Country music pioneer Hank Williams’ life was, in many ways, bookmarked by notable rides in the backseat of various cars. Of course, the most memorable instance was Williams’ death in the back of the car that a college student, Charles Carr, was driving from Alabama to Tennessee. But even years earlier, Williams would be forever changed by occurrences that happened mid-trip.
According to country music legend, one such ride took place in January 1947, during which Williams wrote what would become his best-known gospel song, “I Saw The Light”. In his biography of Williams, author Colin Escott wrote, “If all the people who had later claimed to be in the car with him that night had actually been there, Hank would have needed a 20-passenger bus.”
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With that in mind, one wonders how the song’s true origin changed over the course of countless retellings and revisions. Still, Escott referenced one of the more consistent stories that came from Leaborne Eads, a businessman who had handed out flyers for a local Williams show at the request of the country singer’s mom.
Hank Williams Turned a Drunken Car Ride Into His Gospel Hit, “I Saw The Light”
Per Leaborne Eads’ recollection, “Mizz Williams had given me money to hand out circulars at Fort Deposit. Hank was higher than a kite by the time the show was over. She drove home, and he was in the back seat, sleepin’ it off. There was a beacon light near Dannelly Field Airport, and Mizz Williams knew it always took time to get Hank awake when he was drunk like that. So, she turned around and told him, ‘Hank, wake up. We’re nearly home. I just saw the light.’ Between there and home, he wrote the song.”
Although Williams’ rendition of “I Saw The Light” wasn’t a commercial success by definition, the song became a cornerstone of his career. It was one of Williams’ most ubiquitous country gospel tunes, despite the fact that it never topped the charts. Several artists have released their own renditions of the song, including Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Merle Haggard, Crystal Gayle, Earl Scruggs, and Johnny Cash.
Williams later began incorporating “I Saw The Light” into his live performances as a closing track. Not bad for a song that he wrote fresh out of a nap-induced, groggy stupor.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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