Canton Concert Hank Williams Never Made

Hank Williams started on his last road trip because of an ice storm that hit Nashville, Tennessee, on December 31, 1952. Since he could not fly, Williams hired a college student named Charles Carr, to drive his powder-blue Cadillac to Charleston, West Virginia, for his next show that night. On the way, Carr called the Charleston auditorium from Knoxville to say that Williams would not arrive on time because of bad road conditions. So, they headed north to Canton, Ohio, for Williams' New Years' show.

While at a Knoxville hotel, Carr requested a doctor to see Williams. The doctor gave Williams shots of vitamin B12 and morphine to ward off a severe hangover. Hotel porters had to carry Williams to the car. At around midnight on Thursday, January 1, 1953, they arrived in Bristol, Virginia and Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant. He turned around and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. Williams said no, and those are believed to be his last words. Carr continued his drive and stopped for gas in Oak Hill, West Virginia. Here he realized that Williams had died in the backseat of the car. The filling station's owner called the police, and they found empty beer cans and some unfinished handwritten lyrics. Williams was 29 years old.

That evening, when the announcer at Canton announced Williams' death to the gathered crowd, they started laughing, thinking it was a joke. After the band started singing "I Saw the Light," the audience realized that he was dead and sang along.

His body was transported to Montgomery, Alabama, on Friday, January 2. His funeral took place that Sunday, at the Montgomery Auditorium. Between 15,000 to 25,000 people passed by his silver casket. MGM Records got requests for hundreds of photographs of Williams. The records stores across Montgomery sold out of all their Williams records. Despite his brief life, Williams is one of the most celebrated and influential famous musicians of the 20th century. His powder-blue Cadillac is on display at the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery.

Vintage Rock Poster offers $20,000 for an original January 1, 1953, Willams Canton concert poster. If you happen to have one, please call 310-346-1965 or take a picture and email it to rareboard@aol.com. Any condition accepted.

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