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.
Hot To Trot
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When it comes to you, I'm hot to trot
I've got a feeling tonight we will cross that finish line
I'm hot to trot, baby let's ride
You make me dance like a Kentucky colt
When I'm with you girl I really feel my oats
I will be your Tennessee stud if you give me your sweet love
Why don't we ride off in the sunset
Just like ol' Roy Rodgers did
You can be my Lily Langtree and I'll be your Billy The Kid
I'm hot to trot, I'm raring to go
Take a ride along, I'm ready to show
I gotta feeling that tonight we will cross that finish line
I'm hot to trot, baby let's ride
Why don't we ride off in the sunset
Just like ol' Gene Autry did
You can be my Lily Langtree and I'll be your Billy The Kid
I'm hot to trot, I'm raring to go
Take a ride along, let's rodeo
Hey that all you can't denie that we will cross that finish line
I'm hot to trot, baby let's ride
Baby let's ride
The lyrics to Hank Williams Jr.'s "Hot to Trot" are a playful and flirtatious invitation to ride with the singer. Hank Jr. starts off by expressing his attraction to his love interest, noting that while some girls may not be cute, he finds her irresistible. He is "hot to trot," which means he is eager and excited to be with her. He has a feeling that they will "cross that finish line" tonight, which could refer to reaching their goal of being together, or perhaps reaching a physical climax.
As the song continues, Hank Jr. compares the feeling of being with his love interest to that of a Kentucky colt, which suggests a sense of wildness and excitement. He is inspired to be her Tennessee stud, and he invites her to give him her sweet love. The desire to ride off into the sunset like cowboys of the past also suggests a sense of adventure and romance, and the lyrics make playful references to famous Western figures like Roy Rogers and Billy the Kid.
Overall, the lyrics to "Hot to Trot" are full of energy and spirit, expressing a playful and flirtatious desire to be with someone. The song combines themes of love, romance, and adventure with a catchy melody and upbeat tempo, making it a classic example of country music.
Line by Line Meaning
Some girls are cute, some girls are not
Different people have different physical attributes and not everyone is deemed attractive.
When it comes to you, I'm hot to trot
I am extremely attracted to you and eager to pursue a romantic relationship.
I've got a feeling tonight we will cross that finish line
I believe that tonight we will successfully achieve our desired outcome or goal, likely related to our romantic pursuits.
I'm hot to trot, baby let's ride
I am eager and excited to move forward with our romantic relationship and take action towards that goal.
You make me dance like a Kentucky colt
Being with you makes me feel youthful and energetic, akin to the exuberant movements of a young horse.
When I'm with you girl I really feel my oats
Being with you makes me feel lively and empowered, ready to take on challenges with increased confidence.
I will be your Tennessee stud if you give me your sweet love
If you offer me your love and affection, I will be your loyal and dependable partner.
Why don't we ride off in the sunset
Let's make a dramatic, romantic gesture and leave the present behind for a dreamy future together.
Just like ol' Roy Rodgers did
Let's emulate the romantic hero of old Western movies and ride off into the sunset together.
You can be my Lily Langtree and I'll be your Billy The Kid
Let's take on roles of famous romantic partners from history and fiction, and create our own shared story.
I'm hot to trot, I'm raring to go
I am highly motivated and ready to take action towards fulfilling my desires.
Take a ride along, I'm ready to show
Come with me on this journey, I am confident in my abilities and excited to demonstrate them to you.
Let's rodeo
Let's engage in a wild and exciting experience, similar to the thrill and excitement of a rodeo event.
Hey that all you can't denie that we will cross that finish line
It is clear and undeniable that we will achieve our desired goal of being together and building a romantic relationship.
Baby let's ride
Let's move forward and take action towards our romantic goals, with eagerness and excitement.
Contributed by Alexis H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.