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All the United States Alabama Montgomery Hank Williams's Gravesite
AO Edited

Hank Williams's Gravesite

The country music legend's grave is surrounded by Astroturf because fans kept plucking out the grass.

Montgomery, Alabama

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Rachel M
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The bright green Astroturf that surrounds the graves of Hank Williams and his wife Audrey.   Mom0ja / Atlas Obscura User
The bright green Astroturf that surrounds the graves of Hank Williams and his wife Audrey.   Mom0ja / Atlas Obscura User
A statue of the man himself, sporting his signature hat.   Mom0ja / Atlas Obscura User
A marble replica of his signature cowboy hat.   Mom0ja / Atlas Obscura User
The monument at his grave.   Mom0ja / Atlas Obscura User
He is buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama.   Mom0ja / Atlas Obscura User
A suggestion from Hank Williams Jr.   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Gravesite   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  The Anonymoose Traveler / Atlas Obscura User
Hanks hat in stone 4-18-17   geraldledford / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Hank & Audrey   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Sign   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
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About

There’s a superfan and then there’s a superfan who will pluck out grass from their favorite singer’s grave as a keepsake. Hank Williams, in his brief but memorable country music career, managed to accumulate a number of the latter.

In fact, the natural grass at his gravesite in Montgomery, Alabama, had to be replaced with Astroturf when it became impossible for grass to grow there because of the overzealous plucking. Today, the bright green of the artificial turf around the graves of Williams and his wife, Audrey, makes them stand out at Oakwood Cemetery where the couple is interred.

The musician affectionately known as the King of Country Music was born Hiram King in 1923, and got his first guitar at the age of eight. Influenced by blues musicians, he began entering talent contests in his teens and later delivered his first big hit song “Move It On Over” in 1947. He became a member of the iconic country concert stage, the Grand Ole Opry, but his later problems with substance abuse led to his dismissal from it. His final years were shadowed by personal and health issues, but he continued to produce hits like “Hey, Good Lookin” and “I’m So Lonesome I could Cry.”

Williams died of heart failure in 1953, while on his way to a New Year's Day show. He was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery Annex, and his gravesite contains a marble replica of his signature cowboy hat, along with two white marble monuments rising from the bright green turf.

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Music Death Graveyards Cemeteries Gravestones Graves

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A large sign at the entrance points the way to the gravesite. While visiting Montgomery, you can also see the Hank Williams Museum on Commerce Street, and the life-size bronze Hank Williams statue (previously placed near his funeral site, it now resides near the river a few blocks from the museum).

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Added By

Mom0ja

Edited By

Blindcolour, AdventureBro, Collector of Experiences, geraldledford...

  • Blindcolour
  • AdventureBro
  • Collector of Experiences
  • geraldledford
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • The Anonymoose Traveler

Published

April 21, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.cmt.com/artists/hank-williams/biography/
  • http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/hank-williams-about-hank-williams/734/
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12095
  • http://www.eyeflare.com/article/hank-williams-astroturf-grave-montgomery-al/
Hank Williams's Gravesite
1269-1399 Upper Wetumpka Rd
Montgomery, Alabama
United States
32.385422, -86.291064
Get Directions

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