William Herbert York

William Herbert "Lum" York (November 16, 1918 – August 15, 2004) was a country musician best known as the bass player in the Hank Williams backing band The Drifting Cowboys.

Biography

York was a native of Elmore, Alabama.^[1]

From 1944 until 1949, he was a member of Hank Williams's backing band The Drifting Cowboys as its double bass player.^[1] He began playing with Lefty Frizzell's band in 1952 and later played with musicians including Marty Robbins and George Morgan (singer).^[2]

During the 1960s and 1970s, he played at the Old South Jamboree.^[2] In 1986, he played at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.^[2] After a heart attack forced him to stop playing the double bass, York began playing the spoons from 1998 onwards, playing alongside Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams III and Jett Williams.^[2]

York died of heart disease on August 15, 2004, in Baton Rouge.^[1]