Biography
Born Cathy Yvonne Williams on 6 January 1953 in Montgomery, Alabama, the future performer entered the world as the daughter of Frances “Bobbie” Jett and Hank Williams. Five days before her arrival, on 15 October 1952, Williams and Jett had signed a legal agreement under which he and his mother Lillian would assume responsibility for the expected child. Lillian Williams adopted the infant before her second birthday, yet she passed away less than two years afterward; successive adoptions followed, each bringing a fresh name. Hints about her origins surfaced throughout childhood, but only at age twenty-one did accumulated information reveal the identities of her biological parents. In 1985 an Alabama State Court formally recognized her as the daughter of Jett and Williams. Two years later the Alabama Supreme Court awarded her a half-share of the Williams estate alongside her half-brother Hank Williams Jnr., who is three years older. By the close of the 1990s the long-standing estrangement between the siblings had given way to reconciliation.
She married investigative attorney Keith Adkinson in 1986; his inquiries proved instrumental in uncovering her lineage. Her 1990 autobiography recounted the prolonged search for her identity. Professionally she first performed in 1989, and four years afterward she took the stage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. While touring she has frequently appeared with the Drifting Cowboys under the direction of founding member Don Helms. Both onstage and in her offstage activities she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to country music. Since 1998 the town of Lafayette, Tennessee, has hosted the annual Jett Williams Country Music Festival. Her sustained efforts on behalf of charitable causes and civic issues received formal acknowledgment in 2000 when the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring her contributions in Macon County, where she resides, and designating 18 May 2000 as Jett Williams Appreciation Day.
She married investigative attorney Keith Adkinson in 1986; his inquiries proved instrumental in uncovering her lineage. Her 1990 autobiography recounted the prolonged search for her identity. Professionally she first performed in 1989, and four years afterward she took the stage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. While touring she has frequently appeared with the Drifting Cowboys under the direction of founding member Don Helms. Both onstage and in her offstage activities she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to country music. Since 1998 the town of Lafayette, Tennessee, has hosted the annual Jett Williams Country Music Festival. Her sustained efforts on behalf of charitable causes and civic issues received formal acknowledgment in 2000 when the Tennessee House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring her contributions in Macon County, where she resides, and designating 18 May 2000 as Jett Williams Appreciation Day.
Albums
