CAMILLE
BOHANNON

Hiram "Hank" Williams
(September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953)

Singer, songwriter, and musician Hank Williams is regarded as
one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 55 singles (five
released posthumously) that reached the top 10 of the Billboard
Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 that reached
No. 1 (three posthumously).

Born and raised in Alabama, Williams was given guitar lessons
by African-American blues musician Rufus Payne in exchange
for meals or money. Payne, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest
Tubb, had a major influence on Williams’s later musical style.

Williams began his music career in Montgomery in 1937, when

producers at local radio station WSFA hired him to perform
and host a 15-minute program.