A Pulitzer citation for Hank Williams: Songs worth hearing again
By Wade Kwon
Video: “Lovesick Blues”
A Mount Olive feller by the name of Hiram King Williams won something from the Pulitzer Prize board in April.
Not for books or newspaper articles. For lyrics.
You know him as Hank.
The Pulitzer board awarded Hank Williams a posthumous special citation for “his craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.”
The board awarded similar citations in music to jazz greats Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane in 2006 and 2007 and folk/rock master Bob Dylan in 2008.
Williams, who was born in Mount Olive, later grew up in Montgomery and producer 11 No. 1 hits. He died in 1953 at age 29.
Have a listen to the songs that made him a country legend.
Video: “Hey Good Lookin'”
Video: “Cold, Cold Heart”
Video: “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive”
Video: “Kaw-Liga”
