Audrey Williams: The Original Drifting Cowgirl

Audrey Williams: The Original Drifting Cowgirl: She Couldn’t Sing! Audrey Williams’ claim to fame was her marriage to country music legend Hank Williams. She also longed for a music career of her own and being the wife of Hank opened doors for her. Her desire for fame led to a series of unsuccessful duets with Hank. Audrey also embarked on a solo career in the 1950s with a backing vocal group called the Cold, Cold Hearts. Audrey played a role in her husband’s rise to fame and a central role in launching the career of her son, Hank Williams Junior. Audrey Mae Sheppard was born in 1923 in Banks, Alabama, USA. Known as Audrey Williams, she was the first wife of the legendary Hank Williams Sr. and mother of Hank Williams Jr. Audrey met Hank in 1943 while he was playing a medicine show. The following year, the couple married and moved into his mother’s (Lillie) boarding house. Audrey became Hank’s manager soon after. By 1946, Williams was a local celebrity, but he was unable to make much headway nationally. With Audrey taking up the motivational role that had once been the exclusive preserve of Hank’s mother, the newly-wedded couple traveled to Nashville intending to meeting Fred Rose. An executive at Acuff-Rose Publishing, Fred’s forte was songwriting and music publishing. Rose liked Hank’s songs and arranged a recording session with Sterling Records, which resulted in two singles: Never Again (1946) and Honky Tonkin’ (1947). Both were moderately successful and Hank signed a …