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Tomorrow's sad anniversary: January 1, 1953, Hank Williams, dead at the age of 29
He died in Oak Hill, West Virginia? I didn't know that. Well, that's where his driver noticed that he had died.
Hank Williams
Hank Williams in a publicity photograph for WSM in 1951
Born Hiram King Williams, September 17, 1923, Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama, U.S.
Died January 1, 1953 (aged 29), Oak Hill, West Virginia, U.S.,
Cause of death: Heart failure; brought about by prescription drug abuse and alcoholism
Website: www.hankwilliams.com
Hiram King "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked number one (three posthumously).
....
Death
Main article: Death of Hank Williams
Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia on Wednesday December 31, 1952. Advance ticket sales totaled US$3,500. That day, because of an ice storm in the Nashville area, Williams could not fly, so he hired a college student, Charles Carr, to drive him to the concerts. Carr called the Charleston auditorium from Knoxville to say that Williams would not arrive on time owing to the ice storm and was ordered to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio, for the New Year's Day concert there.
They arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Carr requested a doctor for Williams, as he was feeling the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had drunk on the way from Montgomery to Knoxville. Dr. P.H. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain of morphine. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel; the porters had to carry Williams to the car, as he was coughing and hiccuping. At around midnight on Thursday January 1, 1953, when they crossed the Tennessee state line and arrived in Bristol, Virginia, Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. Williams said he did not, and those are believed to be his last words. Carr later drove on until he stopped for fuel at a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where he realized that Williams was dead, and rigor mortis had already set in. The filling station's owner called the chief of the local police. In Williams' Cadillac, the police found some empty beer cans and unfinished handwritten lyrics.
Hank Williams in a publicity photograph for WSM in 1951
Born Hiram King Williams, September 17, 1923, Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama, U.S.
Died January 1, 1953 (aged 29), Oak Hill, West Virginia, U.S.,
Cause of death: Heart failure; brought about by prescription drug abuse and alcoholism
Website: www.hankwilliams.com
Hiram King "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked number one (three posthumously).
....
Death
Main article: Death of Hank Williams
Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia on Wednesday December 31, 1952. Advance ticket sales totaled US$3,500. That day, because of an ice storm in the Nashville area, Williams could not fly, so he hired a college student, Charles Carr, to drive him to the concerts. Carr called the Charleston auditorium from Knoxville to say that Williams would not arrive on time owing to the ice storm and was ordered to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio, for the New Year's Day concert there.
They arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Carr requested a doctor for Williams, as he was feeling the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had drunk on the way from Montgomery to Knoxville. Dr. P.H. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain of morphine. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel; the porters had to carry Williams to the car, as he was coughing and hiccuping. At around midnight on Thursday January 1, 1953, when they crossed the Tennessee state line and arrived in Bristol, Virginia, Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. Williams said he did not, and those are believed to be his last words. Carr later drove on until he stopped for fuel at a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where he realized that Williams was dead, and rigor mortis had already set in. The filling station's owner called the chief of the local police. In Williams' Cadillac, the police found some empty beer cans and unfinished handwritten lyrics.
Just flat out unbeatable:
Maybe there was an equal to that:
Bring it on, 2019. I'm ready for anything.
Sun. Dec. 30: 22nd Annual HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE
featuring Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, The Kennedys (Pete & Maura), Robin & Linda Williams, Patrick McAvinue, and Marshall Wilborn -7:30pm- $29.50
featuring Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, The Kennedys (Pete & Maura), Robin & Linda Williams, Patrick McAvinue, and Marshall Wilborn -7:30pm- $29.50
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