Editing Hank Williams (section)

===1940s===
[[File:Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys Cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Williams, Sheppard, and the Drifting Cowboys band in 1951]]
The American entry into [[World War II]] in 1941 marked the beginning of hard times for Williams. While he was [[Selective Training and Service Act|medically disqualified from military service]] after falling from a bull during a [[rodeo]] in Texas and suffering a back injury, his band members were all [[Selective Training and Service Act|drafted]] to serve. Many of their replacements quit the band due to Williams's worsening alcoholism, and in August 1942 WSFA fired him for "habitual drunkenness". Backstage during one of his concerts, Williams met [[Roy Acuff]], who warned him of the dangers of alcohol, saying, "You've got a million-dollar voice, son, but a ten-cent brain."{{sfn|Hemphill, Paul|2005|pp=39-40}}

He started a job as a shipfitter's helper for the [[Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company]] at [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] in 1942,{{sfn|Lipsitz|1994|p=26}} working there off and on for about a year and a half during the war. He also worked briefly at [[Kaiser Shipyards]] in Portland, Oregon, apparently lured by the free tickets, free accommodations, free training, and good wages offered by the company.{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|p=33}} In 1943, Williams met [[Audrey Williams|Audrey Sheppard]] at a [[medicine show]] in [[Banks, Alabama]]. According to Sheppard, she and Williams lived in a hotel in Mobile while they worked together at the shipyard for a short while.{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=34-35, 38-39}} Sheppard told Williams that she wanted to help him regain his radio show, and that they should move to Montgomery and start a band. The couple were married in 1944 at a [[Texaco]] gas station in [[Andalusia, Alabama]], by a justice of the peace. The marriage was technically invalid, since Sheppard's divorce from her previous husband did not comply with the legally required 60-day reconciliation period.{{sfn|Koon, George William|2001|pp=23-24}}

In 1945, back in Montgomery, Williams returned to WSFA radio. He attempted to expand his repertoire by writing original songs,{{sfn|Williams, Roger M.|1981|p=42}} and he published his first songbook, ''Original Songs of Hank Williams'', containing "I'm Not Coming Home Anymore" and several more original songs,{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=41-42}} nine in all, including one not written by him, "A Tramp on the Street".{{sfn|Williams, Hank|1945}} With Williams beginning to be recognized as a songwriter, Sheppard became his manager and occasionally sang and substituted on guitar when a band member did not make the show.{{sfn|Williams, Roger M.|1981|pp=56-57}}

On September 14, 1946, Williams auditioned for Nashville's [[Grand Ole Opry]] at the recommendation of [[Ernest Tubb]], but was rejected. After the failure of his audition, Williams and Audrey attempted to interest the recently formed music publishing firm [[Acuff-Rose Music]]. They approached [[Fred Rose (songwriter)|Fred Rose]], the president of the company, during one of his daily ping-pong games at WSM radio studios. Audrey asked Rose if her husband could sing a song for him at that moment, Rose agreed, and perceived that Williams had much promise as a songwriter.{{sfn|Williams, Roger M.|1981|pp=58-60}} Rose signed Williams to a six-song contract, and leveraged this deal to sign Williams with [[Sterling Records (US)|Sterling Records]]. On December 11, 1946, in his first recording session, Williams recorded "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul", "Calling You", "[[Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)]]", and "When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels", which was misprinted as "When God Comes and ''Fathers'' His Jewels".{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=59-60}} The Sterling releases of Williams's songs became successful, and Rose decided to find a larger label for future releases. The producer then approached the newly formed recording division of the [[Loews Corporation]], [[MGM Records]].{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=64-65}}
{{Listen |filename=Lovesick Blues Hank Williams.ogg |title=Lovesick Blues |description=A major hit for Hank Williams, "[[Lovesick Blues]]" moved him to the mainstream of country music and assured him a position in the [[Grand Ole Opry]].}}

Williams signed with MGM Records in 1947 and released "[[Move It On Over (song)|Move It on Over]]", which became a country hit.{{sfn|Williams, Roger M.|1981|pp=66-67}} In 1948, he moved to [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], and joined the ''[[Louisiana Hayride]]'', a radio show broadcast on [[KWKH]] that brought him into living rooms all over the Southeastern United States, appearing in weekend shows. As part of the arrangement, Williams got a program on the station and bookings through the ''Hayride''{{'s}} artist service to perform across western Louisiana and eastern Texas, always returning on Saturdays for the show's weekly broadcast.{{sfn|Williams, Roger M.|1981|pp=69-71}} After a few more moderate hits, in 1949 he released his version of the 1922 [[Cliff Friend]] and [[Irving Mills]] song "[[Lovesick Blues]]", made popular by [[Rex Griffin]].{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=98-99}} Williams's version was a hit; the song stayed at number one on the ''Billboard'' charts for four consecutive months.{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=100}} Following the success of the releases of "Lovesick Blues" and "[[Wedding Bells (Hank Williams song)|Wedding Bells]]", Williams signed a management contract with Oscar Davis. Davis then booked the singer on a ''Grand Ole Opry'' package show, and he later negotiated Williams's induction into the musical troupe.{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|pp=109, 113, 116}}

On June 11, 1949, Williams made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, where he received six [[encore]]s.{{sfn|Koon, George William|2001|pp=41-42}} He brought together Bob McNett (guitar), [[Hillous Butrum]] ([[Double bass|bass]]), [[Jerry Rivers]] ([[fiddle]]) and [[Don Helms]] ([[steel guitar]]) to form the most famous version of the Drifting Cowboys.{{sfn|Koon, George William|2001|pp=46-50}} That year Audrey Williams gave birth to Randall Hank Williams ([[Hank Williams Jr.]]).{{sfn|Koon, George William|2001|p=43}} During 1949, he joined the Grand Ole Opry's first European tour, performing in military bases in Germany and Austria.{{sfn|Escott, Colin|Merritt, George|MacEwen, William|2009|p=131}} Williams had five songs that ranked in the top five ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles that year including: "Wedding Bells", "[[Mind Your Own Business]]", "[[You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)]]", "[[My Bucket's Got a Hole in It]]", and "Lovesick Blues", which reached No. 1.{{sfn|Young, William H.|Young, Nancy K.|2010|p=235}}