IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 685 

Honoring Hiram ‘‘Hank’’ Williams on the 100th anniversary of his birth. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. OGLES, Mr. ROSE, Mr. 

MOORE of Alabama, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. GRIFFITH, 

and Mr. ROY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring Hiram ‘‘Hank’’ Williams on the 100th anniversary 

of his birth. 

Whereas Hiram ‘‘Hank’’ Williams is widely regarded as the 

most influential American singer and songwriter of the 

20th century; 

Whereas Williams was born in Mount Olive, Alabama, to Lon 

and Lillie Williams on September 17, 1923, and later 

moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue the American 

dream; 

Whereas Williams only learned to play basic guitar chords 

from his aunt and by listening to music that was played 

at dances, in churches, and on the radio; 

Whereas Williams met Rufus ‘‘Tee Tot’’ Payne, a Black 

street musician, at the age of 8 years old on the streets 


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•HRES 685 IH 

of Georgiana, Alabama, with Mr. Payne teaching the 

young Hank blues chords and barre chords, which would 

later become part of Williams signature sound; 

Whereas Williams began his career at a young age, playing 

his $3.50 ‘‘git-tar’’ on the street for any who would listen, and ended his career having played to sold-out 

crowds at the Grand Ole Opry and on stages across 

America and on military bases in Europe; 

Whereas, in 1946, Williams landed a songwriting contract 

with Acuff-Rose Publications and began composing material for singer Molly O’Day; 

Whereas, in 1946, Williams received his first recording contract with Sterling Records; 

Whereas Williams started his early career as a radio singer 

and became a regular on the newly created Louisiana 

Hayride radio program based in Shreveport, Louisiana; 

Whereas Williams wrote most of his songs himself, and crafted direct, emotionally honest lyrics with a poetic simplicity that spoke not only to fans of country and western 

music but to a much broader audience; 

Whereas Williams made a name for himself by creating a 

plaintive, bluesy phrasing that was unique and ultimately 

became a touchstone of country music; 

Whereas Williams’ inability to read and notate music did not 

inhibit his compositions, and instead he sang in the ‘‘language of the everyman’’, as noted by the Rock and Roll 

Hall of Fame; 

Whereas Williams’ common tongue and easygoing music 

earned him the nickname ‘‘Hillbilly Shakespeare’’; 


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•HRES 685 IH 

Whereas Williams often authored and sung many gospel 

songs and recorded many moral narrations under the 

pseudonym ‘‘Luke the Drifter’’; 

Whereas Williams recorded 55 singles that made the top 10 

of the Billboard Country and Western Best Sellers chart, 

including 12 that reached number 1, 3 of which were 

after his death; 

Whereas Williams authored iconic American hits such as 

1947’s ‘‘Move It On Over’’, 1949’s ‘‘I’m so Lonesome I 

Could Cry’’, 1951’s ‘‘Hey, Good Lookin’ ’’ and ‘‘Ramblin’ 

Man’’, and 1953’s ‘‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’’; 

Whereas Williams made music history by releasing other famous hits such as 1949’s ‘‘Lost Highway’’ and ‘‘Lovesick 

Blues’’, 1951’s ‘‘Cold, Cold Heart’’, and 1952’s ‘‘Jambalaya’’; 

Whereas Williams most famous gospel song was his 1948 release of ‘‘I Saw the Light’’, ushering in a genre-defining 

piece of work that set the stage for gospel music for generations to come; 

Whereas the Country Music Hall of Fame noted that Williams ‘‘set the agenda for contemporary country 

songcraft’’ and the ‘‘standard by which success is measured in country music’’; 

Whereas Williams was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, the Songwriters Hall 

of Fame in 1970, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 

1987, and the Native American Music Awards Hall of 

Fame in 1999, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk 

of Fame; 

Whereas, in 2010, Williams was posthumously awarded a 

Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his work, honoring his 


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‘‘craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal 

feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role 

in transforming country music into a major musical and 

cultural force in American life’’; 

Whereas Williams’ many achievements spanned only a few 

years before his untimely death at the young age of 29; 

Whereas, in 2011, ‘‘The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams’’ 

album was released, featuring songs sung by various contemporary country artists paying tribute to Williams, 

completing and performing the unfinished songs left in 

Williams’ multiple notebooks, which he always had with 

him while alive to capture his spontaneous ideas; 

Whereas Williams’ legacy still lives on in country music and 

rock and roll, inspiring generations of singers and songwriters, such as his son, Hank Williams, Jr.; and 

Whereas American music and culture owe much to Hank Williams: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the amazing life and legacy of 

3 Hank Williams on the 100th anniversary of his 

4 birth; 

5 (2) recognizes his generation-defining influence 

6 on the field of country music; and 

7 (3) hereby thanks Hank Williams for his con8 tributions to American music and culture. 

Æ 


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