Hank Williams Statue
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery's most celebrated citizen is Hank Williams, regarded as the first megastar of country music. Montgomery was his home town, and when he died, unexpectedly, in the back seat of his Cadillac, his body was brought to the city's civic auditorium for a funeral. This was a smart move, as tens of thousands of fans showed up.
In 1991 a life-size bronze statue of Hank was erected so that it faced the funeral site, which is now Montgomery's city hall. The statue shows Hank wearing one of his flamboyant musical-note-embellished suits, strumming his guitar, and giving a tight-lipped smile. One can imagine that the statue represents the bronzed ghost of Hank, pleased that so many people came to see him off to his perpetual gig.
However, not as many people came to see the statue after all, so In October 2016 Montgomery moved bronze Hank to a more heavily-trafficked spot near the river.