More than seven decades after his death, Hank Williams‘ music still draws fans to Montgomery to remember the Alabama native who became one of country music’s most enduring legends.
The Hank Williams Museum will celebrate Williams’ 103rd birthday Sept. 12 with a memorial concert headlined by country music veteran Moe Bandy, along with the museum’s traditional graveside service and wreath laying. Williams was born Sept. 17, 1923, in Mount Olive, Alabama.
“Though he died at just 29 years of age, Hank left a lasting musical legacy that continues to be appreciated by each new generation, and we feel it is important to celebrate and recognize the birthday of one of Alabama’s favorite sons and greatest legends,” Hank Williams Museum Director Beth Petty said. “Our memorial concert features entertainers who perform the traditional country music that Hank and his contemporaries played, and it serves as an appropriate way to honor his 103rd birthday.”
Bandy brings his own long connection to traditional country music — and to Williams — to the birthday celebration.
The concert headliner has charted 66 country hits, including 10 No. 1 songs and 40 Top 10 singles, and has earned five gold albums. His hits include “Bandy The Rodeo Clown,” “Americana,” “I Cheated Me Right Out of You” and, fittingly for the Montgomery celebration, “Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life.”
Bandy won the Academy of Country Music Song of the Year Award in 1979 for his duet with Janie Frickie, “It’s A Cheatin’ Situation,” and earned the Country Music Association’s Vocal Duo of the Year Award with Joe Stampley in 1980.
Also performing will be Alex Miller, the 23-year-old Kentucky singer who gained national attention after his 2021 audition for “American Idol.” Miller performed his original song “I’m Over You, So Get Over Me” for judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.
Since then, Miller has released two full-length albums, made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2024, performed at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe and opened for several country stars.
Arty Hill, Wyatt Aleman and Dalton McSwain are also scheduled to perform. Jay Dean, host of “Country Legends Jukebox,” will serve as emcee.
Before the afternoon concert, fans will gather at Williams’ gravesite at Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery for the annual wreath laying and memorial service at 9 a.m.
The Sheppard Family Band, whose members are cousins of Williams’ former wife, Audrey Sheppard Williams, will begin performing at 8:45 a.m. before the ceremony.
Williams’ ties to Montgomery extend beyond his final resting place.
The Alabama native recorded 11 No. 1 hits and placed 43 songs on the country music charts during his brief career. Williams was one of the first three members inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Just before Christmas 1952, Williams returned to Montgomery to rest. On Dec. 30, he left for scheduled performances in Charleston, West Virginia, and Canton, Ohio. He died during the trip and was pronounced dead early Jan. 1, 1953, in Oak Hill, West Virginia.
The car from that final trip is now back in Montgomery.
Williams’ Olympic Blue 1952 Cadillac Series 62 convertible is the centerpiece of the Hank Williams Museum, which the museum says houses the largest collection of personally owned Hank Williams items on public display anywhere in the world.
The Hank Williams 103rd Birthday Concert begins at 3 p.m. Sept. 12 at Troy University’s Davis Theater in Montgomery. General admission tickets are $35 and are available through Eventbrite. Reserved VIP seats are $45 and must be purchased directly from the Hank Williams Museum by calling 334-262-3600 or visiting the museum at 118 Commerce Street.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
