Hank Williams Sr.
March 31, 2008 - The Country Music Hall of Fame on Friday opened a new exhibit, Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy. It features heirlooms from the late Hank Williams, plus his wife, Audrey Williams; his offspring, Hank Williams Jr. and Jett Williams; and his grandchildren, Holly, Hilary and Hank Williams III.
What's it like to see parts of your life on display for people to admire and photograph? Well, it's nothing new for Bocephus.
"I've been living in a museum from the time I was born," he told The Tennessean. "And after Daddy died, we were living at 4916 Franklin Road, and it seemed like a museum. Buses would stop, and people would take pictures of the house. I'd say, 'Why are these people stopping here, Mother?' And the answer was, 'Because your daddy was a god.'"
The family as a whole has made quite a name for itself. Hank Sr. wrote "Your Cheatin' Heart," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" on his way to becoming one of the first five people inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hank Jr. set his own mark with a Southern rock-infused brand of country that led to such hits as "Born To Boogie," "A Country Boy Can Survive" and "Family Tradition." And Hank III and Holly have earned high marks in Alternative Country/Americana circles.
The exhibit will remain a Hall of Fame attraction through the end of 2009.