BIOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS

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, AL on January 6th, 1953, the daughter of Bobbie Jett of Nashville, TN and Hank Williams. Her birth came five days after the untimely death of her famous father and two days after his funeral in Montgomery – an extravagant event attended by some 25,000 fans and friends.

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.

In 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. She has performed at over 800 shows in the U.S., Japan, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Spain, Canada, Scotland & France. Jett has made over 1,000 major media appearances, and was featured in outlets reaching over 100 million people in the last 6 months of 2008 alone, including National Public Radio, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, LA Times, BBC, NY Times, Country Weekly, Jett Williams/Biographic Highlights, Tennessean, Dallas Morning News, People Magazine, Associated Press, AARP, CMT, GAC/Master Series, Cashbox & Advance Publications.

Jett Williams takes the blessings, opportunities and responsibilities attendant to the chair she occupies seriously. She and Keith took a lead in bringing the Country Music Hall of Fame Family Tradition exhibit, featuring Hank, Hank, Jr. and Jett, to fruition. The exhibit has been extended until 2011 and is the biggest, longest running and best attended exhibition in Hall of Fame history. Jett and Keith also initiated and won, after 8 years of litigation, estate ownership of 150 previously unreleased Hank Williams recordings. Partnering with TimeLife, Jett and Hank, Jr. released a 54 song, 3 CD box set of Hank’s Unreleased Recordings, which went worldwide October 28th, 2008. Ninety more unreleased songs will come out over the next three years, increasing the catalogue of Hank Williams recorded material by over 50%. The next estate project designed to perpetuate the legend and the legacy of Hank Williams will be a major, big screen motion picture telling the true story of his life.

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. The OFA awards 6,000 scholarships annually and nationally to disadvantaged children “aging out” of the foster care system.

Jett’s saga is truly the stuff movies are made of. And truth is better than fiction.

Living the Legend - With Class & Legends Last Forever