Hank Williams

Hank Williams was born Hiram King Williams in 1923 and grew up in Mount Olive, Alabama. He taught himself guitar and started performing locally, forming his first band, the Drifting Cowboys, in the late 1930s. In 1946, he signed with MGM Records and his debut single "Move It on Over" became a hit, launching a string of successful songs like "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" and "Your Cheatin' Heart."

His music often dealt with loneliness and heartbreak, feelings that came through clearly in songs like "Alone and Forsaken" and "I Cried Again." He worked with musicians like Don Helms on steel guitar and Jerry Rivers on fiddle, creating a sound that was both mournful and direct. His personal life was troubled by alcohol abuse and health problems, and he was briefly suspended from the Grand Ole Opry in 1949 after an arrest for disorderly conduct.

Williams died in a car accident in 1952 at age 29. In his short career, he recorded songs that have been covered by artists from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan, leaving behind a body of work that continues to resonate with its plain-spoken emotion.