — | The Memorial Album | |
| “(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle” | 9 | — | Ramblin’ Man | |
| “Baby, We’re Really in Love” | 4 | — | Honky Tonkin’ | |
| 1952 | “Honky Tonk Blues” | 2 | — | Moanin’ the Blues |
| “Half as Much” | 2 | — | The Memorial Album | |
| “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” | 1 | 20 | Honky Tonkin’ | |
| “Settin’ the Woods on Fire” | 2 | — | The Memorial Album | |
| “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive” | 1 | — | Honky Tonkin’ | |
B-sides
| Year | Song | US Country | Original A-side single |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | “Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)” | 6 | “Lovesick Blues” |
| “Lost Highway” | 12 | “You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave)” | |
| 1950 | “My Son Calls Another Man Daddy” | 9 | “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” |
| “They’ll Never Take Her Love from Me” | 5 | “Why Should We Try Anymore” | |
| “Nobody’s Lonesome for Me” | 9 | “Moanin’ the Blues” | |
| 1951 | “Dear John” | 8 | “Cold, Cold Heart” |
| “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)” | 2 | “Howlin’ at the Moon” | |
| “Crazy Heart” | 4 | “(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle” | |
| 1952 | “You Win Again” | 10 | “Settin’ the Woods on Fire” |
| 1953 | “Your Cheatin’ Heart” (posthumous) | 1 | “Kaw-Liga” |
Posthumous singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1953 | “Kaw-Liga” | 1 | — | The Memorial Album |
| “Take These Chains from My Heart” | 1 | — | Ramblin’ Man | |
| “I Won’t Be Home No More” | 4 | — | Honky Tonkin’ | |
| “Weary Blues from Waitin’” | 7 | — | Moanin’ the Blues (1956 album) | |
| “Calling You” | — | — | I Saw the Light | |
| 1954 | “Low Down Blues” | — | — | Moanin’ the Blues (1956 album) |
| “How Can You Refuse Him Now” | — | — | I Saw the Light | |
| “I Ain’t Go Nothin’ but Time” | — | — | single only | |
| “Angel of Death” | — | — | I Saw the Light | |
| 1955 | “Please Don’t Let Me Love You” | 9 | — | The Immortal Hank Williams |
| “Message to My Mother” | — | — | I Saw the Light (1956 album) | |
| “Teardrop on a Rose” | — | — | single only | |
| “At the First Fall of Snow” | — | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | |
| “Battle of Armagedeon” | — | — | single only | |
| 1956 | “California Zephyr” | — | — | The Immortal Hank Williams |
| “I Wish I Had a Nickel” | — | — | ||
| “Singing Waterfall” | — | — | Sing Me a Blue Song | |
| “The Pale Horse and His Rider” | — | — | singles only | |
| 1957 | “Ready to Go Home” | — | — | |
| “Leave Me Alone with the Blues” | — | — | ||
| “Waltz of the Wind” | — | — | The Immortal Hank Williams | |
| 1958 | “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It” | — | — | Honky Tonkin’ |
| “Just Waitin’” | — | — | single only | |
| 1965 | “Lovesick Blues” | — | — | Father and Son |
| “The Pale Horse and His Rider” (w/ Audrey Williams) | — | — | Mr. and Mrs. Hank Williams | |
| 1966 | “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” | 43 | 109 | Legend Lives Anew with Strings |
| “Kaw-Liga” | — | — | ||
| “They’ll Never Take Her Love from Me” | — | — | ||
| 1967 | “Dear John” | — | — | Hank Williams More with Strings |
| 1976 | “Why Don’t You Love Me” | 61 | — | Insight into Hank Williams |
I hang my head and cry Hank Williams as Luke The Drifter – Men With Broken Hearts Hank Williams on the Kate Smith Evening Hour vol. 2 Rare Hank Willimans Video 1952 – Cold Cold Heart Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain by Hank Williams I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY (1949) hey good lookin’ The Very Best Of Hank Williams (Full Album) The Funeral Of Hank Williams Sr, 1–4–1953
- Sterling
- MGM
- Drifting Cowboys
- Hank & Audrey
- Three Hanks
- http://www.biography.com/people/hank-williams-9532414
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/hank-williams-mn0000549797/biography
- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/hank-williams/about-hank-williams/734/
- http://countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/hank-williams
- http://hankwilliams.com/
- http://www.hankwilliamsfestival.com/
- http://rockhall.com/inductees/hank-williams/bio/
- http://thehankwilliamsmuseum.net/
- http://www.hankwilliamsdiscography.com/
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/256313-Hank-Williams
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