Meet Elonzo Huble Williams, Jessie Lillybelle Skipper

Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was a singer, songwriter, and musician from the United States. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the twentieth century, he recorded 55 singles (five of which were released posthumously) that charted in the top ten of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 No. 1 hits (three posthumously).

Williams, who was born and raised in Alabama, was given guitar lessons in exchange for meals or money by African-American blues musician Rufus Payne. Payne, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb, influenced Williams’ later musical style significantly. Williams’ musical career began in 1937 when producers at local radio station WSFA hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He dropped out of school to focus on his career and formed the Drifting Cowboys backup band, which was managed by his mother. When several members of his band were drafted during WWII, he had problems with their replacements, and WSFA terminated his contract due to his alcoholism.

Williams married Audrey Sheppard, a singer and his manager for nearly a decade. He signed a contract with MGM Records after recording “Never Again” and “Honky Tonkin'” with Sterling Records. In 1947, he released “Move It on Over,” which became a hit, and he also became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride radio show. A year later, he released a cover of “Lovesick Blues,” a huge country hit that catapulted him to the Grand Ole Opry. He couldn’t read or notate music to any significant extent. “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” were among the hits he wrote.

Hank Williams parents: Meet Elonzo Huble Williams, Jessie Lillybelle Skipper

Williams was born Hiram Williams in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama. He was the third child of Jessie Lillybelle “Lillie” (née Skipper) (1898-1955) and Elonzo Huble “Lon” Williams (1891–1970). Elonzo worked as a railroad engineer for the W. T. Smith lumber company and was drafted during World War I, serving from July 1918 to June 1919. He was severely injured after falling from a truck, breaking his collarbone and receiving a severe blow to the head. Ernest Huble Williams, the family’s first child, was born on July 5, 1921; he died two days later. They later had a daughter named Irene. Williams was named after Hiram I because his parents were both Freemasons.

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