Beason’s Barber Shop visited by Jett Williams, Alabama Tourism on Tuesday
By Joseph M. Morgan
joseph@southerntorch.com
FORT PAYNE, Ala.—Jett Williams, daughter of legendary country music star Hank Williams, visited Beason’s Barber Shop in Fort Payne on Tuesday as one of the stops on a promotional road tour for the new movie, “I Saw the Light,” detailing the life and times of Hank Williams.
Williams and crew began their trip at a premiere for “I Saw the Light” in Montgomery Monday night and stopped in Fort Payne on Tuesday afternoon at Beason’s. The route chosen by Jett, known as “The Last Ride,” follows the same path her father took along Highway 11 through the state of Alabama during the last week of his life while touring in December 1953 before he was found dead in Oak Hill, W. Va.
Representatives from the Alabama Department of Tourism also traveled with Jett this week to promote the Hank Williams Trail, a route through the state of Alabama for tourists and Hank Williams fans that will include a stop in Fort Payne and other cities that will be marked by historic markers.
Just hours before he passed away at the age of 29, Hank was in Fort Payne where he is said to have stopped for a haircut and a shave at Carter’s Barber Shop. The barber shop chair in which Hank received the last haircut of his life is on display today in Beason’s Barber Shop.
“The legacy of Hank Williams is an asset to the state of Alabama,” Alabama Tourism Director Rick Harmon said. “Tens of thousands of people to come to Alabama every year to visit the places he lived, where he stopped and the places that were important to him."
Fort Payne Mayor Larry Chesser said he believes the addition of Fort Payne to the Hank Williams Trail will benefit the city by promoting tourism.
“This is one of the many examples of the great musical heritage we have in Fort Payne,” Fort Payne Mayor Larry Chesser said. “There are a lot of well-known musicians that are from this area and have visited or performed in our city. This emphasizes the importance of what has happened here and continues to happen in terms of music. The trail will promote tourism and I’m for that. The addition of the Alabama (Band) statues downtown has already proven that music can do that. People come from all over the country to have their pictures made, and this will no doubt bring even more visitors to Fort Payne.”
Randy Grider, publisher of Lookout Alabama magazine, also spoke at the event. Grider’s 2013 article in Lookout Alabama received regional and even national attention and is what put Hank Williams stop in the city of Fort Payne on Jett Williams’ radar and sparked the conversation to add the city as a stop along the Hank Williams Trail.
“I didn’t set out to prove this was the barber chair he sat in,” Grider said. “As a journalist, I wanted to separate fact from fiction and tell the story as it happened. I like to conjecture that on that day, I think it was an enjoyable road trip. During my research, I learned that there was a lot of pressure on Hank during the last eight to 10 months and last 48 hours of his life. He was able to get away from the pressure on this trip and I think Fort Payne was a peaceful stop for him.”
Jett Williams spoke briefly to the large crowd gathered outside Beason’s before stepping inside to see the chair where her father received his last haircut.
“Thank you for coming out. It’s a great day to be in Fort Payne, Alabama,” Williams said. “ As the daughter of Hank Williams, I’m honored that Fort Payne still celebrates my father, his music and his legacy.”
Randy Grider’s 2013 article that appeared in Lookout Alabama tells the full story of Hank’s stop in Fort Payne. To read the article, “Haircut and a Shave,” that helped Fort Payne finally get the recognition it deserved as one of Hank’s final stops on “The Last Ride” and ultimately become a stop on the Hank Williams Trail, turn to page 3.
