In this video we turn our spotlight onto the death and possible murder of Hank Williams Sr. Although his death was ruled a heart attack there is more to the story. kidnappingmurde... #hankwilliams #countrylegends #murder
I wander so aimless, life filled with sin. I wouldn't let my Dear Saviour in, then Jesus came like a stranger in the night. Praise the Lord I saw the light. Rest in Peace Hank Williams Sr. Your songs are still loved and enjoyed by millions.
I remember my dad singing this song. I was about 12 at the time. I was walking around the room trying to find Hank Sr. I thought it was Hank Sr singing the song at the house. But nope it was my dad singing the song. Dad sounded identical to Hank Sr when my dad would sing.
In 1952 we were living in Southeast Missouri, I was 8 years old and remember the radio talking about Hank's death. The next day the radio station was playing some of Hank's songs, when I heard the songs I ran into the kitchen and told mom that Hank was alive! She said no and that he had died, I told mom come into the front room and listen, he is singing on the radio right now. She tried to explain that it was only a record that the station was playing, and I said I don't understand how he could be dead but still singing, I just didn't understand what a record was. Of course we did not have a record player or tv back then, so I had no idea what a record was. R.I.P. Mr Williams, you were the greatest.
I remember when growing up listening to the radio, no TV yet. My dad told me they were records I was listening to. I thought all of those people were at the station playing & I was thinking it sure was crowded.
He truly was the “Hillbilly Shakespeare “. I’ve always found it amazingly ironic that his song that was on the charts when he died was “ I’ll never get out of this world alive.” It’s chilling.
@@jimo5564 Van Zant lived like Hank Williams but his songs were different... darker, starker and suicidal, without any humor. His writing is excellent but I don't like but a few. I'm not really familiar with all of his songs for that reason.
What heartbreaking news about the cruel manipulation of an iconic American. The fact that Mr Williams was treated with such disrespect and disregard for his well being was a shocker to me. Thank you for revealing to the public that Mr Williams was not just a drunken singer but someone whose talents were squandered by low life criminals. Rest In Peace you dear soul
You're right, he was mistreated. Toby Marshall got his Dr's list. for $50. from a traveling salesman. Having Hank highly addicted to chloryl hydrate. His new wife at the time, said when she arrived where his body was. Audrey had already rifled thru & emptied his pockets. Of any money, belongings, etc. Even the rings on his fingers. The conflicting stories hours prior to his death are disturbing to.
I think back then, singers and other entertainers didn't necessarily have a lot of clout. Get into the world of crooners etc( a world I don't have much interest in) and I believe you'd find name singers that were under Mob control, to the point maybe of having a heavy or two collecting a guy's takings after he'd done a show. Bad times in some ways.
Hank's wife, Audrey, from what I've seen before in stories about him, was a wanna be country singer who had no talent, and Hank knew it. She always wanted to sing on his shows and tried to be a star. And unless you've lived with excruciating pain like Hank did, you do not know what you would do just for some relief. I had heard that he was given too much of whatever the drug was, plus he was just worn out. Being in that shape in those below freezing temperatures was just asking too much from him. Thanks for the video.
I am glad you enjoyed the video. I agree with you on Miss Audrey. Look what she did to her seven year old son. Making him perform as if he was his father. Then the big blowup when he wanted to do his own music.
@@CMSProductionsHank Jr. Didn't deserve to be forced into music at such a young age. It's good that he's sitting comfortably now with a wonderful family and a happy life. It's a rare sight for someone brought up in fame living fast to truly settle down and find happiness in a slow life later down the line. It's nice to know Hank Jr. Is enjoying his life now.
Indeed, I do believe you're are right. I've suffered excruciating pain most of my life due to a genetic malfunction and it ain't no fun. I too tried a number of things to ease that pain to include alcohol and some drugs. And had to deal with folks who said there was nothing wrong with me as well as those who decided for me as to what I was or was not able to do. All that will indeed wear on you. I feel for Hank sr and what he had to go through and well understand it. I've meet folks who despised Hank calling him a drunk and drug addict and actually knew nothing of his background. I in turn have little respect for those individuals...they know nothing. Perhaps they should suffer likewise so they can better understand and be a little wiser and compassionate and learn a little empathy.
@@kingmonkey460 Isn't "Hank Jr." really Randall? Hirem Hank Williams was/is one of a kind! NO ONE comes close to this incredible lyrical poet! We have been so cheated thinking just how much more he would have created for the world. He was a gift to ALL music lovers and a kind man.
In-Freakin- Credible. Parts of the story I have read before, but this was by far the most thorough yet concise account. It made my blood boil a bit that people can be so crule and reckless while claiming all along to be helping. So much shining talent burned out so quickly because of the short sighted cancer of greed. It boggles the mind to whink how different the music world would be today if it were not so.
Well, Hank was so thin and fragile looking I don't know how he survived as long as he did. I am sure that the schedule these artists have to keep up with, about have to have some "help from their friends" They burn hot and fast, unfortunately their body can only hold up so long. Everyone, involved has got to have a piece of the pie and take, and take. It is so very sad.
Thank you for this story! I read Hank's daughter's book which I enjoyed very much to spite all the difficult things she & her father went through in their lives. Glad she was finally recognized as his blood daughter. Will always love Hank. He died a year after I was born. In that first year I'm sure I heard his music on the radio & it has been part of me ever since. Wish I could have seen him in person. He left us too soon...our hillbilly Shakespeare.
As stated in the video The coroner stated that Hank appeared to have been in a fight prior to his death This was dropped once he determined that he died of a heart attack. Please read the coroner's report for more information.
Despite his human failings like all of us have he was the greatest of all the country western singers ever I still listen too him all the time and never get tired of his music
the man could sit down and write about anything and write great music also. my dad still alive at 92 years old use to play just like don helms. i think that is his name, that was hanks sr steel guitar player. back in the 1950-60s my dad played a blonde 4 neck fender stringmaster through a fender tweed amp. he worked a 40 day hour work week at the plant and on friday or saturday night he would play the clubs throughout the texas and louisiana gulf coast.
Several years ago when I was with my Mom and a brother at a music contest, they held a Hank Williams 24 hour songwriting contest. It was free to enter. You had 24 hours to write a song and the song must be performed in front of everyone when the contestants were called on to show what they had. I didn't win, nor did my Mom, but we sure had fun. The title they gave us was Mr. Right Mr. Wrong. There were eight people I think who competed that day.
I love traditional country music so much, it is as essential to me and my life as bread and water. I have met many of the biggest legends, I met George Jones, Charley Pride, Mel Tillis, Roy Clark, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Johnny Cash, Tommy Cash, Waylon and some others. I have a small home recording studio and the walls are lined with autographed memorabilia from every single country music legend you could possibly think of. Some of the autographs I am most proud of is items signed by Mother Maybelle Carter, Lefty Frizzell, Patsy Cline, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb... but when people come in here and look around, the one autograph I have that people go straight to and it blows them away every time is an autographed Grand Ole Opry program signed by none other than Hank Williams Sr. It was obtained in person in 1950 by a dear friend of mine, he met Hank at the Ryman auditorium- he said Hank went out of his way to greet people that night, shake hands, sign things, talk to folks, even though you could tell that he was not feeling well. People are in such awe of Hank even nearly 70 years after his untimely passing that nobody would ever believe me that it was the real deal!! I know that the man who acquired the signature wouldn't lie, he had been a DJ in Nashville in those days, so I always knew that it was real... but I finally got tired of hearing people say "there is no way that is Hank Williams real autograph" so I took the autograph to Steve Grad, the famous authenticator for Beckett authentication services at a trade show- he examined it and authenticated it. Then, just for shits and giggles I also took it to another show about a year later and had PSA/DNA examine the signature, not only did they authenticate it, they offered to buy it!! It just goes to show you how highly this man is still regarded despite the fact that he hasn't graced the stage for 70 years.
This crushed my soul ,I heard rumors for years about Hank s death and what you related makes sense! I respect you very much for your courage in looking into this. Who knows what really goes on in any life? I can only be grateful for talented souls who touch our hearts however briefly! Thanks again for this.
My dad was a studio musician . He and my mom Knew all of them. My mom blamed Audrey. Booze and drugs. Hank Jr. And my sister ran and played back stage at the Rhyman.
**Hank Williams** He Wrote Most Of His Songs. A **Great** **Country Singer** With A Great, Haunting, **Deep Soul** Country Sound!!!!! His **Singing Voice** Is **Untouchable** Rest **Hank** **Williams** Rest.
I've heard this before. It was well known in the 60s when the first bio was made called Your Cheating Heart starring George Hamilton was made. The doctor's name wasn't mentioned but it was actually Audrey that pushed Hank to his limit. His second marriage wasn't touched on in the movie either. His second wife later married Johnny Horton and he died shortly after the marriage. It's true Hank didn't see much of his money and he was used by everyone that came in contact with him. He got maybe a few hundred dollars a month and this was before he was fired from the Grand Old Oprey. Hank might have had underlying problems before but a horse fall injured his back and he sought out any kind of relief he could. This is a compelling post since it answers a lot of questions about Hanks state of mind that led to his early death. Though he made a lot of money for others, including Fred Rose, he saw very little pleasure from his Fame and fortune. Hank didn't kill himself,. The leeches living off him killed him.
Amen an Amen As Hank Jr wrote in his with Waylon "Back then they called him crazy Now they call him a saint The ones that called him crazy are living off his name.
Been listening to Hank for 45 years , the greatest country artist of all time . People say God rested on the 7th day , I say on the 7th day that God gave us Hank Williams . There are alot of people responsible for Hanks death , a fake doctor , promoters who were more worried about $ , then Hanks health . And Hank himself , suffering from back issues since birth , that only got worse as he got older , a fall off a horse , a fall of a stage . There wasn't alot of places back then to get the kind of help that Hank truly needed , it was much easier for those around him to put him in a sanitarium until the next road trip . It's been 69 years ago since Hanks death , and has influenced alot of music acts over the years . People still talked about Hank , artists still sing his songs , people still are discovering his music , and along as people sing & play Hanks music , he'll live forever . It's sad that his life ended so young .
29 would sure as hell be an early age to die of "natural causes" or even a "heart attack" as in myocardial Infarction. It was supicious to say the least.
Great channel man! This is the first vid of yours I’ve seen and I’m about to binge the rest of your uploads! Love that old country music I grew up with!
as an ex musician many years ago, i used to do a lot of hanks music, the words of his songs really showed the aspects of life that many do not want to face, its so sad that he had the health issues that kept him taking those drugs.
@@CMSProductions I was/am not a songwriter but I did memorize a few of Hank's songs and although I tried to copy his intonations I could never get close. One of the best. May his music live forever. Pax
@@CMSProductions As a Disc Jockey and HUGE Country Buff In 'My Personal opinion" The Greatest Male Songwriter to date Hank Williams Sr. The Greatest Female Songwriter ever to date Cindy Walker.
The particulars of Hank's death ought never tarnish the fact that, as a country singer/songwriter, he was the greatest there ever will be. He had more hits in his short 29 years than most all other artists combined. It was reported he could sit here with us for 5 minutes, then write a hit song about the experience. My grandfather rented a room from his mother, Ms. Lilly, in Montgomery in the 40's. Pop said he hated Hank because he'd come in late and "play that damn guitar all night". He had also performed in my ex-wife's school classroom, which was half of the old gymnasium at Billingsley. For all his feats and faults, he was still King, Hiram King Williams; his very name told his story. To give the impression that Hank wasn't in control, or that he was used by his label, is simultaneously somewhat true and false and misleading. He was most certainly taken advantage of, as many young artists are, but he was also fully in control of his faculties when it came to his drinking, as well as prescription drug use. Hank was no patsy. He was not a babe in the woods. He was a Veteran when it came to Pain Management, as is evidenced in his music, 70 years later. He still helps to heal heartache and helps contribute to heartache. Hiram King Williams is the best there ever will be. Since I'm sipping bourbon and enjoying the "Hillbilly Shakespeare" as I type this, change my mind...
@@davidrice3337 good question! My impression has always been that Randall was Audrey's idea. Hank (as most all men) just wanted a Jr., but whether that is factual or not is certainly debatable. Hank, Hank Jr., Randall Hank, Bocephus, or Rockin' Randall- he said it himself in the recordings under his Tennessee gazebo, "JUST CALL ME HANK". 'Nuff said!
So sad that the people who were supposed to take care of Mr. Hank Williams ,were enablers on the drinking and drugs. Mr Williams we still remember you for your music and what could have been in the future as a wonderful Artist of music, real country music. You are a shining star up above. Rest in peace, Mr. Williams. You are not forgotten.💜
My grandma owned the whole tape set. She raised me when my dad went to jail for murder and my mom let me on the side of the road at 5... love me some hank and the lost highway
My mom loved Hank, so although I was a rock chick lol, I grew up listening to Hank, his music always reminds me of my mom who passed in 2005 at 81. It’s unfortunate they didn’t investigate deaths then like they do now, mom never believed it was a heart attack.
Your mom had great taste in music and I am sorry for your lost. Yes the more I research the death of Hank Williams the more a lot of it doesn't make sense.
My dad loved Hank. Had all his records. I love his songs too. My favorites were I'm so lonesome I could cry and I saw the light. I didn't realize he was only 29. So sad what drugs can do...in any form.
I remember when I was a kid the local radio station would devote New Years Day as a tribute to Hank's life. All day long my dad sat by the radio and listened to a Hank Williams music marathon.
The rumor mill has it that Hank Sr died at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, TN. It was kept hush hush, so as to avoid a media frenzy. His body was sneaked out, and later they reported that he died in his car.
@@CMSProductions he was still alive when he got in the car, the driver noticed Hank wasn't moving when they got into W. VA, he pulled over at a gas station, a man there told him he had a problem after checking on Hank, he drove to a local hospital and Hank was declared dead at that point
@@michaelsix9684 All that is true but bare in mind that they had to carry him to the car. Not because he was drunk but because of the shot the doctor had given him at the hotel.
Murder ? Nah Heart Attack ? In one sense , yeah , his heart stopped . Was it probably due to OD , with possible influence of hypothermia ? Probably . It was a different era . Death certificates for natural causes instead of from drugs was considered courtesy to the grieving family by avoiding the shame and sensationalism . In the modern era , would their have been large civil suit ? Probably . Malpractice or negligence against an actual MD for same thing ? Maybe . Deliberately causing his death at that time ? Nah With his drug and alcohol addictions , his similar end was inevitable .
He was addicted because the people around him got him addicted to the stringent chemicals they gave him. He trusted them to have his back, and they had his back alright, nobody could count knives sticking in his back even at the coroner's inquest.
Not only did Hank Williams have issues that contributed to his own death, but many closest to him treated him like a traveling Carnival attraction. Man, was he talented. I recently attended a theater musical production of Hank Williams, portrayed by Jason Petty, and he sounds eerily just like him.
You can think that you have addiction problem. When you run into Mr Opiate you realize that all other substances are a grain of sand on a beach. You can blame on a million problems. It could have been 1850 or 1950 or 2021.The doctor was the only thing that mattered to Hank Sr.A man that had everything really had nothing. A great musician that was only human.
You get it . One of the best early country songs of all time. . Yes he wrote it. Wrote Cheating Heart “ died at 29 before this song became a number one hit. So sad. He never new how popular this song became.
I wonder why his late model Cadillac was not heated properly, unless 1950's heaters were not comparable to modern systems. It would be difficult to even drive a car in zero degree cold.
@@CMSProductions Of all the bad luck, maybe if the heater had not gone out. Like it was meant to be. He may have died in his car going up the moutnain 10 miles from me.
The cars of that time had relatively small heaters that had one air outlet at the floor of the car over the middle hump for the drive train. The air flow was controlled by a lever on the dashboard connected to a cable that opened the heater core to the radiator's hot water/antifreeze. There were usually three blower fan speeds: norm, high, & max. I don't remember any cars with heater air coming out at multi places from floor, dashboard, etc. like nowadays. BUT, if any fancy heater set up did exist, Cadillac would have had it. My dad was more a Chevrolet man.
I wondered if the wife from Louisiana inspired the song "jambalaya"...Grew up listening to Hank sing at the grand ol oppre w/my grandparents. His music never gets old in our family. My teenage boys love his music today. Definitely missed around here. R.I.P
At the end of the day we are all individually responsible for our own lives. If we depend too much on others (or, the Government) the outcome will often not be good. IMHO Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson are examples of people who were victims of over aggressive management, poor medical advice, and enabling family members and friends (individually or cumulatively) whose influence outweighed the advice of caring family and friends. Sad! But cautionary tales for all of us.
none of the people you cite were highly educated either, they became stars early in life, and there is no training or prep you can get to prepare you for fame, popular success in the music biz, a great songwriter in Austin - Bruce Robison told me years ago -"you don't want it to happen too fast" he wrote 3 songs that went to number one on the charts -- Angry All the Time, Traveling Soldier are 2 of his hits
@@michaelsix9684 I agree with you comment on how age, education, and an explosion of fame can make folks more susceptible to the wrong type of influence. All the more reason for a good steady trust-worthy support group.
Both my parents were Hank Williams. Sr fans, and as a kid I liked his music too. Got to meet his son and namesake in Crossville, TN when I lived there. Seems Hank went the way of many singers and stars. If his fake doctor was responsible, it's a shame no one doggedly tried to prove it.
The reason they didn't go after the doctor was because they couldn't determine in which state Hank took the drugs. Because they had traveled through multiple states jurisdiction became an issue. The Federal Government didn't get involved.
Barbara Walsh, enjoyed your comment. I learned every word to Hanks songs while in the car driving from Ohio to Crossville almost every weekend growing up in the 70's. My dad's family lived there and his great grand dad George Brown was a sort of pioneer of the area. His grand dad Joe Jones died breaking up a bar fight in the 40's on a corner downtown. My great aunt and uncle lived in one of the beautiful sandstone pine interior homestead houses and we visited that often. Best memories. I took my kids in 2016 and almost could not locate the house, so much had changed. I loved passing by the old jailhouse in town. We always stopped to eat at the Black and White restaurant back then, too many memories to tell.....
One of the greatest song writers of all time. Have most all Hanks songs 🎵even to the gospel which is so spiritual. Was a great lost to the world,and your songs will live on
My Uncle was in the audience in Canton Ohio for Hanks show. He said it was one of the sadist thing he witnessed was when the audience was told about Mr. Williams. Grown men were crying as well as my Uncle.
Yes it was by all reports very upsetting. At first the audience didn't believe it. Then when the whole cast came out and began singing Hank's songs the crowd broke down.
I almost didn’t watch this because of the title. “Murder” has specific elements and as a lawyer I know what facts are required to make such a case. Having watched this, however, I think there’s a strong possibility that the quack could have successfully been charged with manslaughter. But there’s another theory that your facts bring to mind. Recently many of us has seen the concept of “felony murder.” That is, if as a consequence of or during the commission of a felony a person is killed, then the offender may be so charged. If that quack committed a felony offense by unlawfully prescribing the drug that contributed to Hank’s death, then he was guilty of felony murder. Therefore your title isn’t misleading in that sense. Thanks. Worthwhile video.
I am glad you enjoyed the video. I especially like your take on the matter. What I could never figure out is why they carried Hank from the hotel room to the car after the doctor saw him and he wasn't taken to a hospital. Instead they tried to drive him to the next show. There has to be some negligence there.
@@CMSProductions Ordinarily when lawyers see the word “negligence” they think of civil rather than criminal liability. I don’t know the applicable law then but now Tennessee has a felony offense called criminally negligent homicide. It probably would have corresponded roughly to involuntary manslaughter which was I think the applicable offense in those days. In any event this entire case was botched from the beginning. Too bad.
What a horrific way to treat addiction. Old Hank must have felt like he was in a cage with those who surrounded him jabbing him with pointed sharp sticks. Very sad.
I'm only 27 years old and have been listening to old Hank ever since I first heard him back when I was only 10 or so I'm about the only young person that listens to his music he was truly a one of a kind rip Hank
Check my playlist. I have some on Waylon and Johnny. I will add Greg Allman and the Allman brothers to the list. Also if you want check out the one I did on Gram Parsons.
Such a sad story. I am 53 fixing to 54 and I have enjoyed paint seniors music since I was just a real little girl. There will never be another musician as good as he was.
...did you ever see a robin weep when leaves begin to die, like me he's lost the will to live, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry .... Roy Acuff had him change that line to ...that means he's lost the will to live... Hank knew it would happen, sometimes he wanted it to happen. As another commenter wrote "Hank killed Hank". Suicide, possibly, murder most likely not, just an impending fact. Angles, tangents, assorted facts and speculation, like today, make for sensational stories. (No disrespect intended here, I'm not a troll. I quoted my favorite line from one of my favorite songs.)
Thank you for your comment and no disrespect taken. I agree that Hank played a role in his death. Just like Michael Jackson played a roll in his. However that said, I think that like Conrad Murray played a roll in the death of MJ so did Hank's quack doctor play a roll in his premature demise. Would it have happened eventually who is to say. I spent 5 years deep in the bottle during my thirties. I use to do just about every drug. I have been sober now for over twenty years. Hank could have turned his life around. It is possible.
@@CMSProductions Thank you for sharing this important fact, pertaining to his death. I wasn't aware of this. Rest in peace our beloved angel. I've admired Hank William Sr. Since the 1960's when my late father, acquired an original Lp of his greatest hits. Since then, Hank has had a special place in my heart. I consider him one of my Artistic mentors. Kind regards from the Historic Old West Town of Tucson, Arizona. Álvaro Guevara y Vázquez, American Composer, BMI.
I love his music. I grew up on it. My dad told me that I am related to Hank Williams Sr. The resemblance between Hank Williams and my dad is very uncanny.
I always have thought that the story they told about Hank's death didn't add up. Even if it had been true, you do NOT put a teenager in a big car to drive a superstar across state lines. That kid was irresponsible!!!!!
My daddy would always play Hank Williams Sr music,now your video was so interesting and surprising, but you never mentioned his son,which in my time was HANK WILLIAMS JR, LOVE TO KNOW WATS BECOME OF HIM,LOVE HIS MUSIC AMY FROM TEXAS
Hey Amy when you get a chance check out my video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6_Eucu0_gF4.html . It is titled Hank Williams Jr. An Outlaw Can Survive. It was one of the first videos I did. I think you will enjoy it. And for the record I have all his albums.
Hank couldn't have been drunk all of his time, He accomplished too much in just 4 or 5 years, Listening to his shows, he sure could sing better than any drunk I've ever heard. To me Hank was the very best singer that ever lived on GOD's green earth. If you would listen to the concert in Sunset Park in 1952, I believe in August of that year, he sounded so healthy. that was just a few months before his death. We will probably never know the real cause of his death. A heart attack can be brought on by a beating. They say that he had a welt across his head, some broken ribs, and was kicked in the groin area. Think about this, could it be that he was beaten by the hitch hiker they picked up , the kid driver too scared to tell. They say Hank carried a lot of cash, was he beat and robbed that night, and put back in the car to be driven to a Hospital? The hiker never ever mentioned he road with the great Hank Williams. Why? Was there any cash found on his person at the Hospital, or Funeral Home? Could be they pull over on the side of the road that night for any reason, when Hank got out they knocked him in the head, and falling to the ground stamped and kicked him to bring on that heart attack. robbed him, put him in the car, continued of their journey, knowing all the time he was dead. Just a thought, we will never know. I just don't think he was froze though, that was a brand new car, probably less than 10,000 miles on it, The heater wouldn't go bad that quick. The driver never complain about being cold to my reading of that night. I may be wrong, but he sounded so healthy in that Concert. And healthy on his last recording in September, that's when he recorded Your Cheatin' Heart. R.I.P Mr. Hank Williams, I just pray GOD had mercy on you and received you into Glory. If for no other reason, just the fact that you sang so many good Gospel songs.
The answer to one question leads to only more questions and before you know it you are traveling down that long lost highway. I just thing the whole affair is sad.
If Hank truly believed what he wrote in "I Saw the Light" he belonged to the Lord- you can't lose your salvation though he may have lost his way in this temporary world. Some may disagree but I'm a "once saved always saved" believer.
@@nancyselland3860 HANK HAD QUITE OF BIT OF SORROW (MORE THAN MOST) IN HIS LIFE, BAD BACK FROM SPINA BIFITA, HIS MOTHER WAS SOMETIMES TRYING TO GET HIS MONEY EARLY ON, HIS FATHER WAS NOT AROUND MUCH AT ALL BEING IN VA HOSPITALS, ETC. HE CRAVED SUCCESS UNTIL HE FOUND IT AND THEN FOUND OUT THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST. RARELY GAVE INTERVIEWS, AND THEN I THINK THAT HE WANTED TO GET FIRED FROM THE OPREY, SO HE COULD GO BACK TO SIMPLER SHOWS, ETC TO THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T WANT TO SLICE HIM UP LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT. HE WAS A GENIUS SONG WRITER AND FRED ROSE KNEW THAT. HIS SONGS WILL STAND FOREVER.
Ya do what ya do. Such a sad ending to a Great word monger type poet. People use you till they can't. Hank got all used up. Thanks for the incredible music.
This popped up in my recommended, randomly. It sounded interesting, so I played it. Hearing that Hank Williams Snr. had Spina Bifida Oculta kinda knocked me back. I have that and can only imagine the pain he was in with it going undiagnosed. By the time I was 35, I have already had 75+ surgeries pertaining to it. From my experience, it's been mostly easy to hide "Oculta" if you want to and then let out when behind closed doors. It looks like that's what Hank did for his performances. He having to deal with everything in its prime/with no surgeries, it's no wonder he turned to alcohol and whatever drug he could get.
I am sorry for your illness and you will be in my prayers. Yes Hank would try anything to relieve the pain. Even if it meant trusting a con man who claimed to be a doctor.
Hank was THE BEST. There will never be another songwriter as talented. I also believe that his singing was superior on his original compositions to any singer who ever has or ever will record the same material.
I hate these murder theories lol. Someone has to make Mountain out of a ant hill. Is it so hard to believe he died from a old fashioned alchohol and drug overdose or is that to simple or not glamorous enough. Let Ol Hank be.
@@ericainchains5806 you're welcome! "Would?" By Alice in Chains is my favorite song ! check out the Singles live version of the song if you don't know it
Me suscribí escuchando una pieza de Roy Williams y es el mismo canal , pero esta es la faceta investigativa del mismo , me parece muy buen canal ! 🖐😃🇲🇽ya estoy suscrito ! Muchas gracias !
I've also seen where they have found bruises as if he'd been in some sort of fight recently and some rumor of being in a fight with a soldier which could have contributed to his death death.
According to the medical examiner there were bruising on his body consistent with having been in a fight but once he ruled it a heart attack it was dropped
This bought back a memory....My parents were always arguing. One subject about Hank's death ☠️ my mom took the official report while my dad rationalized about the drugs/,'doctor' /weather was the factor. Love Ole Hank...reminds me of dancing with my dad As Hank's music lives on
The sad thing is there is always more to the story than meets the eye. Tragic stars like Hank, Elvis, Jim Morrison, Jackson, Prince and a thousand others are usually the masters of their own destiny despite how many managers, handlers, security guys, baby-sitting bandmates and shirt tail relatives they have on their payroll to look out for them - they ultimately call the shots - and by doing so are the architect of their own demise. For every legitimate doctor they have there are a half dozen or more 'quacks' who have forged and falsified credentials who are little more than dope pushers who supply them with what they need or want to satisfy their habit. Sadder still is the 'back story' - pardon the pun - which in Hank's case more often than not never gets mentioned because people who write in the blogosphere seldom take the time to do the research to pen an objective piece based on true facts and real information - instead they resort to the sensational and embellish their articles with manufactured factoids based on conjecture and rumor, adding to the mythology that surrounds famous celebrities who have met an untimely demise. It's easier to chalk it up to alcoholism and drug abuse, after all that's what stars do, right? And 99% of the time that is a correct statement. Nobody talks about Hank's injuries to his back that he suffered, when as a mere teenager he was hanging around a rodeo in his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama a bunch of rowdy half-drunk cowboys saw him and invited him over to have a drink of whisky with them. It was the 1st time alcohol ever passed his lips. He became instantly drunk, and the cowboys got such a kick out of it, they gave him more of the whisky and asked him if he wanted to be a real cowboy. Of course he did, and Hank told them so. They led him over to a chute and put him up on a horse which was a real bucking bronc that was used to having cowboys ride them until he threw them off in the arena. They told Hank to hold on and slapped the horse on the hind quarters. As they pulled the chute open the horse erupted out of the chute like an exploding volcano sending a teenage drunken Hank Williams flying out of the saddle landing square in front of the horse face down in the mud. The cowboys howled as the horse reared and snorted as it ran up on the place where Hank laid semi-conscious it reared again bring both hooves down onto Hank's back. Hank would never be pain free for the remainder of his life. Physical pain from this event along with the emotional pain from a broken heart he so often sang about would be his constant companions until he drew his last breath. Hank was taken to a hospital where it was determined that the horse had severely injured Hank's young back, having broken at least two vertebrae. He was patched up the best the doctors could do at the time - then in the mid 30's - when back surgeries were rare and only affordable by those with money and wealth and even then, at the time those surgeries on the back were extremely risky (as they still are today - just ask nearly anyone who has had a back surgery operation!) with a success rate that was considerably low. Given a back brace, and bed ridden for months Hank's back healed up crooked and was not straight by any means. From that time on until his pain racked body was lowered into the grave barely a decade and a half later, he spent his every waking hour searching for something to relieve him of his pain to get thru the day and by days end searching for something to take away the pain just enough so he could sleep. Alcohol became a constant pain killer from that day at the rodeo - and the pain killer drugs the doctors at the hospital proved to be helpful, but they were addictive and a regular prescription proved to be too costly for the poverty-stricken Williams family who were still reeling financially from the Great Depression. The pills were also less effective the longer he took them - the pain dulled for a very short time, then returned leaving him hurting worse and in need of more of the pills on a larger dosage and in a shorter period of time. The addiction process was already set in motion the moment whisky touched his lips at the behest of a half-dozen half-drunk rodeo cowboys and the deal was sealed the moment that horse stomped his back with both hooves. Hank was a victim of a bad situation compounded by bad times. This is not a new revelation but an old one that was public knowledge within a half-decade after Hank died. And one that has come to be ignored simply because there are no names or faces to associate with the tragic circumstances - therefore nobody to sue or incriminate or prosecute because nobody knows who those cowboys were, their names and faces lost to time just as the name of the brand of Whisky or the name of the bucking bronc which they sat a young, inebriated Hank upon. No lawyers can seek to indict the distillery or the horse breeder or owner of the steed. Certainly 'quack doctor' Toby Marshall was to blame for Hank's death - as well as any number of back-street dope pusher wanna-be doctors lurking in the shadows of Nashville and Shreveport and almost any town Hank appeared in - there were no shortage of them then and there is absolutely no shortage of them now. Just as Elvis had no shortage of doctors on the sly prescribing him drugs of all kinds and a string of pharmacies all over Memphis and little towns beyond town limits more than willing to fill a script from any doctor in the name of patient Presley. Just as Elvis had legitimate doctors, he also had a string of quacks he consorted with who were giving him dope on the side which the Memphis Mafia could not stop or control. In the end the people like Williams and Presley are their own worst enemy as they set up their own demise devised as a slave to a habit-trail like a hamster in a cage going round and round going absolutely nowhere until their lives are used up. It's the stuff legends are made of and sadly it's too true to be good. They make the music we love from their God given talents fueled by the real pain and heartaches brought on by wear and tear on their bodies, their broken hearts and troubled minds, always seeking for a soothing ointment or an effective pain reliever to free them from what ails them, body, mind and spirit. It's a story as old as time itself.
The cause of Hank Williams back pain, which by the way he suffered all his life, was that he was born with a form of spinal bifida. Not, to the best of my knowledge, from drunken Cowboys
@@CMSProductions And the so-called diagnosis of spinal bifida was reported from one writer in a book from 1983 'Hank Williams So Lonesome' based on comments in Rolling Stone by RS writer Chet Flippo NOT based on any real doctor's medical diagnosis OR any real facts from the autopsy. And the truth of the matter is that the author of the book (Bill Koon) even presented a case for the so-called spinal bifida 'diagnosis' being absolutely erroneous because of contradictory and inconclusive evidence that does NOT lend to a diagnosis of spinal bifida hence the FACT that there is NOTHING in Williams autopsy or his medical records that ever suggested such a diagnosis. He even admits that Hank's back injuries according to doctors who examined him and the medical examiner stated that they could have been as a result of a skating accident or the possibility of the story of his drunken rodeo ride with a horse stepping on him could have caused the injuries. The author concludes that based on HIS OPINION there is little evidence of a skating mishap or a rodeo ride resulting in the injuries, so he deduces that spinal bifida is most likely the cause - even though he admits he has no medical training to make that assumptive diagnosis and neither did Chet Flippo, who was the first to postulate the spinal bifida theory in print media. Hank Williams Jr has spoken about his father's rodeo horse injury, but he has NEVER subscribed to the idea that he had spinal bifida. It's just a theory from one writer quoting another with absolutely no hard-core medical evidence based on any doctor's statement or diagnosis. Maybe Hank did have something along that line BUT the symptoms do not all line up and there were no obvious outward signs of it on the autopsy table upon initial visual examination NOR in the internal examination when they cut Hank's body open. If it had been present the Dr's and the ME would not have missed it. But we all know facts are easy to come by these days. All you need is one tabloid writer making assumptions in a Rolling Stone article quoted by a writer in a book with a later entry on Wiki or some other website and voila, we have the facts. I'll go with the older history which has been available for decades and has never been disputed - not even by Hank Jr or any of Hank's band members NOR by any reputable writer such as Colin Escott.
if he hadn't gotten the drugs from Marshall he would have gotten them someplace else. Ultimately, Hank decided to use the drugs. No blaming him. I have chronic pain and I know.
Thank you so much for the in-depth back ground of Hanks injuries. We've been so filled with his drinking and drugs no one has really told this story the way you have. Thank You. I have after all these years a better and clearer understanding of his pain.
@@monalisanail5431 If you like to read and want to know more, I recommend the following books: "Sing A Sad Song, The Life of Hank Williams" by Roger M. Williams (no relation - 1st edition 1970 - still in print) and "I Saw the Light: The Story of Hank Williams" by Colin Escott & George Merritt 2015 (originally published as "Hank Williams: The Biography" back in 2004) Thanks for your comment.
