January 4, 1953

An estimated 20,000 people attended the funeral of Hank Williams at Montgomery’s Municipal Auditorium, surpassing Jefferson Davis’s inauguration as the largest event ever held in Montgomery. Dr. Henry Lyon of Highland Avenue Baptist Church delivered the main sermon as Williams, dressed in a white stage suit with a small bible in his hands, lay in state in an open silver casket. Music was provided by Williams’s band, the Drifting Cowboys, and a number of performers, including Ernest Tubb, Red Foley, Roy Acuff and the Statesmen Quartet.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

In a photograph taken at a family reunion, c. 1925, young Hiram (Hank) Williams stands, far left, in front of his mother, Lillie Williams. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Hank Williams Boyhood Home/Museum)

Boyhood home of Hank Williams in Georgiana, 2012. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Hiram “Hank” King Williams (1923-53) lived 29 years and recorded music for only six, but he left an indelible mark on country music, helping push it to national acceptance. His stormy personal life and struggles with alcohol and drugs fueled the heartache and despair that endeared listeners to his music. Before his death in 1952 Williams had 36 singles on the country and western Top 10. He was the first artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Hank Williams Sr. played at “honky tonks,” bars with rowdy atmospheres frequented by newcomers to the city. The sentiments of Williams’s songs appealed to Southerners who had migrated to urban areas. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Alabama Music Hall of Fame)

Hank and Hezzy’s Driftin’ Cowboys, from left: Smith Adair, Braxton Schuffert, Irene Williams, unknown, Hank Williams, Carolyn Parker and Freddie Beach. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Hank and Audrey Williams, ca. 1950. They married in 1944, and for a time Audrey worked with Hank to promote his career. The couple had a turbulent relationship, which inspired many of Williams’s songs. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Hank Williams Boyhood Home/Museum)

Hank Williams Sr. and Hank Williams Jr., c. 1950. Hank Williams Jr. was born to Hank and Audrey Williams on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana. At eight years of age Hank Jr. was touring, playing his father’s songs, and at age 11 he made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Hank Williams Boyhood Home/Museum)

Hank Williams Sr. memorabilia is displayed at the Hank Williams Boyhood Home/Museum. In a career that spanned only six years of recording, Williams had a major impact on country music. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.