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.
Hank Williams Jr
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you was working with daddy
Well, in 1950, I took a little nip
Along with Mr. Williams on the way to Mississippi
And we met this promoter in the town of New Orleans
Now the man told daddy that he had what it took
And he liked the way he sang and he liked the way he shook
He said, pretty soon he'd make us all rich
And we started believing that fat sum bitch
Daddy told the man, "If you wanna make some dough
Take a little money and book me on a show"
And we played them dates and we filled the places well
But Hank, he'd done blowed the profits all to hell
'Cause he'd run through a 10 and he'd run through a 20
And he'd run through a 100 just as fast as it could go
Like a big dose of sauce to a little bitty fella
He'd spend a 1000 dollars on a 100 dollar show
Hank looked at me with a funny looking grin
Said, "I've been to the Opry and I'm going back again"
We met the owner in a little office there
And a big fat fella with some artificial hair
He told Hank, he wanted half of everything he made
Or he'd have to tell Audrey 'bout some women Hank had laid
And you told daddy, he'd better get smart
Get rid of them fellas and make a new start
And he fired my ass and he fired Jerry Rivers
And he fired everybody just as hard as he could go
He fired old Cedric and he fired Sammy Pruitt
And he fired some people that he didn't even know
Well, every song he made it went to number one
Y'all was working like hell and you was having fun
We was riding every day and playing every night
And every 20 minutes some of us had a fight
Now, daddy he was making money hand over fist
And y'all was getting screwed but you wasn't getting kissed
Yeah, I told him to pass a little bit around
But he said, he'd rather send it to his folks in Alabama
So he fired your ass and he fired Jerry Rivers
And he fired everybody just as hard as he could go
He fired old Cedric and he fired Sammy Pruitt
And he fired some people that he didn't even know
Now the owner of the Opry, he's a doing pretty good
He's got a music company that they call Cedarwood
And Hank played nothing but sold out halls
And I was pumping gas in greasy overalls
'Cause he fired my ass and he fired Jerry Rivers
And he fired everybody just as hard as he could go
He fired old Cedric and he fired Sammy Pruitt
And he fired some people that he didn't even know
Hank run through a 50 and he'd run through a 100
And he'd run through a 1000 just as hard as he could go
Buying Cadillac coots, paying double alimony
And he fired some people that he didn't even know
Don you know, you know
You used to work for me one time?
I sure know that come but come to think of it
You fired my ass back in 1972
Oh, well it's a family tradition ya know?
Yap, yap, yap, yap
But I kept Jerry Rivers
Right, right
The lyrics of "Hank Williams Jr." is a celebration of country music and its legends, with the eponymous Hank Williams Jr. being the titular figure who is worthy of admiration and respect. The song lists a series of other legendary musicians like Charlie Daniels, John Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and George Jones, among others, whose music the singer enjoys. However, the key point that the song makes is that those who do not appreciate Hank Williams Jr. or his music are missing out on something truly special. The line "you're the only one that you are screwin' when you put down what you don't understand" is a warning against dismissing something without giving it a chance.
Moreover, the lyrics also imply that Hank Williams Jr. is following in the footsteps of his father, the legendary Hank Williams Sr. The father-son duo was an important part of country music history, and the younger Williams' music reflects that legacy. By celebrating Hank Williams Jr., the song also pays homage to the father, who was one of the pioneers of country music.
Overall, "Hank Williams Jr." is a tribute to the timeless appeal of country music and the musicians who made it great, with the younger Williams sitting confidently among them.
Line by Line Meaning
I like Charlie Daniels and
I enjoy the music of Charlie Daniels and admire him as an artist
I love big John Cash
I have a deep affection for the work of Johnny Cash and his contributions to music
And I think Waylon "Woktosha" Jennings
I hold the opinion that Waylon Jennings is a talented musician
Is a table thumpin' smash
His music is so exciting and powerful that it can make listeners pound tables in enthusiasm
Playin' with Marshall Tucker Band
Performing alongside Marshall Tucker Band was a great experience
Was as good as smokin' grass
The sensation of playing with Marshall Tucker Band was exhilarating and comparable to the feeling of indulging in drugs
But if you don't like Hank Williams
However, if you are not a fan of Hank Williams
You can kiss our ass
I have no interest in your opinion on this matter
Cause I think what they done
Because I believe that what they have achieved
Is well worth doin'
Is of great value and importance
And their doin' it the
They are pursuing their craft
Best way that they can
In the manner that they believe is most genuine and effective
Oh you're the only one
Thus, you are the only person responsible for
That you are screwin'
Causing harm to yourself
When you put down what
By criticizing or belittling that which you do not understand
You don't understand
You are hurting your own growth as a person and fan of music
I love all them Allman Brothers,
I have a strong affinity for the Allman Brothers and their music
Merle Haggard, and George Jones
As well as Merle Haggard and George Jones
Shotgun Willie Nelson and them
Additionally, Willie Nelson's work with a shotgun, as well as
Rockin' rollin' Stones
The rock and roll music of the Rolling Stones
Everything the Eagles do
Every aspect of The Eagles' music
And I'm in love with Linda Rondstat
Furthermore, I have a strong admiration for Linda Rondstat
Anybody that don't like Hank Williams
However, if you are not a fan of Hank Williams
You can kiss our ass
I have no interest in your opinion on this matter
I ain't sayin' that he was
I am not suggesting that Hank Williams was
The first or the last
The originator of a genre or the final one to make an impact
But if you don't like Hank Williams
However, if you are not a fan of Hank Williams
You can kiss our ass
I have no interest in your opinion on this matter
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chrisray6385
This is the heart of America.
Those who make it work
Those who came before
Who gave us this chance
Those who assure our future
Just because my grandfather's blood has been washed away by sand and time
Doesn't mean I have forgotten what he fought for.
How about you...
Have you forgotten?
@JesusKing1105
I am 42 Salvadorean 🇸🇻, raised in the US 🇺🇲and I have so much love and respect for good Americans that love and defend this way of life. God bless you all!
@seancasey8640
Nah brother, your roots are Salvadoran, you are 'Merican.
@jeremymoorer1611
That love makes you one of us. Alabama
@myamadeus1
In America the citizenry loves immigrants. :)
@FahqTyrants
🫡🇺🇲
@user-wr2cd1wy3b
Nothin' but 'A Merry Can' do, from an American dude
@DrPhillipMcCracken
I got hurt at work several years ago and was bleeding out in a hurry. The guy that stopped the bleeding, and made this typing possible, came from the WV coal mines. This song always reminds me of that. I'm a country boy but I couldn't help myself, thank God there was another one there.
@gabbynye7536
god bless
@lillyanp4
💯👍🏻
@743buses
I am a Cajun boy and I got hurt a lot and I am just a kid I almost died before as before and I fought it