Hank's Pulitzer

Hank Williams, who was everything a singer-songwriter should be, has been awarded a citation by the Pulitzer Prize committee.  Sig Gissier, administrator of the Pulitzer Prize awards, called Williams "a creative force that influenced a wide range of other musicians" and spoke of his "lasting impact."

Good to see that the Pulitzer people have lightened up.  In 1965, the jury for the music award (to be given, in Joseph Pulitzer's words, for "distinguished musical composition") chose Duke Ellington.  The Pulitzer board of that time refused to give Ellington the award.  The jury, including Winthrop Sargeant, immediately resigned.  Duke, with his usual graciousness, said, "Fate is being kind to me.  Fate doesn't want me to be too famous too young."  He was then sixty-seven. 

Wynton Marsalis, in 1997, was the first jazz composer to be awarded a Pulitzer.  Since then, special citations have gone to Bob Dylan, and (posthumously) to Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.

Hank Williams is the first artist in the Grand Ole Opry club to be awarded a Pulitzer.  He was an astonishingly prolific composer: "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Half as Much," "Jambalaya," "Kaw-liga," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "I Saw the Light," "Move It On Over," "Lovesick Blues," "Mind Your Own Business," "Cold Cold Heart."  And that's just a handful.  If you are so inclined, and if there are any record shops left, look for "Hank Williams:  40 Greatest Hits," a two-CD set by Polydor.  

Speakeasy, the Wall Street Journal blog, has it right when it says the Pulitzer committee finally "saw the light. "  And on the blog, which you can easily google, there is a wonderful video of Hank performing "Cold Cold Heart," a song he says "has been awful good to me and the boys--bought us quite a few beans and biscuits."

One last, favorite story:  When Mitch Miller was A&R director at Columbia, he had Tony Bennett record "Cold Cold Heart."  The record sold a trigillion copies.  Then Tony got a telephone call from Hank Williams:  "Mr. Bennett?" he said, "You the one who's ruining my song?"