Well, Hello again to everyone,
Today we are going to look at the life of a well-known country writer and performer that a lot of younger Acorn members might not be aware of, but his songs, everyone knows at least one or two no matter what your age. Artists of every genre and walk of life have covered some of his songs, including Jeff Buckley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Charlyn Marie aka (Cat Power), Social Distortion, and even the “Man In Black,” Jonny Cash.
His songs have lasted much longer than he did, and his story is one to look at and take heed of the possibilities and pitfalls of stardom and fame. So many times in the past, young artist succumbed to the pressures of always having to come up with that next big hit and the added stress that come along with it. In country music, Nashville is the place to be, and there is always someone waiting in the wings to take the place of a star when they can’t perform for any number of reasons. Nashville is a pressure cooker, and no wonder there have been so many artists who have fallen under the influence of drugs and alcohol just to maintain this grueling lifestyle. So let’s get back into our Way Way Back Machine and look at the life of Hank Williams.
This post will also introduce the mystery that’s still swirling around the facts of this gentleman’s untimely death, so you are getting a two-for-one in this Acorn story, and I hope you enjoy the journey back to the early days of country music.
Hiram King Williams, better known as Hank Williams, is widely considered one of the greatest country musicians of all time. He wrote 55 singles that reached the top 10 on the country billboard, and 12 went to number 1. Born in 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama, Williams began his journey toward stardom at a young age. Hank quickly rose to fame as a teenager with his unique style and memorable songs.
William’s music was characterized by its simple, straightforward style and powerful, soulful voice. He wrote songs that spoke to the heart of everyday people and dealt with themes of love, heartbreak, and loss. His songs were infused with a mix of blues, gospel, and country, and they struck a chord with audiences looking for something different in a music scene dominated by lighthearted and upbeat tunes.
Some of his most famous songs, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and “Hey Good Lookin’,” have become enduring classics of the country music genre.
Williams was exposed to music at a young age, as his mother played the piano, and his father was a railway engineer and amateur fiddler. He learned to play guitar and began performing in local churches and on the radio at the age of 11. By the time he was a teenager, he had formed a band and played at local dances and events.
Despite his early success, Williams faced numerous challenges in his personal life. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he was introduced to alcohol at a young age and soon became dependent on it. Nevertheless, he continued to pursue his passion for music, and his talent soon gained the attention of local record labels.
In 1942, Williams moved to Montgomery, Alabama. It was there that he met Fred Rose, a songwriter, and publisher who would later help Williams make it big in Nashville. In Montgomery, he began performing on WSFA, a local radio station. He soon signed a contract with MGM Records and released his first single, “Move It on Over,” which became a hit. This was followed by several more successful releases, including “Honky Tonkin” and “I Saw the Light.”
He was drafted into the Army in 1944 and saw limited action in World War II. Upon his return, he continued to tour and perform. It was at this time that Williams became addicted to painkillers, which he took to ease the chronic back pain that he suffered from. This combination of alcohol and drugs soon took a toll on his health and his personal life. His addiction worsened, which led him down the path to numerous health problems and hospitalizations.
Williams started missing concerts and recording sessions on a more frequent basis. He was often in a state of intoxication and was unable to perform at his best. This led to a decline in his popularity and a decline in his health. He was frequently hospitalized for alcoholism and drug addiction, and his health continued to deteriorate.
Despite these problems, Williams continued to produce hit after hit, cementing his status as one of the era’s most popular and influential musicians. He is remembered as a pioneer of modern country music and an enduring icon of the genre.
On January 1st, 1953, Williams was found dead in the back of his baby blue Cadillac convertible en route from a concert in Canton, Ohio, to a scheduled performance in Charleston, West Virginia. He was only 29 years old, and this incident remains one of the most mysterious and intriguing events in country music history.
The exact cause of Williams’s death remains unknown to this day. Some believe that he died of a heart attack, while others speculated that he may have suffered from an overdose of painkillers and alcohol. An autopsy was performed, but the results were never made public, adding to his death’s mystery.
This explanation makes it easy to brush over what happened to Hank Williams quickly, but let’s take a deeper look at the facts. Williams and his driver, a college student named Charles Carr, were on the road and attempting to reach Hank’s next concert location. Tennessee was in the middle of a bad ice storm, preventing Williams from flying. At 7 pm, the two checked in at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee. Williams was complaining of chest pains and ordered a steak and a doctor to come to take a look at him. The pains were most likely caused by Williams taking a combination of chloral hydrate and alcohol that were taken earlier that day.
Dr. P.H. Cardwell went up to his room and gave him two shots of B12 and Morphine in an attempt to counter the drugs taken earlier and provide some comfort. Shortly after, Carr told hotel staff that they were checking out and he needed help getting Williams to his car. The staff had to carry Williams out a back door and physically put him in the car’s back seat.
Shortly after leaving Knoxville, Carr was pulled over by a state trooper and given a ticket for speeding. The officer told Carr that his passenger looked dead because his uncovered hand looked blueish in color but was reassured that Williams was simply sleeping off the effects of drinking earlier, and the two were allowed to proceed.
According to Carr, they stopped off at a 24-hour diner in Bristol, Virginia, and Carr asked Williams if he wanted anything. Allegedly, Williams said that he wasn’t hungry, and again the two went on their way.
Sometime later, the duo stopped at what Carr called “a cut-rate gas station” in Oak Hill, West Virginia. “I went inside, and an older guy, around 50, came back with me, looked in the back seat, and said, “I think you’ve got a problem.” He was very helpful and said Oak Hill General Hospital was five miles on my left.” They drove toward Oak Hill hospital, stopping again at a Pure Oil station on the edge of town for no apparent reason. They eventually made it to Oak Hill Hospital, where Hank Williams was pronounced dead by a local doctor, and an autopsy was later performed.
Carr’s account of how he discovered that Williams was dead outside Oak Hill is challenged by Dr. Leo Killorn, a Canadian intern at Beckley hospital, West Virginia, fifteen miles from Oak Hill. Dr. Killorn claims that Carr drove to the hospital and asked him to see Williams. The doctor said that Carr told him it was Hank Williams, causing him to remember the incident. Carr was very nervous and seemed exhausted but then decided to drive away. His actions were so strange that this invited suspicion that foul play had been involved in William’s death.
When questioned later, Carr told the officials this story but left out that he was pulled over by the State Patrol in Tennessee, stopping at Beckley hospital and the second stop at the second gas station, which seems strange to many.
No charges were ever brought against Charles Carr, but his actions still seem suspicious and brought up claims of a coverup and the murder of Hank Williams by many fans and officials. Remember, Carr was a very young man at the time, and his finding of Williams dead might have been enough to cause him to do some very questionable and erratic behavior. Nonetheless, there were lots of questions that were not answered in the investigation.
Most experts on Hank Williams believe that he died at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, after Dr. Cardwell administered the two shots. This is why his body was taken to the car, and the two left town in a hurry in the middle of an ice storm only a couple of hours after checking into the hotel.
Was it some of Knoxville’s officials who didn’t want the town’s name to be tarnished by the death of Hank Williams in their fine city or hotel management for the same reason? Dr. Caldwell was a prominent member of Knoxville society who carried a lot of weight. He could have been looking to protect his interest and namesake and told Charles Carr to get the body as far away as possible before reporting the death. Either way, Knoxville, Tennessee, is probably the location of Hank Williams’s death, not Oak Hill, West Virginia.
Regardless of the exact cause, Hank Williams’s death marked the end of a life and career that profoundly impacted the world of music. He’s remembered as a pioneering artist who pushed the boundaries of country music and paved the way for generations of musicians to come.
Today, Hank Williams remains an iconic figure in country music, and his music continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide. His death remains one of the greatest tragedies in country music history. Despite the lack of clear answers about the exact cause of his death, his music and legacy continue to live on, reminding us of the power of music to touch our hearts and shape our lives.
At the time of his death in 1953, Williams had recorded only a relatively small number of songs, but his impact on American music was enormous. Hank William’s story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of substance abuse and excess. Despite his tremendous talent and impact on the music world, his life was marred by addiction and alcoholism. His death serves as a reminder of the devastating effects of substance abuse on a person’s life and health. It is a tragedy that such a talented and influential artist was taken from the world at such a young age, but his music will live on forever.
I hope you enjoyed this installment of the Mighty Acorn Blog, and until we meet again, have a day.
I almost cried when Hank Williams died. I still remember the words to some of his songs.