My father was friends with Hank Williams after they both dropped out of junior high school. By that I do not mean acquaintances. I mean close friends. Earlobe thumping friends. So close in fact that, fortunately for me, Williams scolded him about dating any girl but (eventually) my mother when they double-dated. They remained friends through the short but brilliant music career that tragically ended in a baby-blue Cadillac convertible January 1, 1953 at 10 a.m. This is written in the context of respect and affection for the man that made it possible for me to be here writing this blog about a visit to his grave on January 1, 2012 at 10 a.m. with the Lunch in the Gump Gang.
In case you did not know, there is a ceremony sponsored by the Hank Williams Museum every New Year's Day at 10 a.m. at the top of the hill in the 'new' or 'annex' part of Oakwood Cemetery. Hank Williams' fans from all over the world attend. It occurs at Hank Williams' grave which sits overlooking north Montgomery immediately beside the graves of the British and French officers and enlisted men who died in Montgomery during WWII trying to learn how to fly planes at Maxwell AFB.
It is a moving service they hold. A brief sermon and then the crowd sings "I saw the light" accompanied by old Gibson guitars strummed by talented musicians.
At the last "amen" our gang pulled cups filled with Conecuh Ridge from under our jackets and slugged them down in unison. It was a nice pairing for the occasion.
You see, our LITG entourage was there not only to pay homage to my father's friend, but to ensure that all of us would have good fortune in 2012. It is a strongly held belief among some members of LITG that having a shot of Bourbon on New Year's Day at Hank Williams' grave will bring you good luck in the new year. For proof you will have to accept anecdotal evidence.
Two years ago one of our member was invited to attend the ceremonies. Like for many of us, it had been for them a bad year, financially and to some extent personally. Having your name in the paper related to a foreclosure notice is never pleasant and rarely ends well. However, he believes the bourbon that burned his throat on Jan. 1, 2010, turned his luck around. There is no doubt that his fortunes have improved since then.
So, this year, we all piled into his SUV at 9:15 a.m. and rode up to Oakwood to see the crowd standing before the grave of a departed country music icon who grew up on Conecuh Ridge in Conecuh County but whom we in the Gump claim as our own. We poured our shots of Conecuh Ridge-Alabama's Official Whiskey-in our shot glasses and somberly joined the multitude. There, after the refrain of "Praise the Lord, I saw the light" rolled over the headstones of 18-23 year-old "only" British sons containing the engraved messages from their parents, we toasted the Gump's own Hank Williams and we wished each other and all of you a prosperous and happy new year for 2012.
It was a brunch in the Gump unique to the Gump.
