YEAR
1987
INDUCTED BY
Seymour Stein
CATEGORY
Early Influences
Candid. Passionate. Captivating. Hank Williams set the stage for the modern country star.
Williams sang brutally honest songs about his life in the language of the everyman. His straightforward approach earned him a following that has stayed loyal throughout the years.
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Michael Hill
“Hey, Good Lookin’,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “You Win Again,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – these songs are among the classics of country music, and every one was written and sung by Hank Williams.
Williams brought country music into the modern era. He was an astonishingly prolific songwriter, a supremely expressive singer and a performer who blended barely repressed sexuality with an aura of tragic doom.
More from the class of 1987
