by Lana Sain

Created on: December 01, 2007

The whole world calls him "Hank", but Hiram King Williams was his name. He was the birth of modern country music and indisputably the single most influential figure in it's history. His music was a mixture of "outlaw" country and the blues; the lyrics, in many cases, directly reflected the life he lived.

Williams was born on September 17th, 1923, in Mount Olive, Alabama. His father was hospitalized for most his early childhood, leaving his mother, Lillie, to raise the family. Lillie, a strong willed young lady, settled the family in Georgiana, Alabama. It was there that Hank met Rufus Payne, a blues musician more commonly known as "Tee-Tot". Payne was the major influence in Williams' music career, and you can noticeably hear the blues style in Hank's music.

Hank dropped out of school in 1939 and began singing full-time with his band, The Drifting Cowboys. Lillie stepped up and became the manager, booking and driving them to do shows all over Alabama, Tennesse, Georgia, and Florida. Hank's fans loved his style and his precarious personality, but his reputation for drinking and being unreliable caused media companies to be hesitant about signing deals with him. He was known to show up for his radio shows while intoxicated, and he was eventually fired by one company for such behavior. Incidents such as this did not slow Hank, though, he would bounce back with another hit, have some more drinks, and continue to draw huge crowds at his shows.

Hank met Audrey Shepard in 1943, and a year later, they married. She began acting as manager of the band and also played stand-up bass. Audrey gave birth to their son, Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams Jr.) in 1949. With all the fame, the alcholism, and the broken promises, Hank and Audrey's relationship was a rocky one. It ended in divorce in 1952. It has been said that Hank wrote the lyrics to "Your Cheatin' Heart" when he was still married to Audrey, but was out riding around with Billy Jean Williams, who would eventually become his second wife.

In 1947, Hank signed a deal with MGM records and released his first major hit, "Move It On Over". In 1948 and 1949 he traveled all over the southeast and released "Lovesick Blues," which was a massive country hit and actually crossed over into the mainstream audiences. During this time he made his debut on The Grand Ole Opry and eventually went on to have 11 number 1 country hits.

Hank's songs might have been soaring to the top of the charts, but his life was spiraling downward and

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