Hank Williams

Hiram King Williams, known as Hank Williams, was the most influential country music artist of the twentieth century and a songwriter whose directness, emotional honesty, and blues feeling transcended genre boundaries. He learned guitar from Rufus Payne, an African American street musician in Georgiana, Alabama, known as 'Tee-Tot,' and the blues inflection in his singing and songwriting was central to his appeal. His recordings for MGM ('I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry,' 'Lovesick Blues,' 'Cold, Cold Heart,' 'Your Cheatin' Heart,' 'I Saw the Light') are among one of the most important in American popular music. His songs have been covered by blues, rock, jazz, and pop artists worldwide. He died on New Year's Day 1953 at age 29 from heart failure exacerbated by alcoholism and drug abuse.