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.
Endless Sleep
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look for my baby, she's nowhere around
Traced her footsteps down to the shore
Afraid she's gone for evermore
I took your baby from you away
I heard a voice cryin' in deep
Come join me, baby, in my endless sleep
Why did we quarrel, why did we fight
Why did I leave her alone tonight
That's why her footsteps ran into the sea
That's why my baby has gone from me
I looked at the sea
Ran in the water, heart full of fear
There in the breakers I saw her near
Reached for my darling, held her to me
Stole her away from the angry sea
I looked at the sea and it seemed to say
You took your baby from me away
My heart cried out, she's mine to keep
I saved my baby from that endless sleep
Endless sleep
Endless sleep
Endless sleep
Hank Williams Jr.'s song "Endless Sleep" is a ballad that tells a tragic story of a man who loses his lover. The song starts with the man searching for his lover in the midst of a stormy night. He traces her footsteps down to the shore only to find out that she is gone forever. The man is devastated, and as he looks at the sea, it seems to be saying that it has taken away his lover. He then hears a voice coming from the sea, inviting him to join his lover in the endless sleep.
The lyrics then reveal the reason why they fought and why the woman ran into the sea, as they were in a quarrel and the man left her alone. However, the man spots her struggling in the breakers and reaches out to her, rescuing her and bringing her back to the shore.
The song is a somber tale that highlights the sorrow and pain of losing one’s lover. It is a powerful reminder of how critical relationships can be, and how important it is to value and cherish those special people in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
The night was black, rain falling down
It was a very dark and stormy night.
Look for my baby, she's nowhere around
I cannot find my baby and I am worried.
Traced her footsteps down to the shore
I followed her footprints and found them leading to the shore.
Afraid she's gone for evermore
I am afraid that she might be gone forever.
I looked at the sea and it seemed to say
The sea looked like it was trying to tell me something.
I took your baby from you away
I have taken your baby away from you.
I heard a voice cryin' in deep
When I was listening, I heard a voice crying from deep within.
Come join me, baby, in my endless sleep
The voice was asking my baby to join them in their eternal sleep.
Why did we quarrel, why did we fight
I am regretting fighting with my baby.
Why did I leave her alone tonight
I am regretting leaving my baby alone on this particular night.
That's why her footsteps ran into the sea
That is why her footsteps led her towards the sea.
That's why my baby has gone from me
That is why my baby has left me.
Ran in the water, heart full of fear
I ran into the water with a heart full of fear.
There in the breakers I saw her near
I saw her near the waves.
Reached for my darling, held her to me
I reached out for my love and held her close to me.
Stole her away from the angry sea
I took her away from the angry and dangerous sea.
My heart cried out, she's mine to keep
My heart cried out and it felt like she was mine to keep.
I saved my baby from that endless sleep
I was able to save my baby from joining the voice in an eternal sleep.
Endless sleep
The endless sleep mentioned throughout the song is a metaphor for death.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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I saw an episode of the 60's show, Shindig! and they had Hank Williams Jr. performing this song in performance. I was wondering if this was indeed the same Hank Williams Jr.-but how many could there be? At any rate, I'm so glad I saw the clip because this is a great song that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Simple arrangement but it hits hard!
donald smith
Only one.
Kristi Meeder
This was the second album I bought of Hank Jr ,at 17 I became a big fan & have seen him in concert 10 times & at 68 I'm still a Big fan
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1964 {Nov. 11th} Hank Williams, Jr. performed "Endless Sleep" on the ABC-TV program 'Shindig!'... One month later on December 5th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #90 and spent 4 weeks on the Top 100 It reached #46 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart Six years earlier in 1958 it was originally recorded by Jody Reynolds; his version peaked at #5 on the Top 100 Jody Reynolds died on Nov. 7th, 2008 at the age of 75 {cancer} R.I.P. Mr. Reynolds
Renee Owenby
I use to listen to this in a caprice classic 17/18 yo as a mechanic working for my uncle. love it . Been looking for the need of it for over a decade. Thank god
Brenda Wright
Been long time since I've heard this , I was really young, Brings back so many memories of my family
Lola Horton
Even now this is a fantastic song thanks for the up load so we all can listen.This brings back so many memories.
joe gongora
A great song from a Country Western perspective. It's a dark and paranoid tune and Hank Williams Jr , with his own way of playing knocked it out of the ball park.
Featureman
His first single, I believe. The other side was Long Gone Lonesome Blues which he sang on the Ed Sullivan Show. I have the original of this song also which I think was Jody Reynolds. Nice video.
Richard Ortiz
I like this the guy from Palm Desert sings this song I like this song bring back memories back in the back in the days 60s 2021 a citizen to this