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.
Cherokee
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He does an Indian boogie to a white man's song
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
Well, he dances over here and he dances over there
And he keeps on a dancin' everywhere
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
Well, he dances on the hill and he dances on the rock
But he keep on shakin' that tomahawk
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
Well, he sings to the hills and he sings to the clouds
And he keep on singin' so big and proud
A now hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
He's a Cherokee chief as a you might know
And he keeps on sittin' singing nuven-yo
A now hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
Well, a Cherokee chief as he dances along
He does an Indian boogie to a white man's song
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
Hank Williams Jr.'s song "Cherokee" is a tribute to the Cherokee people and their rich cultural heritage. Throughout the song, Williams describes a Cherokee chief who is dancing and singing to a "white man's song." The chief's movements are described as a "boogie" and he is shown to be dancing with pride and joy.
The lyrics of the song convey a sense of historic unity between the Cherokee and the white settlers. The chief's dance represents a blending of two cultures and traditions, and the song speaks to the idea that people from different backgrounds can come together to create something beautiful.
Through this song, Hank Williams Jr. honors the Cherokee people and their contributions to American culture. He paints a picture of a proud and resilient people who have endured countless obstacles and have managed to maintain their traditions and values in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, a Cherokee chief as he dances along
Here we have a Cherokee chief who is dancing to music that was likely made by white people.
He does an Indian boogie to a white man's song
The chief is doing a native dance but to the beat of a European or American style song.
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
He is vocalizing with rhythmic words to the beat of the music to express his excitement.
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
Similar to the previous line, he is singing along with the beat of the music, using nonsensical syllables.
Well, he dances over here and he dances over there
The chief is dancing all around, possibly showing off his skills to others or perhaps just enjoying the music.
And he keeps on a dancin' everywhere
He never stops moving to the beat of the music presented so he can keep dancing non-stop.
Well, he dances on the hill and he dances on the rock
The Chief moves to the rhythm of the music whether it is on a hill or rock formation, it doesn't matter where the beat takes him.
But he keep on shakin' that tomahawk
Here he possibly is showing his tribal weapon around as he moves and enjoys the music.
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
Once again, he rejoices with vocalized words to the beat of the music.
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
The chorus repeats and the chief continues to vocalize along with the music.
Well, he sings to the hills and he sings to the clouds
Perhaps he is serenading nature as well, calling all the spirits of the natural world to join him in his dance.
And he keep on singin' so big and proud
He sings with conviction and pride, expressing the joy he feels in dancing to the beat of the music.
A now hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
He once again uses nonsensical yet rhythmic sounds to vocalize and celebrate the music.
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
The chorus repeats and he continues to enjoy the dance and the music.
He's a Cherokee chief as a you might know
The singer reminds us that this person is a tribal leader.
And he keeps on sittin' singing nuven-yo
The chief is still there, sitting, humming a lullaby to sooth himself still to the beat of the music.
A now hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
Repeating what he did before once again to express the excitement of the revelry.
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
Dancing to the music and doing random vocalizations without any meanings.
Well, a Cherokee chief as he dances along
Finally, the song ends the way it begun, with the Cherokee chief dancing to the beat of the music made by the white people.
He does an Indian boogie to a white man's song
The Chief continues to dance to music that may not have ancestral roots, but still enjoys the beat.
Singin' hey ho a lina, hey ho a lina
One final vocalization of joy to express his happiness and satisfaction of the dance.
A well a hey ho a lina, wup wup a witten a yeah
The final chorus repeats and the Chief continues to enjoy the beat of the music.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DONNY R. LOWERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind