June 11, 1949—Hank Williams, 25, making the most of
what amounted to an audition at country music’s premier arena, made an
electrifying debut at the Grand Ole Opry, earning an unprecedented six encores
from the delighted audience. Three years later, in a significant signpost of
his decline, the same scene of his first triumph would turn him away because of
his alcohol-induced unreliability.
Williams had scored his
first hit two years before with “Move It on Over.” Ironically, the song that
earned him an invitation to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, “Lovesick Blues,” was
one that the prolific songwriter did not
write.
Over the years,
questions would arise as to who actually introduced Williams to the audience on
the 11th. A post on the blog Fayfare indicates that it was not
singer Roy Acuff, nor Red Foley (who
hosted the “Prince Albert Show” portion of the bill at the Opry) but rather Ernest
Tubb, introducing him during the 9:30 pm Warren Paint portion of the show. (Williams would appear again a week later in a shorter, tighter program.)
In his brief career,
Williams recorded 66 songs, with 37 becoming hits. Among the diverse artists
who covered his songs were Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Perry Como, and
Dinah Washington. It would all be over on New Year’s Day 1953, by which time
the 29-year-old singer, haunted by problems with booze, a bad back, and a
collapsed marriage, had been forced to play beerhalls in Louisiana and Texas. One
of the last songs he recorded before his untimely demise was eerily prophetic: “The
Angel of Death.”
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