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.
Gulf Shore Road
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And lighten up my heavy load
Make all my blues go away
Lookin' across Pelican Bay
I want to live on fresh seafood
And never be in a bad mood
I want to dance with you real slow
Not enough time now in the day
For people to ever find their way
Back to their heart and their homes
We're too busy talking on the phone
My little girl just wants to play
In the sand and in the waves
And that's all we're gonna do you know
Life is good on Gulf Shore Road
Wish everyone could come on down
Jump in the water and mellow out
Don't even think about the news
Just bring shorts and tennis shoes
Catch the fish and drink the wine
Stay here until it comes a time
For me to pass away and go
Lord let it be like Gulf Shore Road
The song "Gulf Shore Road" by Hank Williams Jr. is a powerful ballad about wanting to simplify life and live in a more peaceful and relaxed manner. The lyrics describe a desire to live in a place where the heavy burden of everyday life can be lifted, and where all the "blues" can go away. The singer expresses a longing to live on Gulf Shore Road, to eat fresh seafood, dance slowly on Moonlight Beach, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. The song speaks to the idea that life can get too busy, and that we often forget to stop and enjoy the beauty around us.
The lyrics also touch on the importance of family and spending time with loved ones. The singer's daughter wants to play in the sand and waves and this is what they plan to do. He urges everyone to come to Gulf Shore Road to "Jump in the water and mellow out." The idea is to disconnect from the constant news cycle and distractions of everyday life and just enjoy the moment.
Overall, "Gulf Shore Road" is a poignant reminder that sometimes we need to slow down, disconnect from the world around us, and appreciate the simple pleasures of life. It is a reminder that family and loved ones are the most important things in life and that we should cherish them while we still have them.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to live on Gulf Shore Road
I desire to reside on Gulf Shore Road
And lighten up my heavy load
To relieve myself of any burdens that bog me down
Make all my blues go away
To rid myself of any sorrow or despair that I experience
Lookin' across Pelican Bay
Watching over Pelican Bay whilst standing on Gulf Shore Road
I want to live on fresh seafood
I long to consume fresh seafood on Gulf Shore Road
And never be in a bad mood
I aspire to find joy and comfort on Gulf Shore Road always
I want to dance with you real slow
I yearn to dance with you slowly and intimately on Gulf Shore Road
On Moonlight Beach on Gulf Shore Road
Moonlight Beach, situated on Gulf Shore Road, is where I want to dance with you
Not enough time now in the day
The current day does not provide sufficient time
For people to ever find their way
People are too preoccupied to find their true path
Back to their heart and their homes
Away from the distractions of daily life and towards their loved ones
We're too busy talking on the phone
Interacting over the phone and digital mediums distracts us from our true responsibilities
My little girl just wants to play
My young child desires nothing more than to have fun
In the sand and in the waves
Playing on the beach and in the ocean water
And that's all we're gonna do you know
We will only be focused on enjoying ourselves
Life is good on Gulf Shore Road
Gulf Shore Road is where life is at its peak
Wish everyone could come on down
I desire for everyone to be able to visit Gulf Shore Road
Jump in the water and mellow out
Dive into the water and relax
Don't even think about the news
We won't let current events detract from our enjoyment
Just bring shorts and tennis shoes
No need to pack much, shorts and tennis shoes will suffice
Catch the fish and drink the wine
Fish for our food and savor the wine
Stay here until it comes a time
We will stay on Gulf Shore Road for as long as we can
For me to pass away and go
Until the day that death comes for me
Lord let it be like Gulf Shore Road
May the experience of passing away be as blissful and serene as being on Gulf Shore Road
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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