For a musical entertainer, performing a first show is a rite of passage. If you never perform this rite of passage, then you are likely more of a songwriter than an entertainer. However, if you are able to muster up the confidence and take the stage, then you undeniably have the soul of an entertainer. Well, on this day, November 17, the most prolific country icon of all time solidified that fact within himself, as Hank Williams made one of his first-ever public appearances at 16 years old.
Videos by American Songwriter
Born in 1923, Hank Williams grew up in rural Alabama and started playing guitar around the age of eight. Mentored by a local blues musician named Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne, Hank Williams started to grasp the instrument. However, it wouldn’t be until he was 16 that he decided to take the stage for one of the first times, and that transpired on this day, at the Weoka High School in his home state of Alabama.
The Day Hank Williams Became a Country Music Entertainer
…