Died On This Date (January 1, 1953) Hank Williams / Country Music Icon
themusicsover Hiram “Hank” Williams
September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953
Hank Williams was not only the patriarch of a musical family that includes Hank Jr, Hank III, Holly Williams, Jett Williams and Hillary Williams, but is also considered by many to be the patriarch of honky-tonk music. Williams’ career began when, at 17, he took up residence outside the local radio station on weekends and after school. He was soon invited to perform on the air which lead to a twice-weekly program of his own. Over the course of the next 15 years, Williams released a string of records that cemented his place in music history as one of the most influential songwriters of all time. With nearly a dozen #1 hits, his catalog included such classic country songs as “Move it on Over,” “Jambalaya,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and “Cold, Cold Heart.” Not only have his songs been covered by hundreds of country, folk, R&B, and rock singers, but Williams himself has been the subject of or mentioned in over 50 songs by the likes of Waylon Jennings, Neil Young, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Johnny Cash, and even Charles Manson. Sadly however, Williams was strongly addicted to alcohol and drugs, likely due in part to the pain caused by a lifetime of an undiagnosed spinal column disorder. On January 1, 1953, Williams hired a “long black Cadillac” limousine to drive him from Knoxville, Tennessee to a gig in Canton, Ohio. Before the trip, he reportedly injected himself with vitamin B12 and morphine. Later that afternoon, the driver pulled over at a filling station and checked in on Williams only to find him dead. Hank Williams, age 29, was dead of what was officially ruled heart failure.
What You Should Own
Although he’s not a household name, Townes Van Zandt has earned a place alongside Willie Nelson, 
Eddy Shaver was an electric guitarist, songwriter and son of legendary country-outlaw, Billy Joe Shaver with whom he performed as Shaver. As a youngster, Shaver was given his first guitar and given lessons by Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers. After growing into a fiery electric guitarist, Shaver played alongside such greats as Willie Nelson, 
Hank Thompson was a honky tonk and western swing band leader who, over a career that spanned an amazing 60+ years, sold more than 60 million albums. After his discharge from the Navy during WWII, Thompson decided to pursue a career making music. In 1952, he released his first #1 hit, “The Wild Side of Life.” The song sat at the top of the country charts for 15 weeks and has been covered by the likes of 
Hoyt Axton was country singer songwriter and actor who came to prominence as a folk singer in the ’60s and then again as country singer in the ’70s. Even though he released several successful albums and acted in and performed on numerous television shows and films, it was Axton’s skills as a songwriter that separated him from the pack. Over the years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Ringo Starr (“No-No Song”) Steppenwolf (“The Pusher”) and of course, Three Dog Night (“Never Been To Spain” and most famously, “Joy to the World” aka “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog”). His songs have also been covered by 