汉克·威廉斯

传记

汉克·威廉斯本名海勒姆·威廉斯（Hiram Williams），源自泰尔皇帝海勒姆一世（Hiram I），不过他的出生证明书却误把“Hiram”误写成“Hiriam”。他在1923年9月17日于美国阿拉巴马州巴特勒县乔治亚娜（Georgiana）西南的芒特奥利夫（Mount Olive）出生。父亲Elonzo Huble Williams是第一次世界大战的老兵，母亲叫Jessie Lillybelle。他有一个死产的兄弟，叫罗宾（Robin），一个同父异母的姐姐（他父亲首次婚姻的孩子），叫艾琳（Irene）。

汉克·威廉斯在1953年1月1日于美国西弗吉尼亚州费耶特县奥克希尔（Oak Hill）逝世。

Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, 5 of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No. 1.

Born and raised in Alabama, Williams learned guitar from blues musician Rufus Payne. Both Payne and Roy Acuff significantly influenced his musical style. After winning an amateur talent contest, Williams began his professional career in Montgomery in the late 1930s playing on local radio stations and at area venues such as school houses, movie theaters, and bars. 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. Because his alcoholism made him unreliable, he was fired and rehired several times by radio station WSFA. Williams also had trouble replacing several of his band members who were drafted during World War II.

In 1944, Williams married Audrey Sheppard, who competed with his mother to control his career. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. He released the hit single "Move It On Over" in 1947 and joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. The next year he released a cover of "Lovesick Blues", which quickly reached number one on Billboard's Top Country & Western singles chart and propelled him to stardom on the Grand Ole Opry. Although unable to read or notate music to any significant degree, he wrote such iconic hits as "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'", and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry".……

Early life

Hiram Williams was born on September 17, 1923, in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama. His name was misspelled as "Hiriam" on his birth certificate, which was prepared and signed when he was 10 years old. He was the third child of Jessie Lilliebelle "Lillie" (née Skipper; 1898–1955) and Elonzo Huble "Lon" Williams (1891–1970). Williams was of English and Welsh ancestry.……

Career

1930s

In July 1937, the Williams and McNeils opened a boarding house on South Perry Street in downtown Montgomery. It was at this time that Williams decided to change his name informally from Hiram to Hank. During the same year, he participated in a talent show at the Empire Theater and won the first prize of US$15 (equivalent to $300 in 2025) singing his first original song "WPA Blues".……

Personal life

On December 15, 1944, Williams married Audrey Sheppard. It was her second marriage and his first. Their son, Randall Hank Williams (now known as Hank Williams Jr.), was born on May 26, 1949. 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.……

Death

Williams was scheduled to perform at Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia, on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1952. Advance ticket sales totaled $3,000 (equivalent to $36,000 in 2025). That day, Williams could not fly because of a snow storm in the Montgomery area; he hired a college student, Charles Carr, to drive him to the concerts. On December 30, Williams and Carr stopped at the Redmont Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama.……

Legacy

The Country Music Hall of Fame stressed that Williams "set the agenda for contemporary country songcraft" and the "standard by which success is measured in country music". Encyclopædia Britannica considers him "country music's first superstar" and an "immensely talented songwriter and an impassioned vocalist".……