----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 8:43 AM Subject: [peeps-country-classics] ALABAMA PROMOTES HANK WILLIAMS TRAIL
> ALABAMA PROMOTES HANK WILLIAMS TRAIL > By KATE BRUMBACK, > > MONTGOMERY, Ala. - More than half a century after his death, fans are > still paying homage to country music icon Hank Williams. > His boyhood home, a museum in Montgomery and the cemetery where he and his > wife are buried attract a steady stream of fans, including visitors from > England, > Japan and other places around the world. > A new brochure is due out Nov. 1 listing these and other sites on what the > Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel calls the "Hank Williams Trail." > "I enjoy all country western music and Hank is one of the best," said > Guyla Hornsby, who visited Williams' grave last summer with her husband, > Preston. > "I didn't know what to expect, but it's pretty neat." > Williams' driver found him dead at age 29 on Jan. 1, 1953, in the backseat > of his Cadillac en route to a gig in Ohio. While the cause of death is > still > a subject of controversy, his short career had been marred by heavy > drinking and use of painkillers for a back condition. > Williams' hits included a dozen singles at No. 1 and many more in the > country top 10. Among them were "Your Cheatin' Heart," "I'm So Lonesome I > Could Cry," > "Cold, Cold Heart," "Hey Good Lookin,'" "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," "Move > It On Over" and "Lovesick Blues." > Many of the songs remain well-known both as country songs and as popular > standards, with artists from Linda Ronstadt to Norah Jones recording > covers. Williams' > son, Hank Williams Jr., is a successful country-rock musician as well. > Williams is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery Annex, about a mile from the > Hank Williams Museum in downtown Montgomery. The gravesite features two > white and > gray marble monuments, one to Hank and one to his wife, Audrey. Marble > slabs with their names and the years they were born and died mark the > burial sites. > There's also a marble replica of Williams' cowboy hat. > A low marble curb pens in the artificial-grass-carpeted area around the > monument, and two marble benches provide a resting spot for weary > visitors. > While folks come year-round to pay their respects, ceremonies are held at > the cemetery twice a year, on the Jan. 1 anniversary of Williams' death, > and on > his Sept. 17 birthday. > The New Year's Day event "is the best time of year to come," said Lee > Sentell, director of Alabama Tourism. Fans gather at the museum in > downtown Montgomery, > and singers, both professional and amateurs, perform impromptu renditions > of his songs. > Guests at the events have included elderly members of Williams' old band, > the Drifting Cowboys, along with Charles Carr, the driver who found > Williams dead. > More than 25,000 people came to Montgomery for Williams' funeral, a record > crowd for the city that has never been surpassed. The funeral was held in > City > Hall, which is also on the Hank Williams Trail, and broadcast to the > crowds outside. A statue of Williams stands across the street. > The Hank Williams Museum gets about 35,000 visitors a year. The museum was > founded in 1999 by Cecil Jackson, who fell in love with Williams' music at > age > 8, before Williams had started recording. He was popular locally and > Jackson heard him on the radio. > Jackson's daughter, Beth Birtley, manages the museum today and describes > herself as a lifelong fan. > "I was raised knowing who Hank Williams was," she said. "I'm very proud to > have had my father teach me who Hank Williams was and how to appreciate > him and > his music. And I'm proud to be a part of the family that helps keep his > memory alive." > Museum exhibits include the convertible Williams was riding in when he > died. > Williams' fans may also want to pay a visit to Lincoln Cemetery, where a > 9-foot-tall white marble stone notes that Williams' mentor, Rufus > "Tee-Tot" Payne, > is buried there. The exact location of his unmarked grave is not known. > Payne, a black street musician, taught Williams to play guitar in the > 1930s. > Sentell, the tourism director, says fans often make nocturnal visits to > Williams' grave in Oakwood, and they sometimes leave an unusual offering. > "Because of Alan Jackson's song, 'Midnight in Montgomery,' fans of Hank's, > as well as country music in general, will frequently go up there to have a > beer," > Sentell said. > He said he went up to the grave one Sunday to take photos in the early > morning light and found several empty beer cans, as well as a full one - > seemingly > left for Hank. Cemetery custodians have told Sentell it is not uncommon to > find beer cans - both empty and full - by the site in the morning. > "Somebody during the night," said Sentell, "shared a brew with Hank." > > If You Go... > > HANK WILLIAMS TRAIL: Free brochure available Nov. 1 from Alabama Tourism, > 800-252-2262 or http://www.hankwilliamstrail.com (Web site scheduled to go > live > Nov. 1). > HANK WILLIAMS GRAVE: Oakwood Annex Cemetery, Montgomery. The cemetery > entrance is a five-minute, one-mile drive from downtown. Follow > Jefferson Road beyond the police station, where it becomes > Upper Wetumpka Road, and look for a sign across from > 1307 Upper Wetumpka Rd. > HANK WILLIAMS MUSEUM: > 118 Commerce St., Montgomery; http://www.thehankwilliamsmuseum.com or > 334-262-3600. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. > Adults, $8; > children 3-11, $3. > HANK WILLIAMS STATUE: Located across from City Hall, > 103 N. Perry St., where Williams' funeral was held in the auditorium. > HANK WILLIAMS BOYHOOD HOME & MUSEUM: 127 Rose St., Georgiana, Ala.; > http://www.hankmuseum.com/ or 334-376-2396. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 > p.m. Adults, > $3; students, $2. > LINCOLN CEMETERY: Located at the intersection of Lincoln and Harrison > roads in Montgomery. A marble marker notes that Rufus "Tee-Tot" Payne, a > black street > performer who taught Williams to play the guitar, is buried here in an > unmarked grave. Take the Harrison Road-Lincoln Cemetery-Ann Street exit > off I-85; > go north, then make the first right on Chestnut Street to Lincoln Road. > MOUNT OLIVE WEST BAPTIST CHURCH: West of I-65, on > County R oad 7. Williams sang here as a boy. Church is open the > second and fourth Sundays of each month. > MONTGOMERY AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU: > http://www.visitingmontgomery.com or 800-240-9452. > > > ^^^^^^^^^^^ > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > Please Note; The standard For The People policy for all e-mail lists > prohibits personal attacks or inflammatory remarks. > To post material to this list send to; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Be sure to catch, The Rare Jewels of Country Music, at 10:00 M Eastern > every > Monday. > To change the status of this list, press Enter on the Appropriate choice > and > send a blank e-mail. > Set To no mail: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Return to normal status: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > You will receive a confirmation of the change of status from Yahoo. > You may subscribe to any of our other lists by going to: > http://for-the-people.com > Click on the E-Mail link near the bottom of the page. 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