Jett Williams, hija del legendario Hank Williams, nació en Montgomery, Alabama, cinco días después de que su padre muriese camino a Cantón, Ohio, donde debía actuar el día de Año Nuevo, 1953. Abandonada por su madre natural, Bobbie Jett de Nashville, el bebé fue llevado desde el hospital a casa de la madre de Hank, Lillian, quien la adoptó. Lillian, que comenzó su larguísimo proceso de adopción unos días después del entierro de Hank, completó la adopción en diciembre de 1954.

Lamentablemente, murió dos meses más tarde y la familia Williams no quiso saber más de la niña, a quien Lillian llamó Cathy Yvonne (para "Yvonne" en la canción "Jambalaya"). La familia Williams entregó a Jett a una casa de acogida del Estado de Alabama a la edad de tres años. Posteriormente adoptada por una familia de Mobile, Alabama, Jett fue llevada allí. Durante su juventud, Jett no tenia la menor idea de quienes eran sus padres naturales -- menos aún de que su padre era Hank Williams. Pero a una edad muy joven ella demostró un talento excepcional y natural para la música, para cantar, y para la guitarra. En los '80, instigada por su padre adoptivo y armada con unos pocos hechos y algunos rumores, Jett empezó la búsqueda de quien era ella y de donde venía. Después de años de esfuerzos inútiles, la fortuna le sonrió y Jett obtuvo pruebas positivas. Hank Williams era su padre, él que había hecho provisiones para ella y su bienestar. De hecho, tres meses antes de que Jett naciera, Hank había firmado una acta notarial para la custodia de su hija todavía no nacida.

Lo demás es historia. Jett Williams fue declarada por la orden del tribunal el 26 de octubre de 1987 hija biológica de Hank Williams. En el 5 de junio de 1989, el Tribunal Supremo del Estado de Alabama, encontró que Jett, desde nacimiento, había sido víctima de fraude. El Tribunal Supremo hizo a Jett Williams heredera legal de Hank Williams.

Uno de los pocos hilos conductores en su vida ha sido su guitarra. Empezando en sus primeros dos años, con su abuela, la madre de Hank, Jett siempre tuvo una guitarra. Y según amigos en años posteriores, siempre era la diversión en todas las fiestas cantando y tocando. Jett dice que cantaba hasta hacerlos llorar.

El 4 de junio, 1989, Jett hizo su debut profesional cantando en la celebración conmemorativa anual en honor de su padre en Evergreen, Alabama. Jett también conoció por primera vez a Jerry Rivers y Don Helms, fiddle y steel guitar en los discos de Hank Williams que ella había guardado toda su vida, y únicos miembros aún activos de la banda de Hank, The Drifting Cowboys. La reunión fue importante en la carrera de Jett Williams. En unas semanas Jett ya tenía banda -- The Drifting Cowboys. Todos se dieron cuenta de que estaban marcando historia. Jett Williams hizo su primer bolo profesional en octubre de 1989, en su ciudad natal del Mobile, Alabama, con los viejos amigos y músicos de su padre con ella. Desde esa noche profética, Jett y The Drifting Cowboys han hecho centenares de actuaciones en todo el país. Ha tocado con Marty Stuart, Doug Stone, Kitty Wells, Hank Thompson, Mark Chestnut, Steve Wariner, Pam Tillis, the Bellamy Brothers, Highway 101, Hal Ketchum, Deborah Allen, Shelby Lynn, Jimmy Dickens, Grandpa Jones, Boxcar Willie, Aaron Tippin, Michelle Wright, y muchos otros. Sigue consiguiendo ovaciones y continúa recibiendo criticas maravillosas. De hecho, uno de los puntos álgidos en su carrera fue la petición por parte de George Jones para subir al escenario donde estaba con Merle Haggard y Conway Twitty. Recibió una ovación cuando subió y, más importante, consiguió que lo repitieran al bajar. Si eso no era bastante embriagador para una joven relativamente nueva al circuito, la noticia del Pensacola News Journal, dijo: "Sus admiradores dicen que hay magia cuando Jett está en el escenario, verla actuar es lo más cerca que llegaras a ver Hank bajar del cielo y tocar."

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Jett Williams, daughter of the legendary Hank Williams, was born in Montgomery, Alabama; five days after her father died on his way to Canton, Ohio, where he was to perform on New Year's Day, 1953. Relinquished by her natural mother, Bobbie Jett of Nashville, the infant was taken from the hospital where she was born into the home of Hank's mother, Lillian, who adopted her. Lillian, who started her lengthy adoption process within days of Hank's funeral, completed the adoption in December of 1954.

Unfortunately, she was dead within two months and the Williams family no longer wanted the infant, whom Lillian had named Cathy Yvonne (for the "Yvonne" in "Jambalaya"). The Williams family made Jett a ward of the State of Alabama and she was relocated to a foster home in Alabama at the age of three. Subsequently adopted by a family in Mobile, Alabama, Jett was raised there. During her youth, Jett had no idea who her natural parents were -- let alone that her daddy was Hank Williams, but from a very young age she demonstrated an unusual and natural talent for music, singing, and her guitar. In the early 1980's, at the urging of her adoptive father and armed with a few facts and a little rumor, Jett set out to learn what she could about who she was and what had happened to her. After years of futile effort, fortune smiled and Jett got proof-positive that Hank Williams was her father. Not only was he her father, he had made all provisions for her and her well being. In fact, three months before Jett was born, Hank had prepared and executed a notarised pre-birth custody agreement giving him full custody of his unborn daughter.
The rest is history. Jett Williams was declared by court order dated October 26, 1987, to be the biological daughter of Hank Williams. On June 5, 1989, the Supreme Court of the State of Alabama found that Jett had been the victim of fraud. The Supreme Court made Jett Williams the legal heir of Hank Williams.
Some things were constant in Jett's first years, and all things were recorded by the various social workers. One "constant," was Jett and her guitar. Starting with her first two years spent with her grandmother -- Hank's mother -- Jett always had a guitar. And according to her peers in later years, she was always the hit of the party by singing and playing. Jett says she liked to sing until she made them cry.

On June 4, 1989, Jett made her professional singing debut to a standing ovation at the annual memorial celebration in honor of her father in Evergreen, Alabama. Jett also met for the first time Jerry Rivers and Don Helms, the fiddle and steel guitar players on Hank Williams' records she had treasured all her life, and the only still-active members of her dad's old band, The Drifting Cowboys. The meeting was to figure heavily in Jett Williams' future career. Within weeks, Jett had a band -- she had The Drifting Cowboys.. History was being made, and all involved felt it. Jett Williams made her first paid professional appearance in October 1989, in her old hometown of Mobile, Alabama, with her father's old friends and musicians on stage with her. Since that fateful night, Jett and the Drifting Cowboys have put on hundreds of shows all around the country. She has been on stage with Marty Stuart, Doug Stone, Kitty Wells, Hank Thompson, Mark Chestnut, Steve Wariner, Pam Tillis, the Bellamy Brothers, Highway 101, Hal Ketchum, Deborah Allen, Shelby Lynn, Jimmy Dickens, Grandpa Jones, Boxcar Willie, Aaron Tippin, Michelle Wright, and scores of others.

She keeps on getting standing ovations and she continues to be blessed with glowing reviews. In fact, one of the high points in her career to date was being tapped by George Jones to join him on stage where he was appearing with Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty. She received a standing ovation when she got on stage and, more importantly, she got one when she left. If that wasn't heady enough for a young lady then relatively new to the tour circuit, the Pensacola News Journal reviews the show, saying: Fans say there is magic when Jett is on stage, and watching her perform is as close as you can get to Hank coming back from Heaven and putting on a show himself.