It’s Easter and it’s Spring. The time for rejuvenation and new promise. And the time when this young girl’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
And that’s when I turn to Hiram King Williams.
Better known to you-all as Hank.
Having “King” as his middle name was no mere chance.
For me, he is the King of Heartbreak and Bad Breaks.
That’s my very own copy of the sheet music in the photograph that heads this post. It’s an original first printing of “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and I treasure it.
Hank’s life was no bed of roses. Born with a disorder of the spinal column, his short twenty-nine years were spent in a misery of painkillers, alcohol, busted marriages and lost chances.
It was also filled with God-given musical genius.
This guy has to be the very definition of a genius. Unlettered and unschooled, nevertheless Hank had been gifted with a prodigious talent for writing songs and a voice that could make the angels weep.
(Here’s Hank in 1938. Legend has it that some of the townspeople of Georgiana, Alabama pitched in and bought that guitar for him.)
Dying ignominiously in the early hours of January 1, 1953 from heart failure brought on by the pills and booze, his brief life was a cautionary tale of all the woes that can get a mere mortal down
But today he is regarded as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the twentieth century.
(And you don’t have to take my word for it. In 1991 Bob Dylan- no songwriting slouch himself- said, “To me, Hank Williams is still the best songwriter.”)
And when I’m broken-hearted, Hank sings just like the way I’m feeling.
But Hank could dish it out as well as take it. He was no honky tonk angel and he could be as pesky as a stray hound dog who likes to wander.
He loved himself a good old time.
And he always had an eye for the ladies. Here’s a song that is known the world-over.
Oh, Lordy! I’ve got goosebumps. What a song. As a writer, I love his ability to tell a story. I particularly love the part about “No more lookin.’ I know I been tookin.'”
(And if you think those lyrics that sound so simple are easy to rhyme, try writing some yourself sometime. This is Cole Porter – if he had been born in Butler County, Alabama.)
If you’ve never been introduced to Hank Williams, now is a pretty good time to get acquainted. Last Friday, the new bio pic I Saw The Light opened in New York, Los Angeles and, of course, Nashville.
(The rest of us will have to wait until April 1.)
In it, Brit actor Tom Hiddleston plays Hank. He studied up hard for the role. Elizabeth Olsen plays Audrey, Hank’s famous wife/manager/watchdog/nemesis. Here’s their take on taking on two legends.
I leave it to you to decide whether you want to see the movie or not. As for me, I’m on the fence. I love old Hank so much that I don’t think I can watch anyone- no matter how talented- do an impersonation of him.
So today, as I wish you all a very Happy Easter, I’ll remember lost loves and daydream about future ones.
And listen to this for awhile.
Very educational, Ellen. I did not know all that much about Hank Williams père, but was aware that Hank Williams fils figured in quite the kerfuffle about the theme song to Monday Night Football (click here to refresh your memories).
Now, on the subject of staying true to one’s marital vows, what say you about this recent headline? Seems to me there are plenty of more relevant reasons to oppose certain individuals than the fine print of their personal lives, but what do I know?
Thanks, George. Glad you liked this post. About time you enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry- not just the Met.
Ellen, I enjoy both the New York Mets and the New York Metropolitan Opera. Opera plots tend to be more logical than most C&W songs. Everything I know about Grand Ole Opry comes from cluing words like OLE and OPRY, or even better, OLE_OPRY [clue: “Grand finale”], when they show up in crossword grids.
OK, a little poetic license in the above paragraph. I’ve actually been to Nashville on multiple occasions [lecture at Vanderbilt University; an American Peptide Symposium] and have even seen Minnie Pearl et al. in live performance on the Grand Ole Opry stage. I’m also a big fan of the Robert Altman movie “Nashville” and of Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion” which is broadcast Saturday early evening from the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. Nice tie-in, Altman directed a movie version of the show, starring GK, Meryl Streep and others.
Question to you, Ellen: What country is there in Chicago?
I know that back in the day, you could listen to the Opry here in Chicago on the radio. WSM signed on in 1925 and The Grand Ole Opry Saturday night broadcast is the longest-running radio program in history. But even I’m not that old. “Country” is anywhere that people know heartache and loss. Just like the regular opera.
Loved this post. Thanks. My band plays some of these songs. I didn’t realize he was so tormented or what a short life he had. Hoping to dip into the library and do a duet or two with you under the sun this summer.
Coming from such a great musician as yourself, this is high praise. And an invitation I can not refuse, Pardner. You’re on. I’ve got this one down. “Hey Good Lookin’ what you got cookin?” How’s about cookin’ somethin’ up with me?”
HANK WILLIAMS- LOST HIGHWAY RAN AT THE GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER TO SOLD OUT SHOWS AND RAVE REVIEWS. WAS REALLY GOOD BUT FOR SOME REASON DIDN’T MENTION THE SPINAL COLUMN DISORDER, WHICH IT SHOULD HAVE.
Yes, it should have. Hank always got a bad rap as a victim of his own excesses. Seems to me that he had a mighty good reason for all the painkillers. Thanks, X-1.