The first verse of “Jambalaya” is, “Goodbye, Joe. Me gotta go. Me, oh; my oh! Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou. My Yvonne, the sweetest one! Me oh, my oh. Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.”

Born Hiram Williams on 9/17/23, in Mount Olive, Alabama, Hank met Rufus Payne (2/4/1883 – 3/17/1939), an African-American blues musician, at age 8. Payne's nickname, "Tee Tot," is a corruption of teatotaler, one who does not drink alcoholic beverages. Tee Tot is said to have carried a container of homemade tea and booze wherever he went. He taught young Hank how to play guitar, in exchange for money and food.

In 1937, Williams moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where WSFA hired him to play and host a 15-minute radio program. He formed a back-up band and quit school to make music.

He became an enormously successful songwriter and popular guitarist/singer, whose music is still being covered. Of the 35 Hank Williams hits to make the “Billboard” Country/Western chart, five were released after his death. Of the 11 to hit the top of the chart, three were released posthumously. He has been inducted into several music halls of fame.

Chronic, intense back pain led Mr. Williams to prescription pain relievers and alcohol. He was dismissed from the “Grand Ole Opry” due to related intoxication and unreliability. He passed away on New Year’s Day, 1953, months short of his 30th birthday, from heart failure attributed to alcoholism and prescription drugs.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org