MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WSFA ) - Sept. 17 would have been Hank Williams’ 101st birthday. Montgomery will celebrate a few days early at the Davis Theatre, on Saturday, You can join the celebration for Hank Williams 101 . The party starts at 3 p.m., and tickets are still available. If you can’t attend the party on Saturday, you can really celebrate his life at any time.

“Montgomery is the place Hank Williams got his start,” said Jeff Petty, a volunteer at the Hank Williams Museum in downtown Montgomery. It was on these streets that Hank Williams learned his craft, how to write a song, how to sing, and most importantly, how to perform. Hank won his first talent show at the old Empire Theater at the age of 15.”

Although he lived only 29 years, some say he was country music’s first superstar. Everything you need to know about Hank Williams is right here.

“Everything we have here is authentic,” Petty says of the museum.

A number of the pieces in the museum were donated by his son, Hank Williams Jr.

“Many of the personal items we have at the museum that belonged to Hank Williams came here on a handshake deal,” Petty explained.

“This is the 1952 Cadillac Continental convertible. It’s the vehicle he passed away in while on the way to a show in Canton, Ohio.”

His concert outfits, records, and even the piano he learned to play on are all in this building.

“We have a corner of country music that can’t be found anywhere else. You can’t find it in Nashville. You can’t find it in Texas. You have to come to Montgomery, Alabama, to see it.”

Before the Grand Ole Opry, his voice came over the radio in the capital city.

Williams’ life was tragically short, but his music will live on forever. His story is right here in downtown Montgomery, along County Road 12.

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