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Goodreads helps you Hank Williams: The Biography track of books you want to read. Want to Hank Williams: The Biography saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Hank Williams by Colin Escott. George Merritt. William MacEwen. Gleason Hank Williams: The Biography Book Award. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published April 13th by Back Bay Books first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions 9. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Hank Williamsplease sign up. Lists with Hank Williams: The Biography Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Hank Williams: The Biography. Nov 20, Doug DePew rated it it was amazing. As a child, I listened to old 78s of Hank Williams that I carefully pulled out of my dad's old cedar chest. Later, I got my very own 8-track player and fell asleep listening to Hank every night. All I can say after reading Hank Williams: The Biography book is,"Wow. This is a very thorough look at Hank's short, sad life. Escott has included direct quotes from many of the people who knew Hank personally or were As a child, I listened to old 78s of Hank Williams that I carefully pulled out of my dad's old cedar chest. Escott has included direct quotes from many of the people who knew Hank personally or were associated with him and has put together what might be Hank Williams: The Biography most comprehensive picture of his life yet. I was particularly impressed with how well Hank's childhood and early life were covered. I had absolutely no idea prior to this book how far back his problems went. I was constantly doing math in my head as different incidents of Hank's drinking causing problems appeared to find dates that placed him in his mid-teens. His meteoric rise and abrupt fall are covered quite skillfully. It even includes his earnings Hank Williams: The Biography year. A peek into the psychology of who Hank Williams was as a person is granted through quotes from his friends and associates. Learning the sad details of his last few months was horrifying to me, but it's the truth. I appreciate the truth. We also get a summary of the extensive aftermath following Hank's sudden death and the outcome for the people involved including his children. I can't say I'm happy after finishing this book. I do feel like I know Hank Williams better than I did prior to reading it, though. This is the best Hank Williams biography I've read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in country music. View 2 comments. Mar 17, Jake rated it it was amazing. Ol' Hank liked to keep it simple, and so, too, does Colin Escott and his co-authors in this riveting biography. No other figure in country music, not even its self-proclaimed "father", Jimmie Rodgers, is the source of so much attention and myth. Hank Williams was only on the national country music scene for about three years before that legendary last ride on New Year's Eve "Vanilla, boys," Hank Williams would say to his band members if they ever tried to get too fancy in their performances. Hank Williams was only on the national country music scene for about three Hank Williams: The Biography before that legendary last ride on New Year's Eve but his Hank Williams: The Biography is broad and deep on the music and the culture. He describes the rise and fall of the star, as well as the aftermath of his death, without ever sensationalizing the material or shying away from the cold, hard facts. It's a fine literary line to walk, and Escott and company do it deftly. The narrative will be compelling even to someone with only a passing curiosity about Hank Williams and country music. The authors allow the reader to make up their own minds about the legendary singer and his short life, while also allowing the facts to subtly add hidden layers of loneliness, fear, loss, love, and pain between the verses of his songs that give them an even deeper resonance sixty-one years after his death. His music was, and still remains emotional, real, and affecting. This biography reinforces that art with honesty, integrity, and respect, and will haunt you long after you've put it down. Apr 09, Tedsandi Kinghorn rated it liked it. Not as interesting as I had hoped. Hank Williams: The Biography 26, anthony e. I'll say this for Hank Williams: he gives new meaning to the word 'alcoholism'. Anytime one of your friends, in that off-handed, vaguely joking way, comments that they drink too much, calmly inform them that until the begin to literally shred their body, dig under chairs like a dog, run down hotel hallways screaming of rescuing old women, and manage, in three years, to ruin his credibility, two marriages, his career, and his life. Escott's book is really quite marvelous in its account I'll say this for Hank Williams: he gives new meaning to the word 'alcoholism'. Escott's book is really quite marvelous in its account of Hank and his life- especially given his Hank's general reticence to Hank Williams: The Biography the truth, and country music's notorious tendency to embellish. Highly recommended. May 18, Stephen rated it really liked it Shelves: american-southmusicmontgomery. Hank Williams is the legend of country music. I'd heard of him long before I ever heard him; my father who stopped listening to country in the s took me to visit his grave in Montgomery back in the early nineties, and Williams was a constant Presence in the music I grew up on, haunting the singers of pieces like "Midnight in Montgomery" and "The Ride". Hank Williams: The Biography renders a thorough and sober account of Williams' life, one that appraises the man without romanticism. It is Hank Williams is the legend of country music. It is exhaustively detailed, utilizing interviews with those who remember the Hank Williams: The Biography Blues boy", and also features some commentary on Williams' musical craft. Part of the legend of Hank Williams' life is that he died young and tragically -- alone, in the back of his car, his heart destroyed by a mixture of alcohol and haphazardly-dosed medicine Easily the most surprising aspect of The Biography is that Williams' chronic alcoholism was not the result of his fame and fortune, but something he fought with for most of his life. From the time a thirteen year old Hank raided some loggers' booze hoard buried in the woods, the young singer would have bouts with the bottle. He did not drink constantly, Hank Williams: The Biography once he started on a bender he was hopeless for weeks. Time and again he submitted himself to sanatoriums, especially when he needed to focus on his career, but every time he would stumble. Although there was no shortage of excuses -- constant strife with his wives, the pressure of the road, the constant agony of spinal disease -- Williams' problems were only amplified by his success, not created by them. Williams was a genuine country boy, the son of poor strawberry farmers who lost everything they had in a fire, a man whose first memories were of living in a boxcar. The Williams moved from place to place in search Hank Williams: The Biography a Hank Williams: The Biography after his father was stuck in a VA hospital, the family got by selling peanuts and taking in boarders. That's where Williams got his start singing and sellingdown in a little town called Georgiana. Hank was a sickly boy, born with a spinal disease, and that diminished his ability to take part in the roughhousing and hard labor so common to southern men. He could sing, though, and after the family moved to Montgomery he began promoting school shows -- something that would Hank Williams: The Biography into a career. From schoolhouses to bars, Williams became a local star who grew into a southern icon -- and after his death, a national figure. His success was partially his own, from his ability to turn his constant troubles, particularly with his wife, into plaintive songs rendered in simple melody that resonated in the hearts of his country audiences. Although Williams would mature as a writer in his brief window of Hank Williams: The Biography, his re-use of old melodies Hank Williams: The Biography a sense of familarity. He also owed success to his domineering mom, however, who opened her home to his band and who personally sold tickets at early concerts. His wife Hank Williams: The Biography, though she tried to use him for her own ill-conceived musical career, was also a forceful personality who Hank Williams: The Biography his mother as a manager of sorts after they moved from Montgomery to Shreveport. Escott mentions that Williams Hank Williams: The Biography along at just the right time when radio was allowing hillbilly music to reach larger audiences, and become of interest to popular musicians: indeed, many of Hank Williams: The Biography songs were Hank Williams: The Biography by men on the national stage, like Tony Bennett. Although Williams' financial success came from record sales -- concerts were hit and miss when he was on a bender -- he seemed to think of himself primarily as a songwriter, and was drafting lyrics even on the night his body surrendered to a bad mixture of painkillers and booze. Escott also notes coldly that Williams died at just the right time: his back pains had only increased as time wore on, as had the stress of performing on the road, and despite steady record sales his career seemed to be stalling and on the verge of sinking when Hank Williams: The Biography perished. Instead of living to become a forgotten washout, a star that blazed briefly before being eclipsed, Williams became a tragic figure. As a history of Hank Williams, this appears to be the definitive work, and cushions the detail with humor. One favorite: Escott comments that if everyone who claims to have been in the car with Hank the night he penned "I Saw the Light" was, he would have needed a touring buss to accompany them. Escott also describes Audrey's show house as a tribute to what bad taste and good money can accomplish. Hank Williams: The Biography - Colin Escott, George Merritt, William MacEwen - Google книги

An immensely talented songwriter and an impassioned vocalist, he also experienced great crossover success in the popular music market. His iconic status was amplified by his death at age 29 and by his reputation for hard living and heart-on-the-sleeve vulnerability. Probably taught his first Hank Williams: The Biography by Payne, Williams began playing the guitar at age 8. He made his radio debut at age 13; formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys, at age 14; and early on began wearing the cowboy hats and western clothing that later were so associated with him. During World War II Williams commuted between Mobilewhere he worked in a shipyard, and Montgomerywhere he pursued a musical career. At this stage Williams began abusing alcohol, a problem that haunted Hank Williams: The Biography the rest of his life but that came about partly as a result of his attempts to self-medicate agonizing back pain caused by a congenital spinal disorder. Later he would dull his physical pain with morphinebut alcohol remained his painkiller of choice when he sought to relieve the heartache of his tumultuous relationship with Audrey Sheppard, whom he married in they divorced in Shortly thereafter he became a regular on the Hank Williams: The Biography created Louisiana Hayride radio program based Hank Williams: The Biography ShreveportHank Williams: The Biography. However, his plaintive, bluesy phrasing was unique and became a touchstone of country music. The last years of his life were suffused in increasing sadness and substance abuse. He died of a heart attack in a drug- and alcohol-induced stupor in the backseat of a car, probably in West Virginiawhile being driven from KnoxvilleTennessee, to a concert in CantonOhio. His son, Hank Williams, Jr. Print Cite. Facebook Twitter. Give Feedback External Websites. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article requires login. External Websites. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Britannica Quiz. Musical Medley: Fact or Fiction? Words sung to music are handled by the same part of Hank Williams: The Biography brain that processes spoken words. Get exclusive access to content from our First Edition with your subscription. Subscribe today. Learn More in these related Britannica articles:. Rose was one of the first three musicians elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. History at your fingertips. Sign up here to see what happened On This Dayevery day in your inbox! Email address. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories Hank Williams: The Biography right to your inbox. Hank Williams - Wikipedia

Cut from rural stock, Williams, the third child of Lon and Lillie Williams, grew up in a household that never had much money. His father worked as a logger before entering the Veterans Administration hospital when young Hank was just six. Father and son rarely saw each other over the next decade, with Williams' mother, who ran rooming houses, moving the family to Greenville and later Montgomery, Alabama. His childhood was also shaped by his spinal condition, spina bifida, which set him apart from other kids his age and fostered a sense of separation from the world around him. The world he seemed to identify most with was the musical sounds that poured out of the radio and emanated from church choirs. A quick study, Williams learned how to play folk, country and, thanks to an African-American street musician named Rufus Payne, Hank Williams: The Biography blues. By the time he'd moved with his mother to Montgomery inWilliams' music career was already in motion. Picking up the Hank Williams: The Biography for the first time at the age of eight, Williams was Hank Williams: The Biography 13 when he made his radio debut. A year later he was Hank Williams: The Biography talent shows and had his own band, Hank Hank Williams: The Biography and his Drifting Cowboys. In full support of Williams' musical aspirations was his mother, Lillie. She drove her son and his band to shows throughout southern Alabama. By the early Hank Williams: The Biography, he'd caught the attention of music executives in Nashville. But coupled with Williams' obvious talents as a singer and songwriter was an increasing dependence on alcohol, which he'd started abusing in order Hank Williams: The Biography relieve his sometimes excruciating back pain. As a result, he was not considered a reliable performer. Williams' personal life took a major turn in when he met Audrey Mae Sheppard, who was the mother of a young daughter and had only recently left a messy marriage. Under Williams' guidance, Sheppard started playing bass and began performing in his band. Williams and Sheppard married in They had a son together, Hank Williams Jr. Sheppard, it seems, was extremely eager to make a mark in show business and, despite her obviously limited talent, pushed her husband to let her sing. In addition, her relationship with Williams' mom proved complicated. The two were often rivals for Williams' time and attention. What began with Williams writing material for singer Molly O'Day eventually gave way to a record contract with the recently created MGM label. But along with this early success came increased erratic behavior from Williams, who often showed up at live performances drunk. For a time his relationship with Fred Rose deteriorated, but the two were able to mend fences, paving the way Hank Williams: The Biography Williams to become a regular on the "Louisiana Hayride," a regular Saturday night performance hosted by a radio station in Shreveport. The performances greatly increased Williams' name recognition, but he still lacked a number one hit. That all changed in with the release of "Lovesick Blues," a throwaway rendition of an old show tune he'd pushed to tape at the end of a recording session. The song resonated with music fans, as well as executives at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, who invited Williams to perform. In ways that must have seemed unimaginable to this poor country boy, Williams' life quickly changed. His stardom put money in his Hank Williams: The Biography and gave him the kind of creative freedom artists long for. As the titles of some of Williams' songs suggest, heartbreak and turmoil were never that far from his life. As his success deepened, so did Williams' dependence on alcohol and morphine. The Opry eventually fired him, and in Hank Williams: The Biography, he and Sheppard divorced. His physical appearance diminished, too. His hair began falling out, and he put on 30 extra pounds. In latehe suffered a minor heart attack while visiting his sister in Florida. A little more than a year later, on December 30,Williams, newly married to a younger woman named Billie Jean, left his mother's home in Montgomery for Charlestown, West Virginia. Liquored up and abusing morphine, he collapsed in a hotel room in Knoxville, Tennessee. A doctor was called to examine him. Despite his physical failings, Williams was cleared for more travel. On New Year's Dayhe took his seat in the back of his powder blue Cadillac. As his driver, college student Hank Williams: The Biography Carr, barreled toward a concert venue in Canton, Ohio, Williams' health took a turn for the worse. Finally, after not hearing from the singer for two solid hours, the driver pulled the car over in Oak Hill, West Virginia, at in the morning. Williams was pronounced dead a short while later. His passing did not bring about the end to his stardom, however. It could be argued, in fact, that his early death only enhanced his legend. If Williams had lived, it's Hank Williams: The Biography entirely certain that the Nashville music community, so eager to shed its hillbilly roots, would have continued to embrace Williams' music. As if straight out of a country song, it was revealed decades later that Williams had fathered a daughter, Jett, who was born shortly after his death. The identity of her famous father remained a mystery to her until her early twenties. Jett, whose legal name is Cathy Deupree Adkinson, was raised by Williams' mother for two years until she died. Jett was then legally adopted. Since the revelation of her famous father, she initiated legal claims to his estate and battled her half-brother, who refused to acknowledge her for a long time. Inthe Alabama State Supreme Court ultimately ruled in her favor and found her to be an equal heir, after an old document was recovered that showed Williams and Jett's mother had signed a shared custody agreement. Williams was among the first class of artists inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame inand in Hank Williams: The Biography, the Pulitzer Board awarded him a special citation for songwriting. His life and music received a fresh look in with Ken Burns' hour documentary, Country Musicwhich Hank Williams: The Biography featured the icon in an episode titled "The Hillbilly Shakespeare. Williams remains a beloved albeit tragic Hank Williams: The Biography in country music and his work continues to influence musicians to this day. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Baseball legend Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's hallowed mark of home runs and finished his career with numerous big league records. William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize—winning novelist Hank Williams: The Biography wrote challenging prose and created the fictional Hank Williams: The Biography County. William Clark was half of Hank Williams: The Biography famous exploration team Lewis and Clark, who explored and mapped the unknown lands west of the Mississippi River. William Sydney Porter was a prolific short story writer whose work appeared under the name O. William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States, fulfilled a lifelong dream when he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court, becoming the only person to have served as both a U. William Seward was a New York governor and U. British novelist William Golding wrote the critically acclaimed classic 'Lord of the Flies,' and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in Hank Williams became one of America's first country music superstars, with hits Hank Williams: The Biography "Your Cheatin' Heart," before his early death at