One Last Time For Hank Williams – Today In Country Music History [VIDEO]

1952   One Last Time In The Studio For Hank Williams

Hank Williams records "Take These Chains From My Heart," "Kaw-liga" and "Your Cheatin' Heart" during what proves to be his final recording session, at the Castle Studio in Nashville's Tulane Hotel.

"Kaw-Liga" was released posthumously in January 1953 and it remained No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart for 14 weeks. Kawliga is a community in central Alabama on Lake Martin. Named after a legendary Indian for which a wooden statue was later placed near the lake, the song was written by Hank when he was staying at a lakeside cabin that still stands today. It is myth that Hank was looking out of his window at the statue when he wrote the song. The original Indian statue was actually removed from the Hale Motor Company, the Pontiac dealership in Alexander City, after Hank’s death.

The flipside, "Your Cheatin' Heart," remained No. 1 on the country chart for 6 weeks. By 1952 Williams was enjoying a successful streak, and while his career was soaring, his marriage to Audrey Sheppard became turbulent. He developed serious problems with alcohol, morphine and painkillers prescribed to ease his severe back pain caused by spina bifida. The couple divorced on May 29, and Williams moved in with his mother.

Soon after, Williams met Billie Jean Jones backstage at the Ryman Auditorium. Williams started dating Jones and soon began to plan their marriage.While driving from Nashville, Tennessee to Shrevenport to announce the wedding to her parents, Williams talked to her about his previous marriage. He described Audrey Sheppard as a "cheatin' heart", adding that one day she would "have to pay". Inspired by his line, he instructed Jones to take his notebook and write down the lyrics of the song that he quickly dictated to her.

"Take These Chains from My Heart" was written by Fred Rose and Hy Heath. The song was the last of Hank Williams' number-one hits. Williams passed away on New Year's Eve 1952, while being driven to an appearance in Canton, OH. Cause of death was ruled to be "insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart," but many attribute his death to years of alcohol and prescription drug abuse.