On this day, December 31, 1952, an ice storm caused Hank Williams to cancel a New Year's Eve concert.
Death of Hank Williams
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Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia. Williams had to cancel the concert due to an ice storm; he hired college student Charles Carr to drive him to his next appearance, a concert on New Year's Day 1953, at the Canton Memorial Auditorium in Canton, Ohio. In Knoxville, Tennessee, the two stopped at the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Carr requested a doctor for Williams, who was feeling the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he consumed on the way from Montgomery. A doctor injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that contained morphine. Carr talked to Williams for the last time when they stopped at a restaurant in Bristol, Virginia.
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Three days earlier, he had sung "Jambalaya," "You Win Again," "Cold, Cold Heart," and "Lovesick Blues" at the Elite Cafe (there's no accent mark) in Montgomery, Alabama. It would turn out to be his last public performance.
Mon Dec 30, 2024:
On December 28, 1952, Hank Williams sang a few songs at the Elite Cafe in Montgomery, Alabama.
December 28, 2016
On Sunday, Dec. 28, 1952, Hank Williams and his new bride, Billie Jean, attended a musicians union meeting at the Elite Cafe in Montgomery, Ala., where he was asked to sing a few songs. The performance, only four days before his death, would be his last. By all accounts, this photo taken that night at the Elite Cafe is the last known photograph of Hank Williams alive.
The Elite Cafe (pronounced E-light), noted for its steaks and seafood, opened in 1911 on Montgomery Street. The building still stands today, one block from the Hank Williams Museum.
Hank Williams Timeline
12/28/52 Hank plays private Musicians Union benefit in Montgomery at the Elite Cafe. Last known photo of Hank alive taken at the show. Performs "Jambalaya," "You Win Again," Cold Cold Heart, " and "Lovesick Blues"
Sun Dec 31, 2023:
On this day, December 31, 1952, an ice storm caused Hank Williams to cancel a New Year's Eve concert.
Sat Dec 30, 2023:
On December 28, 1952, Hank Williams sang a few songs at the Elite Cafe in Montgomery, Alabama.
Sat Dec 31, 2022:
On this day, December 31, 1952, an ice storm caused Hank Williams to cancel a NYE concert.
Fri Dec 31, 2021:
On this day, December 31, 1952, an ice storm caused Hank Williams to cancel a NYE concert.