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 lis-
ten, 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 mate-
rial for singer Molly O’Day; 
Whereas, in 1946, Williams received his first recording con-
tract 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 craft-
ed direct, emotionally honest lyrics with a poetic sim-
plicity 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 ‘‘lan-
guage 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 fa-
mous hits such as 1949’s ‘‘Lost Highway’’ and ‘‘Lovesick 
Blues’’, 1951’s ‘‘Cold, Cold Heart’’, and 1952’s ‘‘Jamba-
laya’’; 
Whereas Williams most famous gospel song was his 1948 re-
lease of ‘‘I Saw the Light’’, ushering in a genre-defining 
piece of work that set the stage for gospel music for gen-
erations to come; 
Whereas the Country Music Hall of Fame noted that Wil-
liams ‘‘set the agenda for contemporary country 
songcraft’’ and the ‘‘standard by which success is meas-
ured in country music’’; 
Whereas Williams was posthumously inducted into the Coun-
try 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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