Hiram “Hank” Williams was born in the county.
Williams was an influential country artist. Twelve of the songs he recorded were number one.
Williams is referred to as the king of country music.
His famous songs include lonesome tunes such as “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “There’s a Tear in My Beer” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”
Williams was born with a birth defect of the spine which would cause him pain the rest of his life.
He wasn’t with his father for most of his childhood. Williams and his mother traveled a lot. They relocated to Garland in 1935.
Every May a festival is held in Williams’s honor.
Williams gave Payne food and money when he was a kid.
He was hired by a radio station in 1937 to host a 15-minute show. The show received a lot of feedback, with people asking for more of the singing kid.
Williams was medically disqualified from military service due to an injury he sustained in a rodeo. Williams met Sheppard while working for a shipbuilding company. Two people were married.
Hank Williams Jr., who was born in 1949, went on to create a unique musical career.
Williams was kicked out of the Grand Ole Opry in 1952 for being drunk too much. Williams had problems with the drugs he was prescribed.
Williams and Sheppard were married in 1952.
Williams drank alcohol and chloral hydrate on New Years Eve. His doctor injected him with a quarter grain of morphine when he began to experience side effects.
Williams died on the way to a concert on New Year’s Day. He was a young man.
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