Williams began his career following in his famed father's footsteps, covering his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' first television appearance was in a 1964 episode of ABC's The Jimmy Dean Show, in which at age fourteen he sang several songs associated with his father. Later that year, he was a guest star on Shindig!.
Williams' style evolved slowly as he struggled to find his own voice and place within country music. This was interrupted by a near-fatal fall off the side of Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975. After an extended recovery, he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.
From 1989 through October 2011, his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", refashioned as "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night", had been used to open broadcasts of Monday Night Football until it was pulled after Williams made controversial comments comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. The song returned to open the show in 2017.
On August 12, 2020, Williams was selected to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Williams' early career was guided, some say outright dominated, by his mother Audrey Williams, who many claim was the driving force that led his father to musical superstardom during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Audrey, in many ways, wished for young Hank to be nothing more than a "Hank Williams, Sr. impersonator", sometimes going as far as to have clothes designed for him that were identical to his father's stage clothes and vocal stylings very similar to those of his father.
Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous country hits throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, he became disillusioned with his role as a 'Hank Williams clone' and severed ties with his mother in order to pursue his own musical direction and tastes. After recording the soundtrack to Your Cheatin' Heart, a biography of his father, Williams, Jr. hit the charts with one of his own compositions, "Standing in the Shadows". The song signalled a move to rock and roll and other influences as he stepped from the shadow of his father.
Also during this time, Williams had his first two No. 1 songs: "All For the Love of Sunshine" (1970, featured on the soundtrack to Kelly's Heroes) and "Eleven Roses" (1972).
By the mid-1970s, Williams had finally found the musical direction that would, eventually, make him a superstar. Williams' unique blend of traditional country with southern rock and blues earned him a devoted following, although some mainstream country radio stations wouldn't touch his new songs in this blatantly untraditional sound.
While recording a series of hit songs, Williams began abusing drugs, including alcohol and eventually tried to commit suicide in 1974. Moving to Alabama, Williams began playing music with Southern rock musicians Toy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels, and others.
His last major success was "There's a Tear in My Beer", a duet with his father created using electronic dubbing techniques. The song itself was written by his father, presumably, sometime between 1950 and 1953 and was recorded with Hank Williams playing just his guitar. The music video for the song combined existing television footage of Hank Williams performing and the dubbing techniques transferred the image of Hank Jr. onto the screen, so it appeared as if he were actually playing with his father. The video was an overwhelming success, both critically and commercially. It was named Video Of The Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country music. Hank Williams, Jr. would go on to win a Grammy award in 1990 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
Despite his slumping album sales, Hank Williams Jr. continued to be a popular concert draw during the early 1990s and continued to record, with several of his recordings during this time still managing to achieve gold status, selling 500,000 copies.
He is probably best known today as the performer of the theme song for Monday Night Football, based on "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". The opening theme became a classic, as much a part of the show as the football itself. In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams' opening themes for Monday Night Football would earn him four Emmy awards.
Williams opened for Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, on ABC and was in the stands as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
On April 10, 2006, CMT honored Williams with the Johnny Cash Visionary Award, presenting it to him at the 2006 CMT Music Awards.
On November 11, 2008, Williams was honored as a BMI Icon at the 56th annual BMI Country Awards. The artists and songwriters named BMI Icons have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers".
In 2011, Williams was named one of "Seven Living Legends" of his native Shreveport, Louisiana, by Danny Fox (1954–2014) of KWKH radio. Others named were Bob Griffin of KSLA and KTBS-TV and James Burton. Two others cited, Claude King and Frank Page, both died in 2013.
In 2015, Hank Williams Jr. was Inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
After All They Used to Belong to Me
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And go by my house today
No, I can't visit her or my son
I'm supposed to stay away
But it won't hurt to bring back old memories
'Cause after all they used to all belong to me
The one that I'm still paying for
And in the front yard
Lord, I see my little boy
And there's his mother
I hope she's doing fine
Oh Lord, I'd give anything
If they were all still mine
But they're not
And I'm the one to blame
I should have known I'd never win
When I played that cheating game
This other man holds my life
And my son calls him daddy tonight
But how can I complain?
'Cause after all they used to all belong to me
How can I complain?
'Cause after all they used to all belong to me
In the song After All They Used to Belong to Me, Hank Williams Jr. expresses the emotional pain and regret that comes with losing his family due to his own actions. Despite being unable to visit his ex-wife and son, he decides to drive by his house to see the things that used to belong to him. As he sees his car, his little boy, and his ex-wife, he recounts the memories they once shared and how he wishes they were still his. However, he knows that he is the only one to blame for his loss, having played a cheating game that ultimately led to his downfall. He concludes the song by acknowledging that, despite his current situation, he cannot complain as they used to all belong to him.
This song, like many others from Hank Williams Jr., reveals his vulnerabilities and struggles, many of which are inspired by his personal life experiences. The lyrics are heartfelt and relatable to anyone who has experienced a loss or betrayal in their life. The country-style melody perfectly complements the poignant lyrics, making the song even more emotionally charged.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess I'll get a cab
I will hire a cab to take me to my house.
And go by my house today
Today, I will pass by my house.
No, I can't visit her or my son
I am not allowed to see my ex-girlfriend or our son.
I'm supposed to stay away
I have been prohibited from visiting them.
But it won't hurt to bring back old memories
Although I shouldn't, I want to reminisce my past with them.
'Cause after all they used to all belong to me
Because at some point in the past these things belonged to me.
Now there's our car
There's a car that my ex-girlfriend and I both own.
The one that I'm still paying for
I am still contributing to pay the car's bills.
And in the front yard
In the front of the house, where they live.
Lord, I see my little boy
Oh God, I can see my son!
And there's his mother
My ex-girlfriend, who is the mother of my son.
I hope she's doing fine
I wish she is okay and happy without me.
Oh Lord, I'd give anything
Oh God, I would give anything to be with them.
If they were all still mine
If they were still living with me.
But they're not
However, this is not the current situation.
And I'm the one to blame
I cannot blame anyone else but myself.
I should have known I'd never win
I should have realized that cheating leads to losing.
When I played that cheating game
When I started being unfaithful.
This other man holds my life
My ex-girlfriend has moved on and found a new partner.
And my son calls him daddy tonight
Tonight, my son is calling her new partner daddy.
But how can I complain?
I can't express frustration, can I?
'Cause after all they used to all belong to me
After all, I used to own what they now have.
How can I complain?
How can it be right for me to whine about it?
'Cause after all they used to all belong to me
Because at some point in the past these things belonged to me.
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Linda Lee
Hank Jr. was so Blessed with his amazing voice the minute he was born. He can play ever instrument as a professional that he is. Beautiful song God Bless you & your family. 6-24-20
margie beach
He can sure sing thanks for posting!
Dummy Gaynuts
hank jr has a hell of a voice.
red vegiesoup
and great songs...
LT1HILLINGHOE
Woooooo!!!!! This is a darned good song. Sad, but sounds sooo good.
JACK REEVES
This is really good; on songs like this, he's as good as it gets!!!
Tommy Jack
Solid country gold.... The first song I heard him sing when I was kid
Joey Zeigler
Mine was either I'll think of something or whiskey bent and hell bound I'm 18 now but luv old country this so call country today sounds like crap it's pop not country
Paul DaSilva
This was mine too!!
Paula Copher
God, that gives me goose bumps! Beautiful!!!