(Note: This is a story I wrote recently for my local paper. One of my boss' friends is a devoted Hank Sr. fan and he felt it was important to share the story of Hank Sr. and his relationship with his mentor, as well as his deep connection to Louisiana.)
Hank Williams Sr.’s legacy looms large in the world of country music, and his connection to Louisiana is legendary. He began his career on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport before going on to a successful career in country music, eventually earning a spot in both the Country and Rock and Roll halls of fame.
February was Black History Month, and Ville Platte resident James Bellard, a self-professed, devoted Hank Williams Sr. fan, felt the story of Williams and his mentor and teacher Rufus, “Tee-Tot” Payne, should be shared. Bellard says Williams’ music has haunted him since he was seven years old, and he has been a fan ever since. He sees many connections between the prophetic lyrics Williams wrote and his tragic life, noting, “He had it rough and he never slowed down. He never forgot where he came from. He was a bright star who dimmed too soon.”
The story and inspiration of Hank Williams Sr., Bellard admits, can be beneficial to all. He says Ville Platte needs a new school, but people are not willing to help because they are worried about “what will I get in return?” He says education is very important and should not be taken for granted. He feels the story of Williams and Payne shows, if we have the tools and support, we can accomplish anything, and he hopes this story will inspire people to open their hearts and pocketbooks for the education of our town’s children and the future of our town. He adds there could be far-reaching consequences for failing to get a new school for our children. He notes there are many talented people in the area, and he would like to see them have the opportunity to pursue their musical talents. He would like to see good bands continue at high school, and he thinks it would be a great idea to start a band at LSUE with the possibility of a Hank Williams Sr. scholarship for students pursuing music.
Williams grew up in Alabama attending church with his mother, where he learned to play piano, and he was taught to play guitar by Payne, a local black street musician. Williams’ mother allowed them to practice on the front porch, which was unheard of in those days. This friendship was unusual, as both grew up in poverty and shared a strong musical connection. Williams’ mother gave her blessing to the collaboration and paid Payne with food in exchange for him teaching her son to play guitar. Bellard says, “The only advice Tee-Tot ever gave to Hank was to ‘always keep the audience’s attention,’” which he did in spades. He also notes Williams later credited Payne for giving him the only training he ever had. This was training was evident in the abundant blues influence throughout his catalog.
Williams’ main ambition was to become a successful songwriter, and many of his ideas came from comic books. Bellard says the years Williams spent in Shreveport as part of the Louisiana Hayride were the happiest of his life. He goes on to say, “It is there Hank became the first American superstar when he performed the song ‘Lovesick Blues’ on stage to six encores.” Bellard says Williams had deep ties to Louisiana and even co-wrote songs and hung out with Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis, a songwriter and singer in his own right. Williams’ son, Hank Williams Jr., was born in Shreveport, and Bellard would like to see some kind of marker along I-49 recognizing them, as well as other artists with a strong Louisiana connection.
When he was older, and after he had achieved some success, Williams searched for his mentor for 10 years to pay him back, only to learn he had died and was buried in an unmarked grave in the same Montgomery, Alabama, cemetery Williams would later be buried in at the tender age of 29 a few short years later. Bellard says Williams wrote the haunting lyrics to his favorite Williams’ song, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” about his search for Payne. The song’s lyrics include the lines, “The silence of a falling star lights up a purple sky and I wonder where you are...I’m so lonesome I could cry.” Bellard adds, “This simple, yet profound song lyric was written by Hank Williams so long ago, yet surely it rang true on the day he searched in vain for his childhood mentor.” Years later, money was raised and a nine-foot marble stone was erected to indicate Payne was buried somewhere in the cemetery.
Bellard says Williams often sang about sadness, sorrow, pain and grief. But instead of making you feel that way, his songs simply did the opposite, by making those feelings seem bearable. He adds, “Williams’ songs are so beautifully written, with a timelessness that transcends generations of time, place and audience. He sang with an eloquent, emotional forthrightness.”
Bellard goes on to say Williams was a highly religious person who was happiest when he was singing. He states Williams took Payne’s music to a place Payne couldn’t and his mentor would have been proud of him, just as Williams’ mother was. In turn, Williams helped a lot of people and received very little credit for it. Bellard gives the following example of his generosity. “Williams and his band, The Drifting Cowboys, frequented an old barbecue stand owned by blacks, and one time, as they were leaving, an elderly lady ran out to tell him he had dropped his money clip. He usually carried several hundred dollars on him and he had dropped the money on purpose as a gift.” Bellard adds, “This was just his way of sharing what he had.”
Adding to Williams’ connection to blues and black musicians, the black quartet the Southwind Singers performed at his funeral, which very few white people in Montgomery, Alabama, had at the time. This was done as a tribute to Williams’ love of black gospel and blues music.
“In Williams,” Bellard says, “music has a legend so enduring he is still the model for countless singer/songwriters.” Bellard states Williams was the first artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, a tribute indicative of his impact. Williams later became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Bellard proclaims, “Legends rarely look like legends when they are being made, but Hank Williams was a legend in his own time, and it is safe to say Mr. Rufus ‘Tee-Tot” Payne has become a blues legend in our time and in our little town.”
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