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.
Hey Good Lookin
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How's about cookin' something up with me
Hey, sweet baby, don't you think maybe
We could find us a brand new recipe
And I know a spot right over the hill
There's soda pop and the dancin's free
So if you wanna have fun come along with me
Say hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'
How's about cookin' something up with me
I'm free and ready, so we can go steady
How's about savin' all your time for me
No more lookin', I know I've been tooken
How's about keepin' steady company
I'm gonna throw my datebook over the fence
And find me one for five or ten cents
I'll keep it till it's covered with age
'Cause I'm writin' your name down on every page
Say hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'
How's about cookin' something up with me
The lyrics to Hank Williams Jr.'s "Hey Good Lookin'" are a playful invitation to a potential love interest. In the song, the singer approaches someone with the flattering term "good lookin'" and suggests cooking something up together. This can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically: it could mean they want to try to make a literal meal together, or they're using cooking as a metaphor for creating something new together. The singer goes on to propose spending time together, going dancing, and even throwing away their calendar to prioritize the new relationship.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted and fun take on courting someone. It's not too serious or heavy, but it's full of charming suggestions and flirtatious remarks. The upbeat, country-style music adds to the playful tone of the lyrics, which encourages listeners to let loose and have some fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'
The singer greets the person they are interested in with this phrase and asks what they are cooking.
How's about cookin' something up with me
The singer suggests they cook something together as a way to spend time together.
Hey, sweet baby, don't you think maybe
The singer uses affectionate language to show their interest in the person.
We could find us a brand new recipe
The singer suggests trying something new and adventurous together, creating a new memory and experience.
I got a hot rod Ford and a two dollar bill
The singer shares some of their own assets, likely as a way to impress the person they are interested in.
And I know a spot right over the hill
The singer knows of a specific location (likely a hangout spot) that they can go to.
There's soda pop and the dancin's free
The singer describes what is available at the hangout spot, likely to entice the person to join them.
So if you wanna have fun come along with me
The singer invites the person to join them and have fun together.
I'm free and ready, so we can go steady
The singer expresses their freedom and readiness to be in a relationship with the person they are interested in.
How's about savin' all your time for me
The singer wants the person to prioritize spending time with them over other things.
No more lookin', I know I've been tooken
The singer implies that they have been waiting for the right person and have finally found them with the person they are singing to.
How's about keepin' steady company
The singer proposes the idea of being each other's steady companion.
I'm gonna throw my datebook over the fence
The singer is saying they will give up seeing other people and commit to the person they are interested in.
And find me one for five or ten cents
The singer adds humor to their line, implying that they don't need their old datebook anymore and will get a new one at a cheap price.
I'll keep it till it's covered with age
The singer will keep their new datebook as a memento of their new relationship and how long it has lasted.
'Cause I'm writin' your name down on every page
The singer has decided to commit to the person they are interested in and will write their name on every page of their new datebook.
Say hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'
The singer repeats their earlier line as a way to bookend the song and show their continued interest in the person.
How's about cookin' something up with me
The singer restates their earlier invitation to cook something together as a way to spend time together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sirhan.
CJ never tell his homies how much he loves to listen to these songs
@diegos.loayza3706
Ahhaha XD. So true
@disruptor6550
Lmaooo
@violapetslove1492
A well do was follow thw damn train cj!
@marcodistefano4214
I'm redownloading GTA San Andreas just cause I casually bumped into this song :')
@tylerkimmel1359
Ain’t it though lol
@MG-dt9kk
10% fans Hank Williams
90% fans GTA San Andreas
@Dloc47
True
@Dirtbike-yt6kg
I’m both I first heard it from San Andreas but love Hank Williams Sr
@phantomstriker7996
1% tf2 fans