Zachariah Malachi ready to celebrate Hank's 100th birthday with two Montgomery shows

The sound of Hank Williams is central to parts of Zachariah Malachi’s childhood — memories of him with his dad on long road trips to visit family in the South.

“My dad would take me to see my grandparents quite a bit,” said Malachi, who grew up just outside of Detroit in Wyandotte, Mich. During the almost 8 hour trip to Speedwell, Tenn., they’d listen to Hank.

“That was pretty much my introduction to music in general,” Malachi said. “My dad was a huge country music fan. Always has been.”

Today at 34 — five years older than Hank was when he died — Malachi's a rising Nashville recording artist with his own band, Zachariah Malachi & The Nashville Counts.

He’s also been a frequent visitor to Montgomery, due to the Hank connection.

“The more I come down to Montgomery, the more I absolutely love it,” Malachi said.

He’ll be here as part of Hank Williams’ 100th birthday celebration on Sunday, Sept. 17 at the Davis Theatre — the day of Hank’s birthday. It’s one of three days of concerts — Sept. 15-17 — organized by the Hank Williams Museum. Tickets are available online at eventbrite.com.

“It’s a 'pinch me' moment, for sure,” Malachi said. “There’s a lot of Hank Williams celebrations going on for his birthday around the world. But to be in Montgomery on his birthday as a featured artist celebrating him is a dream come true. It’s something I never would have imagined being able to do growing up.”

He’ll also be performing in Montgomery at Commerce BeerWorks, 166 Commerce St., on Saturday, Sept. 16, at about 9 p.m. Just after midnight, they'll do a "Happy Birthday to Hank" song.

While both shows will be “Hank-centric,” the Commerce BeerWorks one will include some of Malachi’s original works also.

“I’d say that we dive into just about every style of music in the country music vein that you possibly could,” Malachi said. “You’re going to get a lot of variety, and you’re going to get a lot of features from the other musicians that are in my band. You’re going to be able to almost be harkened back to the ‘40s and ‘50s era, but with a lot of modern twists on it too.”

In Malachi's band, there are no drums. Instead, they bring an upright bass, fiddle and steel guitar.

On the recording side, Malachi released the album Local Bar Opry Star in 2022.

Malachi said he’s got new songs in the works that were just cut in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

“I got to record right there where Hank Jr. recorded ‘Whisky Bent and Hell Bound,’ right there in Wishbone Studios,” he said.

To everyone who has come out to see him in Montgomery before, and to all who plan to be here for Hank’s 100th birthday, Malachi offered thanks for the support. He’s excited to celebrate with you.

“I’m incredibly honored and proud to be able to pass on the legacy, and to be there for it,” Malachi said. “It’s a huge deal to me, and to pretty much any country musician.”

Follow Malachi online at zachariahmalachi.com.

George Jones & Tammy Wynette links to Hank and Malachi

In addition to being a music artist, Malachi’s also an actor. He has a role as Charlie Justice on Showtime’s 2022 miniseries “George & Tammy” — a tale of country music power couple George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Justice was their fiddle player.

Interestingly, this links back to Hank as well. When Jones was a young man and had just started working for KRIC radio, Hank visited the station. Meeting Hank had a huge impact on Jones' life.

“I couldn’t think or eat nothin’ unless it was Hank Williams, and I couldn’t wait for his next record to come out,” Jones said in the 1989 documentary “Same Ole Me.”

At the time of Hank’s death on Jan. 1, 1953, Jones was in the Marines, stationed in San Jose, Cali. In a memoir, Jones said he cried when he read about Hank.

In 1960, Jones would release a tribute album, “George Jones Salutes Hank Williams” with Hank songs like “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Nobody’s Lonesome For Me,” and “Hey Good Lookin’.”

“Hank Williams had been my biggest musical influence,” wrote Jones, who died April 26, 2013, at age 81.

There were also downsides to the similarity between Williams and Jones. Both were well-known for drinking, and both developed a reputation for missing scheduled appearances. That’s what caused Williams to be fired from the Grand Ole Opry in 1952. Later, Jones would become known by the nickname “No Show Jones.” Jones turned his nickname into a hit song in 1982, in a collaboration with Merle Haggard. The song mentions several other country stars, including Hank.

Wynette also has a link to Hank, who in 1949 bought a house in Nashville. After he died in 1953, ex-wife Audrey renovated it into a palace. She raised Hank Williams Jr. there, and in 1975 she died in the home at age 52. Wynette, who divorced Jones in 1975, bought the home in 1992. Wynette died in that house in 1998 at age 55.

As for the real life Justice: Along with Jones and Wynette, the Yeager, Ky., native toured with Mel Tillis and Ray Price. A couple of 1974 songs by Justice can be found online today — "Female Number One" and "Rough and Rocky." The recordings were released on vinyl by Paula Records, part of Jewel Record Corp. in Shreveport, La., where Hank used to live. According to his obituary, Justice eventually moved to Virginia and would retire from Air Contact Transport, an automotive freight delivery service. Justice died Feb. 7, 2017, at age 81.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Zachariah Malachi has two Montgomery shows for Hank's 100th birthday