This EP establishes that Hank Williams IV is not just a lark. No matter where he fits in the Hank Williams legacy, Ricky Fitzgerald fits somewhere, and that helps ensure the future of that legacy.
Could it be that the most important and influential bloodline in country music history actually has a lost branch? Country History X Episode #11 delves into this complicated and convoluted story, while now a 4th generation of performers have emerged looking to carry on Hank’s name.
There are many incredibly important legacy families to the country music lineage, from the Carter’s to the Cash’s. But arguably no crop of performers have offered more entertainment, influence, intrigue, and tragedy than the family tree that sprouts from the loins of Hank Williams.
There’s a new performer on the way, and he’s one that has a legitimate claim to arguably the most important bloodline in country music history. That’s right, the son of Hank Williams III is getting ready to emerge, and to do so under the moniker “IV.”
It was nearly five years ago now that Saving Country Music first delved into the subject of whether there was indeed a legitimate fourth generation member of the most legendary name in country music history: Hank Williams. Of course we all know about the original Hank Williams, whose birth name was actually Hiram King Williams, and who was country music’s first superstar.
This is a questions I get here at Saving Country Music quite often. The mythology and legacy of the Hank Williams name is so robust, some folks just can’t imagine it ever coming to an end. The requirement is simple though. For someone to be a true Hank Williams, they would need to be a son of Hank Williams III, and that son would need to be named Hank, at least in some way.