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.
Honky Tonkin'
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
Honky tonkin', honey baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
When you and your baby have a fallin' out
Just call me up sweet mama and we'll go steppin' out
Honky tonkin', honey baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
We're goin' to the city, to the city fair
If you go to the city then you will find me there
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
Honky tonkin', honey baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
When you are sad and lonely and have no place to go
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
Honky tonkin', honey baby
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
The lyrics to Hank Williams Jr.'s song "Honky Tonkin'" describe a situation in which the singer offers to keep his friend company when they're feeling down. The song revolves around the idea of going out and having a good time, specifically by visiting the local honky tonks. The singer promises to keep his friend's spirits up, and suggests that they bring along some money to enjoy themselves fully.
Throughout the song, the singer reassures his friend that they don't need to worry about anything, as long as they go honky tonkin'. He offers to accompany his friend whenever they need him, such as when they've had a falling out with their partner. Together, they will go out and have a good time, dancing and enjoying the nightlife.
Overall, the lyrics to "Honky Tonkin'" celebrate the power of music and socializing to lift one's spirits. The song encourages listeners to embrace their desire for fun and connection, reminding them that they always have a friend in the honky tonks.
Line by Line Meaning
When you are sad and lonely and have no place to go
If you ever feel down or lost, don't worry. Just give me a call, and we'll have a good time together.
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
Give me a ring, and make sure you have some cash with you so we can hit the town and have some fun.
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
We'll go out and find some places that have loud music and lots of people, where we can dance and have a wild time.
Honky tonkin', honey baby
We'll find some really great places that have the kind of music that will make you happy and want to dance all night long.
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
We'll explore all the best spots in the town and have a good time, just living in the moment and enjoying life.
When you and your baby have a fallin' out
If you and your significant other ever have a disagreement or fight, don't worry. I'm here for you, and we'll make it right.
Just call me up sweet mama and we'll go steppin' out
Give me a call, and we'll get dressed up and go out on the town. We'll dance and forget all about the troubles waiting at home.
We're goin' to the city, to the city fair
We're taking this show on the road! We're headed to the big city for a festival or fair, where we'll find new adventures and even more fun.
If you go to the city then you will find me there
Just follow the noise and the crowd, and soon you'll find me dancing and having a great time. You're always welcome to join in on the fun.
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
No matter where we are, we'll always find some great places with amazing music and awesome people. We'll dance and laugh and make awesome memories all night long.
Honky tonkin', honey baby
When we go out, we'll find the best dance halls and bars with the greatest bands and music. We'll never stop having fun.
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
No matter where we are, or where we end up, we'll always explore and find the hottest spots. Cause we're a couple of wild and crazy friends, just enjoying the ride.
When you are sad and lonely and have no place to go
If you ever feel like there's no way out or you have no one to talk to, you can always turn to me, and we'll escape to a world of fun and excitement.
Call me up, sweet baby, and bring along some dough
Just pick up the phone and let me know you need to get out and have some fun. And make sure you have some money, cause we're going to party all night long.
And we'll go honky tonkin', honky tonkin'
We don't need much to have a great time. Just some good tunes and a few drinks, and we'll be on our way to some epic memories.
Honky tonkin', honey baby
When we're out, we'll find the most amazing clubs and bars with all the best music, the best drinks, and the most fun people. It's gonna be a wild ride!
We'll go honky tonkin' 'round this town.
No matter where we go, we'll always find the most exciting places, the coolest people, and the wildest experiences. We'll paint the town red and have the time of our lives!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, W & K PUBLISHING CORP., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HANK WILLIAMS SR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind