Audrey Williams

Audrey Mae Sheppard Williams (February 28, 1923 – November 4, 1975) was an American musician known for being the first wife of country music singer and songwriter Hank Williams, the mother of Hank Williams Jr. and the grandmother of Hank Williams III and Holly Williams. Early life and marriages Sheppard was born in Banks, Alabama, the daughter of Artie Mae (née Harden; 1903–1976) and Charles "Shelton" Sheppard. She grew up on a farm owned and worked by her parents. Sheppard's first husband was James Erskine Guy, whom she married when she was a high-school senior. The couple separated soon after their daughter Lycrecia was born in 1941. Sheppard met Hank Williams in 1943. Despite the objections of Williams's mother and bandmates, Sheppard was added to the band as an occasional singer and upright bass player. In December 1944, the two were married 10 days after the finalization of Sheppard's divorce from her first husband. The ceremony was performed by a justice of the peace at the officiant's gas station in Andalusia, Alabama. Music career Soon after their wedding, Williams took the role of her husband's unofficial manager, a position previously held by her mother-in-law, Lillie Williams. The couple visited Nashville with the intent of meeting songwriter and music publisher Fred Rose of Acuff-Rose Publishing. The meeting resulted in Hank Williams recording two singles for Sterling Records: “Never Again” in December 1946 and “Honky Tonkin’” in February 1947. Both proved successful and a contract was signed with MGM Records in 1947, with Rose becoming the singer's official manager and record producer.