On This Day in 1952, Hank Williams Was Fired from the Grand Ole Opry and Was Never Reinstated

On this day (August 11) in 1952, the Grand Ole Opry chose to fire Hank Williams. The decision came after he missed a scheduled appearance on the lauded radio show. While he is hailed as one of the most important and influential artists in the genre’s history, he was never reinstated.

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Fans called Williams back to the stage for six encores when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in June 1949. He became an official member of the institution the same year and consistently drew excited crowds of country fans. At the same time, people across the country were buying his singles and albums. However, his life was getting harder behind the scenes. He was in near-constant pain that drove him to regularly mix prescription painkillers with alcohol.

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

Things came to a head on August 9, 1952, when he missed a scheduled appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. Two days later, Opry manager Jim Denny chose to fire Williams. Denny reportedly hoped the termination would serve as a wake-up call for the “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” singer and planned to reinstate him in the future. However, Williams died months later, on New Year’s Day of 1953.

Hank Williams Will Never Have His Grand Ole Opry Membership Reinstated

Hank Williams is a major part of the history of both Country Music and the Grand Ole Opry. As a result, many fans hoped to one day see his membership reinstated. In 2003, his grandson, Hank III, started a petition to get him reinstated, but it didn’t work.

Dan Rogers, the Grand Ole Opry’s senior vice president and executive producer, spoke to Rolling Stone about his work with country music’s oldest institution. During the conversation, he explained why Williams will never be reinstated.

“Hank Williams will always be a treasured past member of the Grand Ole Opry,” Rogers began. “The Grand Ole Opry is made of living, breathing artists who can contribute to the show, and to whom the Opry can give back. We have a long list in the member gallery of folks who have been members of the Opry from Uncle Jimmy Thompson, who preceded what Opry membership even meant,” he explained.

“Had Hank Williams lived, there is little doubt in my mind that–I would hope that he would have returned to the Opry and all would have been great and right in the world. Unfortunately, he didn’t,” Rogers continued. “I hope the world knows how everyone at the Opry is thankful for and respects all of his contributions.”

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