Born out of the fields of cotton and tobacco, the roots of country music spring from the rural soils of the South. Rising as a testimony to the hardships of poverty and despair, the music often reflects the seeds of hope while being firmly planted in the personal agony of heartache. There is a raw honesty to the music, a grit that is so authentic that it dares to explore the truth of life itself. To sing country music is to open a window to the struggle of the soul, embracing both the angels and the demons of the human heart.

In the genre of country music, there has never been a person who embodied this conflict of struggle more than Hank Williams Sr. Widely regarded as a major force in country music, this entertainer brought the soulful, simple music of the rural South into the mainstream conscience of America. Williams’ recordings helped transform the industry, bringing a message of hope and loss as the nation was healing from the traumas of the Great Depression and a violent world war. During his short 29 years on earth, the singer recorded over 226 songs, 128 of which he wrote. His music mirrored the restlessness of the nation, which was growing in abundant prosperity, but unable to shake the shadows of the past. For most of his adult life, Williams experienced periods of success while battling the personal scars of drugs, alcoholism, and pain. Heaven and heartache are the heartbeats of his music and very few entertainers have captured this essence like Hank Williams.