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.
Divorce or Destroy
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're old enough to know we can't live life this way
And young enough to start with someone new
So it's divorce or destroy each other which one of the two shall we do
You say in your heart there's no love left for me
And in my heart there's no love left for you
We've stayed together for the children but soon the kids will be grown and be gone
So it's divorce or destroy
Yes in my heart there's no love left for you
The lyrics of Hank Williams Jr.'s song Divorce or Destroy explore the painful decision of a couple to part ways after a long and loveless marriage. The singer begins by acknowledging that they once shared a deep love, but it has faded away over time. He suggests that they are mature enough to recognize that their current situation is not sustainable and that they need to consider the possibility of finding love elsewhere. The singer recognizes the difficulty of the decision they must make and poses the question of whether they should choose divorce or continue to live in misery and destruction.
Throughout the song, the singer conveys a sense of resignation and a deep sadness that the love they once shared has gone. He acknowledges that they may have stayed together for the sake of their children, but he also recognizes that they have been destroying each other in the process. He suggests that while it may be difficult to part ways, it is the right thing to do and they must choose between divorce or continuing to destroy what little love they have left.
Overall, the lyrics of Divorce or Destroy paint a melancholic picture of a couple who once shared a deep love but are now faced with the difficult decision of ending their marriage. The lyrics convey a sense of sadness, resignation, and the pain of letting go of something that was once beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
We've lived together for a long time but now the love is gone we once knew
Even though we've been together for years, our love has faded away.
We're old enough to know we can't live life this way
We are mature enough to realize that living like this is not feasible.
And young enough to start with someone new
We have enough time and youth to start fresh with somebody else.
So it's divorce or destroy each other which one of the two shall we do
We have to choose between ending things legally or continue this toxic relationship where we're tearing each other apart.
You say in your heart there's no love left for me
You admit that you have fallen out of love with me.
And in my heart there's no love left for you
I reciprocate your feelings, and I don't feel any love for you anymore.
We've stayed together for the children but soon the kids will be grown and be gone
We've managed to stay in this relationship because of our children, but they will eventually move out and start their own lives.
Yet we keep on destroying each other and Lord to live life this way it must be wrong
However, we keep hurting each other emotionally, which is not the right way to live our lives.
So it's divorce or destroy
The only options left are either to legally end our marriage or continue ruining our lives.
Yes in my heart there's no love left for you
Once again, I affirm that I don't love you anymore.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , GLAD MUSIC CO. , Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILLY DEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gerald Murray
These were the days. Hank was a super singer then and he is now.
Johnnie Clay
Gerald Murray u are correct but I just have always been bigger fan of SR I guess because I can relate 2 him more but don't get me wrong Jr is great 2 but it just something bout SR I feel like I been n goin thru wat or some of the same stuff he did . I feel he has lot respected for God n in his own way Loved God but like me has done n said some stuff God can't n DON'T forgive u for nobody really no wat or how a person is feeling or thinking because I am a very manic depression and bi polar person and when I tell people they say well I would've never known by the way u cut up n joke n make everyone else happy and from all the reading on SR I have done seems he mite have had same or close plus giving his spine problem .
Jenna
Still loving you after all these years!!! Love You Jr.
LT1HILLINGHOE
Great powerful Bocephus song! One of his best!
Judy waldner
Beautiful song!
eyoung2289
This is real music..Ty for posting it.
Jeff Smith
Hawks the king 👑 of music 🎶.
Tony513
Real country right here, Luke Bryan and all these new age country wannabes need to take lessons and it starts right here.
Debbie Williams
💔💔💔💔💔
Johnnie Clay
R u any kind 2 them Williams