Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician, considered an early pioneer of country music and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 that reached number one, with five released posthumously. Williams was born and raised in Alabama and learned guitar from African-American blues musician Rufus Payne. Both Payne and Roy Acuff influenced his musical style. After winning an amateur talent contest, he began performing professionally in Montgomery in the late 1930s on local radio stations and at venues such as schools, movie theaters, and bars. He formed the Drifting Cowboys as his backup band, managed by his mother, and left school to focus on his music career. His alcoholism caused intermittent employment at radio station WSFA, and he faced challenges in maintaining a consistent band lineup due to World War II drafts. In 1944, Williams married Audrey Sheppard, who became involved in managing his career alongside his mother. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed with MGM Records. He released the single "Move It On Over" in 1947 and joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. His 1948 cover of "Lovesick Blues" reached number one on Billboard's Top Country & Western singles chart and increased his prominence on the Grand Ole Opry. Although he had limited ability to read or notate music, Williams wrote enduring songs including "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." In his later years, he struggled with back pain and substance abuse, which affected his personal and professional relationships. Williams died on January 1, 1953, at the age of 29, from heart failure in a car near Oak Hill, West Virginia, while traveling to a concert in Canton, Ohio. Despite his short career, he is recognized as a major influence in country music and popular music more broadly, inspiring artists such as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones. He was 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 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2010, he was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his songwriting. His life and career were depicted in the 2015 biographical film "I Saw the Light." Studio albums Memorial Album (1953) Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter (1953) Honky Tonkin' (1954) I Saw the Light (1954) Ramblin' Man (1955) Just Me and My Guitar (1985) The Unreleased Recordings (2008) The Unreleased Recordings: Gospel Keepsakes (2009) The Unreleased Recordings: Revealed (2009)