Williams mother, Bobbie Jett, was six months pregnant with her when Hank Williams married his second wife, Billie Jean Eshliman. In a second twist, Lillian Stone also died a short time after the adoption was legal. Following her grandmother's death in 1955, Stone was made a ward of the state of Alabama and subsequently adopted by parents who renamed her Cathy Louise Deupree. He "knew a good 'patient' when he saw one and he hinted at a 'pleasant' way to handle the problems of exhaustion, depression, insomnia, and all the other assorted ills that tend to beset a harried man," according to Coronet magazine. Members of her fathers original backing band, The Drifting Cowboys, play for her whenever she performs, which she does with increasing frequency at state fairs, nightclubs and charity events. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Musically speaking, though, Williams identity has been clear for many years. WebIn 1986 Williams married Keith Adkinson, an investigative attorney who helped her discover her heritage. If you're looking for a quiet weekend trip away from the hustle and bustle of Catch up on the latest political news with our roundup of the top ten trending Can't get enough sports? Hank's mother, Lillie, and father, Lon, had briefly settled in a rural area of Alabama called Mount Olive, to start their family. Hank Williams Jr. appealed the case in federal court, but the ruling stood when the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the case in 1990. How much does Hank Williams Jr charge for a concert? They declined to discuss the case. Mae is preceded in death by her husband, Jesse Jett, parents, two sisters, Joy Williams and Lois Ice, Mother-in-law and Father-in The song, "Mansion on the Hill", landed Hank a publishing contract with Acuff-Rose. The ownership rights to more than three dozen never before commercially released Hank Williams Sr. recordings belong exclusively to the legendary country singer/songwriters two children, Jett and Hank Williams Jr., according to a Nashville court ruling issued by Chancery Court Judge Irwin Kilcrease last week. Jett Williamss income source is mostly from being a successful Singer. His shtick as the "Singing Kid" was so popular that he became a regular feature, hosting his own show twice a week. The child was left in the care of Hank Williams's mother, Lillian Williams Stone, who legally adopted the girl two years later and renamed her Catherine Yvone Stone. Audrey was a strong-willed woman who became Hank's booking agent, road manager and promoter. The judge in the case, Richard Emmet, has since said that the Mobile couple was worried about the emotional toll on their adopted child. The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday let stand two decisions affirming the inheritance claims of the lost daughter of country music legend Hank Williams. You're about the purtiest thing I ever saw," via Sing a Sad Song. During 1967-68 civil court proceedings that involved surviving Williams relatives, the Deuprees were notified that their daughter was a potential heir, but declined to act in her behalf. It is a story that has the ingredients of a Southern Gothic novel: a baby whose father dies five days before she is born and whose mother abandoned her; betrayal by relatives who placed her for adoption; a fight over an inheritance; the refusal of the legitimate son to recognize his illegitimate sibling; persistence in the face of great odds; a fortuitous discovery of a hidden document; and, for good measure, a love affair with and eventual marriage to the lawyer who helped right the wrongs. Unfortunately, she died in 1955, just three years after her son's death, so little Jett went into foster care, becoming a ward of the state before she was eventually adopted. b. Cathy Yvonne Williams, 6 January 1953, Montgomery, Alabama. His long term substance abuse also began to put a strain on his body, and at the end of 1951, he suffered a minor heart attack, according to Biography. She also performs four songs on the soundtrack of The Last Ride, a movie about her fathers life. In 2000, the Tennessee legislature passed HJR 621 designating May 18, 2000 as "Jett Williams Appreciation Day" in Macon County. Hank Williams' Daughter Didn't Know That He Was Her Father for Decades. He was previously married to Fletcher Keith Adkinson. When I got that contract and I knew that he wanted me and that he was my father, I just knew that I had to carry out his wishes, which I feel werent carried out.. I guess, as an adopted child, once you cross the barrier of I want to know then you pursue it. Also, the Drifting Cowboys departed that same month due to Hank's violent mood swings and unpredictability. This is not a happy time for either side, she said. Lon made his living as a logger, so they didn't stay in Mount Olive for long. A lawsuit was filed based on this discovery. The couple's relationship was stressful from the start. WebTransaction. Her husband is Keith Adkinson (m. 19862013), Michael Mayer (m. 1975). She was 27. In 1987, Jett Williams--as she is known professionally and to most of her friends but whose legal married name is Cathy Deupree Adkinson--established in She became an accomplished musician in her own right, performing under the name Jett Williams. 0:59. While his WSFA solo shows were successful, it was decided that in order to take his career as a country star to the next level, he would need to form a band. SS Jett Williams and assigned to He checked into the North Louisiana Sanitarium at the fall of 1951, but was unable to quit drinking for good. 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Phils 2023-24 season lineup celebrates the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall. When Lillian Stone died in February 1955, the 2-year-old became a ward of the state. Ranked #1 on "Life" Magazine's list of "The 100 Most Important People in Country Music" (1994). The next day, Williams was still unwell, curling up in the backseat and saying all he wanted was to sleep. She moved from Montgomery to Washington after she met and married Adkinson. Jett Williams in recent years has pursued a career as a country singer, and last October made her first professional appearance with members of the band that, 40 years ago, backed up her father. Was the third inductee in the Native American Music Hall of Fame in 1999 because of his Muskogee Creek and Tsalagi (Cherokee) ancestry. Until now, royalties have been divided between Billy Jean Williams, the singer's legal widow, and Williams Jr. Williams Jr. and Jett Williams have never met and have never spoken to one another. He made ends meet performing in small medicine shows, pitching cure-alls to crowds from a flatbed trailer. Hank Williams' Daughter Didn't Know That He Was Her Father for Decades. A Justice of the Peace married the couple outside of a Texaco Station in Andalusia, Alabama, before Sheppard completed the required 60-day waiting period following her divorce from her first husband, per Sing a Sad Song. He is known for The Last Ride (2011), Cottonmouth (2002) and Intimate Portrait (1990). Hank Williams daughter went to the state for eventual adoption. WebIn 1986 Williams married Keith Adkinson, an investigative attorney who helped her discover her heritage. As part of her battle to assemble the truth about her past, Williams has had to face unpalatable facts. His mother became the band manager, booking gigs in dance halls and honky-tonks, and collecting admission money. Married Billie Jean Jones in Minden, LA, then twice more the next day to paying audiences at New Orleans On September 28, 1986, Deupree and Adkinson married in Washington. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? New York Mets signed SS Jett Williams. In January 2006, the Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling stating Hank Williams' heirs son Randall Hank Williams and daughter Jett Williams, Hank Jr.'s half-sister have the sole rights to sell his old recordings made for a Nashville radio station in the early 1950s. Mrs. Adkinson was born in Montgomery in 1953, five days after the death of her father. Williams has worked tirelessly for charitable organizations and in matters of social importance and this was acknowledged in 2000 when the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing her work in Macon County where she lives, declaring 18 May 2000 as Jett Williams Appreciation Day. They made According to Hank Williams, So Lonesome, Marshall was actually a high school dropout, who had simply paid $35 to obtain a degree from the Chicago School of Applied Sciences that claimed he was a "Doctor of Science and Psychology." His mother was Audrey, and his step mothers were Bobbie Jett, who had his stepsister, and Billie Gean who was a widow just months after she married Williams, Sr. (Williams para.14). She also dated Faron Young, a country artist, for a while. WebOn September 28, 1987 Jett Williams and Keith Adkinson married. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Music was a big part of life in the lumber camps, and Williams received his first exposure to true Southern country music. Contacted by telephone in Texas, Irene Smith said she did not want to comment. For five intense years, they have lived with the emotional repercussions of intra-family litigation. - IMDb Mini Biography By: We have estimated Bon Iver Announce Summer 2023 Tour Were Not Getting Married' On October 26, 1987, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled she was entitled to her half-share in the Williams estate, as she had been the victim of fraud and judicial error. The estate was valued at $600,000. In her autobiography Jett Williams states that they met when Audrey and Hank Williams were still married. Move It on Over Move It on Over was Williams first charting song; it peaked at No 4. On 15 October 1952, Williams and Jett reached a legal agreement. In a misty gold twilight last September, singer Jett Williams, the daughter of Hank Williams, married Kelly Zumwalt, beautiful divorced mother of three. They agreed that Williams' mother, Lillie, would raise the baby, with Williams and Jett having visitation rights. Hank met his first wife Audrey Williams during a traveling medicine show and they were married in December 1944 at an Alabama gas station. (And in 1986, she married Adkinson.) Williams credited Payne as his only real music teacher, per the Alabama Historical Association. The couple were married in Louisiana by a Justice of the Peace on October 18, 1952, but Jones' divorce would not be officially finalized until October 28, 1952, In 1949, however, following the release of his hit "Lovesick Blues," it was a different story. WebHis mother was Audrey, and his step mothers were Bobbie Jett, who had his stepsister, and Billie Gean who was a widow just months after she married Williams, Sr. (Williams para.14). He died in 1939, but his musical legacy would live on in Williams. Hank Williams died on New Year's Day 1953, at age 29. Most young musicians were leaving to fight in the war, and any remaining potential replacements refused to work with Williams on account of his drunkenness and general unreliability. They hit it off, and Williams asked Sheppard to marry him almost immediately. Merle Kilgore, personal manager for Williams Jr., suggested that a new legal challenge might be mounted. Actor Adam West 60. His musical, "Hank Williams: Lost Highway" at the American Blues Theater in Chicago, IL, was awarded the 2014 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Midsize Musical Production. Is Hank Williams Jr still married to Mary Jane? Hank Williams met Bobbie Jett in Nashville. Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Hank died 13 days later on 1/1/53. "Absolutely fantastic, I'm thrilled to death," Jett Williams said yesterday. The couple left their estate to Fountain and other relatives. Official Sites. Stepfather of Lycretia Williams . USA. 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