Born 5 days after the unexpected and surprising death of her Legendary Father; Jett Williams says if she made up the story of her life it wouldn’t compare to the real thing; others agree. She was born Antha Belle Jett in Montgomery, Alabama---the daughter of Bobbie Jett of Nashville, TN and Hank Williams. On the previous October 15th, some 10 weeks before his death, Hank Williams signed a pre-birth custody contract regarding the baby Bobbie was carrying. In it he admitted paternity and did something most unusual – he took full custody of his unborn child, leaving Bobbie with visitation rights and a one way ticket to California. The agreement further provided that Bobbie was to live with Hank’s mother, Lillian, in her Montgomery, AL boarding house, during the remaining term of her pregnancy. Hank Williams – America’s first superstar – just didn’t count on dying at 29. But he did and was pronounced dead in Oak Hill, WV on Sunday, January 1st, 1953, on his way to the concert he never gave. He left behind a catalogue of music more vibrant, alive, soulful and soul searching today than on that cold winter’s day of his death. He left behind a legend, a legacy and a small baby girl. He also left behind greedy overreaching lawyers, administrators, publishers, and others, not to mention a sinister sister, an ex-wife that wanted to be the bereaved widow and a bereaved widow who, like the ex-wife, wanted to be a singing star. What none of these folks wanted was the newborn baby girl – save one. Hank’s mother, Lillian, wanted the baby – she said it was all she had left of her dead son. Convinced that adopting the baby was the best recourse, she proved to a moral certainty to the State of Alabama that she was the paternal grandmother and, after a two year ordeal, she adopted the child, renaming her Catherine Yvonne. She died two weeks later at the age of 57 and, within hours; Jett was an orphan and a ward of the State of Alabama. After several foster homes, Jett was adopted again and raised in Mobile, without a clue as to her true identity and under the thumb of a legal system that had sealed all her records to prevent her from ever finding out. n the early 1980’s, Jett went on a search for her true identity. Dead end after dead end and failure after failure led her eventually to Keith Adkinson, an investigative attorney from Washington, DC, whom she later married. That professional and personal union led to 9 years of litigation and an unraveling of the web of deceit so artfully woven for so long by so many. In October, 1987, the Alabama Circuit Court ruled that Hank Williams was Jett’s father; In July, 1989, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that Jett was defrauded and awarded her one-half of her daddy’s estate. In July, 1992, the Federal Court in New York awarded Jett her share of her father’s copyright renewal royalties. In the meantime, Jett and Keith relocated to Nashville, where she was produced by Owen Bradley. She made her professional singing debut on June 4th, 1989 in Evergreen, AL and began touring the world shortly thereafter backed by her dad’s old band, The Drifting Cowboys. Jett wrote her autobiography, Ain’t Nothing As Sweet As My Baby, in 1990 and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry in December, 1993. On a more personal note, Jett and Keith make it a point to “give back” to their community by, among other things, being the largest scholarship donors in their county. Jett’s prowess as a communicator has expanded beyond her entertainer, recording and book writing initiatives. She has become a motivational speaker for various women’s professional groups and adoption organizations. Most recently, she partnered with the Orphan Foundation of America as their national spokesperson. Jett’s saga is truly the stuff movies are made of. And truth is stranger than fiction. Still singing the songs of her Legendary Father, the daughter of Luke The Drifter has created a new legacy of The Legend, a little girl hed have been proud of, especially since she doest have the desire to roam, but rather has grown roots, along with others of her family, and has established a budding oak where an acorn named Hank Williams was planted so many years ago. Happy Birthday Jett, youre story will cause anyone to admit.......
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 19:32:12 +0000
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