Audrey Williams
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Audrey Mae Sheppard Williams (February 28, 1923 – November 4, 1975) was an
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
n musician known for being the first wife of
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer and songwriter
Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
, the mother of
Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
and the grandmother of
Hank Williams III Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer and multi-instrumentalist, known for his unique fusion of traditional country music, rockabilly, heavy metal and punk rock. He was the ...
and Holly Williams.


Early life and marriages

Sheppard was born in
Banks, Alabama Banks is a town in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 156, down from 179 in 2010. It incorporated in December 1894. Geography Banks is located at (31.813464, -85.840281). According to the U.S. Cens ...
, the daughter of Artie Mae (née Harden; 1903–1976) and Charles "Shelton" Sheppard. She grew up on a farm owned and worked by her parents. Sheppard's first husband was James Erskine Guy, whom she married when she was a high-school senior. The couple separated soon after their daughter Lycrecia was born in 1941. Sheppard met Hank Williams in 1943. Despite the objections of Williams's mother and bandmates, Sheppard was added to the band as an occasional singer and upright bass player. In December 1944, the two were married 10 days after the finalization of Sheppard's divorce from her first husband. The ceremony was performed by a justice of the peace at the officiant's gas station in
Andalusia, Alabama Andalusia is a city in and the county seat of Covington County, Alabama, Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 8,805. History Andalusia was first settled in 1841 after floodi ...
.


Music career

Soon after their wedding, Williams took the role of her husband's unofficial manager, a position previously held by her mother-in-law, Lillie Williams. The couple visited
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
with the intent of meeting songwriter and
music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...
Fred Rose of
Acuff-Rose Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms ...
Publishing. The meeting resulted in Hank Williams recording two singles for Sterling Records: “Never Again” in December 1946 and “Honky Tonkin’” in February 1947. Both proved successful and a contract was signed with
MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
in 1947, with Rose becoming the singer's official manager and record producer. Williams, however, began to push for her own spot in the limelight. Country music biographer
Colin Escott Colin Escott (born August 31, 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes ...
wrote "Her duets with Hank were like an extension of their married life in that she fought him for dominance on every note." Having recorded several duets with her husband, Audrey was featured on the recordings of "Lost on the River", "I Heard My Mother Praying for Me", "Dear Brother", "Jesus Remembered Me", "The Pale Horse and His Rider", "Jesus Died for Me", "Help Me Understand", "Something Got a Hold of Me", "I Want to Live and Love", and "Where the Soul of Man Never Dies".


Marriage difficulties and family

In early 1948, tension started to grow in the Williams marriage when Hank started to again abuse alcohol, a problem he brought with him to their marriage from the beginning. Williams left her husband, giving him the choice of alcohol or her. They eventually reunited. On May 26, 1949, Williams gave birth to the couple's only child, Randall Hank Williams. After Williams's appearance at the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
following the birth of her son, she officially renamed the child Hank Williams Jr. When her husband expressed a desire to adopt her daughter, Audrey refused, fearing he would take her if they divorced.


Divorce from Williams

On December 31, 1951, after allegations of mutual infidelities and the resumption of her husband's health problems, Williams called from a hotel and told Hank to be out of their Tennessee house by the time she returned. Replying to her with a seemingly prophetic statement, Hank Williams stated, "Audrey, I won't live another year without you." In June 1952, the couple divorced. She was awarded the house, their child, and half of her ex-husband's future royalties on the condition that she never remarry. In 1953, months after Hank Sr.'s death, Williams paid his second wife,
Billie Jean Jones Billie Jean Horton ( née Jones; born June 6, 1933) is an American country-music singer-songwriter and former music promoter who is best known for her high profile marriages, first to iconic country musician and singer-songwriter Hank Williams in ...
, $30,000 to relinquish the title of "Hank Williams's Widow". Both women had been using the description professionally. Jones agreed to Williams's terms.


Later life and death

Williams and her son, Hank Jr., became estranged after he turned 18. She never remarried. Williams died of
congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
on November 4, 1975, at the age of 52.


Cultural references


Music

*Audrey is mentioned in the
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
song: "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town." *Audrey is referenced in "Tangled Up Roses" by
Shooter Jennings Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenn ...
and in the Hank Williams Jr. song, "The Conversation" with
Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
*Audrey is referenced in the song “Everything She Ain’t” by Hailey Whitters in the line “Audrey to your Hank”. *Audrey is referenced in "Mrs. Hank Williams" by
Fred Eaglesmith Frederick John Elgersma (born July 9, 1957), known by the stage name Fred Eaglesmith, is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. He is known for writing songs about vehicles, rural life, down-and-out characters, lost love and quirky rur ...


Film depictions

* Susan Oliver played Audrey in the 1964 biopic ''
Your Cheatin' Heart "Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancé ...
'' opposite George Hamilton as Hank. *
Allyn Ann McLerie Allyn Ann McLerie (December 1, 1926 – May 21, 2018) was a Canadian-born American actress, singer and dancer who worked with many of Golden Age musical theatre's major choreographers, including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, and Jerome Robb ...
played Audrey in the 1983 television biopic '' Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story'' opposite Richard Thomas as Hank Williams, Jr. *
Elizabeth Olsen Elizabeth Chase Olsen (born February 16, 1989) is an American actress. Born in Sherman Oaks, California, Olsen began acting at age four. She starred in her debut film role in the thriller ''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' in 2011, for which she wa ...
played Audrey in the 2015 biopic '' I Saw the Light'' opposite
Tom Hiddleston Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...
as Hank.


Discography


Singles


External links

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Audrey 1923 births 1975 deaths American women country singers American country singer-songwriters People from Pike County, Alabama Country musicians from Alabama 20th-century American singers Alcohol-related deaths in Tennessee Drug-related deaths in Tennessee 20th-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from Alabama