Hank Williams! My mystery of over sixty years, solved. My research found that Hank Williams did have two steel guitar players who had played with him. Don Helms and Jimmie Porter! When I married Army SGT Al Segura in July, 1955, he'd been transferred to Fort Holabird, an Army base in Baltimore, Md. so we settled in an apartment next to the base. One evening Al brought home with him an Army Buddy. Of course, I would not have remembered his name. Al's Buddy said he'd played steel guitar for Hank Williams. He and Al spoke a while, man conversation, while I fixed supper. But he said he played steel guitar for Hank Williams. Or did he mean he played guitar? No, he said steel guitar.
When I was invited to perform at the Hank Williams Show playing at the Liberty in Eunice several years ago, one of the guest performers included Hank Williams steel player Don Helms, I thought, wow, I wonder if he remembers our meeting me and where? The day came, we were all there, I found a chance to go up to Don Helms and asked him if he was the Hank Williams steel guitar player I'd met at the Ft Holabird Army Base in Baltimore, Md. back in 1955. He said no and that he was not in the Army. But my source tells me Don served in 1944/45. I explained to him of my experience in meeting this man. Don said he was the only steel player Hank had ever had. I do not think the Soldier lied. I can look back and wonder if maybe this Soldier had sat in for one of Hanks bookings. Men did not lie back then as they do now. Maybe one of my Facebook friends has pictures of Hank Williams which would show another steel player with Hank. The fellow was about 25 years or so back then, about five feet nine inches, thin side. I will take a lie detector! This is real. Al and I moved from that apartment to one in Dundalk, a suburb of Baltimore, on Patapsco Ave, and rented from a Ms. Padula, who worked for the Acme Store. Her daughter's name was Mary Padula White. As God is my witness! I remember! aline wedding dresses