On This Day in 1949, Hank Williams Made His Grand Ole Opry Debut After Releasing One of the Biggest Hits of His Career

On this day (June 11) in 1949, Hank Williams made his Grand Ole Opry debut. The performance went down in history as one of the most electrifying in Opry history. The audience demanded several encores and had to be implored to stop asking for more so Williams could leave the venue. It was the beginning of a tragically short partnership between Williams and the Grand Ole Opry.

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According to History, Williams had already gained a reputation as a heavy drinker. As a result, the Grand Ole Opry refused to invite him to perform. Instead, he was a regular on The Louisiana Hayride. Then, he released “Lovesick Blues” in February 1949. It was a massive hit, spending 16 weeks at No. 1. At that point, the Opry could no longer ignore the drawing power of Williams.

[RELATED: Watch Hank Williams Perform His Most Lucrative Single During His Last Ever National TV Appearance]

When he took the Grand Ole Opry stage for the first time, Williams performed “Lovesick Blues.” The crowd loved it so much they called him back to the stage for an encore. He came out and performed the song again. This happened five more times. Then, the Opry hosts had to all but beg the crowd to stop calling Williams back to the stage so the rest of the night’s scheduled acts could go on.

Williams became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry. Three years later, though, in 1952, his heavy drinking and use of painkillers led to his being fired from the Opry. He died on New Year’s Day, 1953.

Hank Williams Scores His First No. 1 with “Lovesick Blues”

Hank Williams wrote some of the greatest songs in country music history. So, it may surprise some to learn that he didn’t write his first No. 1 single. “Lovesick Blues” was more than 20 years old before Williams performed it for the first time on The Louisiana Hayride in 1948.

Written by Cliff Friend and Irving Mills, “Lovesick Blues” originally appeared in the musical Oh, Ernest in 1922. Several artists recorded the song between 1922 and 1949, when Williams released it as a single. Among those who cut the song were Emmett Miller and Rex Griffin. Their recordings inspired Williams to start performing and later record the song.

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