On Saturday, January 10th, the Grand Ole Opry paid tribute to Hank Williams as part of their 100th Anniversary celebration. Held at the Opry’s original home, The Ryman Auditorium, the presentation featured Mandy Barnett, The Grascals, John Foster, Chuck Mead, as well as Hank Williams grandchildren Hilary, Holly, and Sam Williams performing the songs of Hank.
January 10th would have been the perfect time to put to bed a long-running controversy with the Grand Ole Opry about how Hank Williams was kicked out for drunkenness and missing rehearsals in 1952. Though nobody holds it against the Opry for not putting up with Hank’s behavior, the Opry promised that if Hank could clean up his act, they would welcome him back. Hank Williams never got that opportunity. The country legend passed away in the back of his Cadillac on New Years Day, 1953.
Hank Williams III founded the The Reinstate Hank movement back in 2003 in an effort to get the Grand Ole Opry to recognize his grandfather, and symbolically reinstate him into the Grand Ole Opry. The Reinstate Hank online petition now has over 62,000 signatures on it. Hilary and Holly Williams have signed it, as have country legends such as Kris Kristofferson and Charlie Louvin.
Saturday, January 10th at the Ryman Auditorium where Hank reportedly took six encores upon his debut on the stage would have made the perfect, storybook moment to Reinstate Hank. But did not happen. Proponents of the Reinstate Hank movement had renewed hope it might occur after Keith Whitley was recently ceremoniously inducted in October of 2023 as part of a Keith Whitley tribute.
The Grand Ole Opry ceremoniously inducted Keith Whitley after citing how Whitley was set to be inducted before he passed away on May 9th, 1989 due to alcoholism—eerily similar circumstances to the Hank Williams Opry story. Keith Whitley was posthumously inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member, taking into consideration that his alcoholism got in the way of it happening in life—the same thing the Reinstate Hank movement, 62,000+ signatories, and Hank’s family have been saying for over 20 years.
It would have been nothing for the Opry to offer this simple token gesture to the Hank Williams family on Saturday. Instead, on Sunday, January 11th, the Grand Ole Opry issued the following statement.
All the names enshrined in the Opry member gallery backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House represent artists who are part of the Opry’s history as past or current members of the Grand Ole Opry cast. Over the course of 100 years, many artists became members and remained active throughout their lives.
During earlier eras, some artists stepped away from the cast to pursue fuller touring schedules or for a variety of other reasons.
Amid numerous personal struggles, Hank Williams was dismissed from the Opry by management in August of 1952. Less than six months later, he passed away before there was an opportunity for his relationship with the Opry to be repaired while he was alive.
Like other artists whose time with the Opry ended under complicated circumstances, Hank Williams’ music and influence remain central to the Opry and country music’s past, present, and future. His name stands, and will always stand, alongside other past and current members in the Opry Member Gallery, in recognition of his enduring contributions to our legacy.
Thank you, Hank — and thank you to all who continue to sing his songs and carry his music across the Opry airwaves.
You almost feel bad for the Opry, because they clearly were facing public pressure, felt the need to address the matter, and believed some complex statement would soothe the tension, or solve this ongoing drama. However, it would have been even easier to simply make up a symbolic plaque, or even to make a more succinct statement from the stage certifying and cementing that Hank Williams was, is, and always will be a Grand Ole Opry member, which is what they seemed to attempt to do with the statement, but clumsily inflamed tensions, and ripped the scab off the wound.
“Yes, he should be reinstated as his music still has influence as it was even stated last night. What a night it would have been— to have done that, have Hank Jr receive it and him sing his dad’s song that received 6 encores. Then close the night with all the family singing, I Saw the Light!” says the most popular comment under the Opry’s statement.
The 2nd most popular statement reads, “Let’s start with Thank You to the fabulous turn out and performances by the entire Williams family. Truly a special night for everyone.
“The Opry on the other hand is a different story, they really dropped the ball. Their arrogance of singing Hank’s praise and accomplishments leading you to believe they was going to reinstate Hank then fall short of actually doing the right thing. They truly forfeited the opportunity to honorably celebrate Hank Williams ever again. How can you praise a man and shun him all at the same time. #opryfail #hankwilliams”
Another comment reads, “They are sending a double Standard Statement to the public and that’s not far to Hanks Legacy and his family and Fans for generations to come. Someone who really cares needs to step forward to change it.His name has the right to be recognized. Come on Opry Community.Get it done!”
In fact, the majority of the comments beneath the Opry’s statement bring up Reinstate Hank, and disappointment that the Opry did not take the opportunity of January 10th to make it happen.
Within the Opry’s statement seems to be the assertion by the Opry that Hank Williams doesn’t need to be reinstated because he never left. But heretofore, that has not been the position of the Grand Ole Opry.
The Opry manager who was in charge when Hank Williams III first made the request to have Hank reinstated was Pete Fisher. He responded with, “We’ll never reinstate a dead guy.“
In 2020 when current Grand Ole Opry manager Dan Rogers took charge, he said about the issue, “Had Hank Williams lived, there is little doubt in my mind that…I would hope he would have returned to the Opry and all would have been great and right in the world. Unfortunately, he didn’t,” … implying he still was not reinstated.
Now, after punting at such a golden opportunity to put the issue to bed, The Grand Ole Opry’s has not only exacerbated the matter with their statement, it also makes it feel like an impossibility it will ever happen. And due to the heat the Opry gets every time Hank Williams is broached, they have a perverse incentive to never broach Hank Williams.
It all feels like a tragically missed opportunity to alleviate the drama behind the issue, honor the legacy of Hank Williams, and complete the circle when it comes to the legacy of Hank Williams and the Grand Ole Opry.
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