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.
I Love You a Thousand Ways
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I swear it's true darling you're the only one
I think of you of the past and all our fun
I love you I'll prove it in days to come
You're my darling you've been true
I should have been good to you
You're the one that's in my heart
I'll be true I'll prove it to you some day
I love you in my heart you'll always stay
I've been so blue and lonesome all these days
I love you I'll prove it a thousand ways
I'll be nice and sweet to you and no more will you be blue
I'll prove I love you every day all kinds of ways
Darling please wait please wait until I'm free
There'll be a change a great change made in me
I'll be true you'll have no more blue days
I love you and I'll prove it a thousand ways
In Hank Williams Jr.'s "I Love You a Thousand Ways," the singer is professing his love to his significant other, reassuring them that they are the only one for him. He promises to prove his love in the days to come and acknowledges that he should have been treating them better in the past. He reflects on their happy memories together and expresses his desire to be reunited with them. He vows to be kind and sweet to them and make a change for the better once he is free. He ends by declaring his love to them and assuring them that he will do everything in his power to prove it.
The song is about the power of love and the desire to make things right. It is a promise to be a better partner and to show one's love in actions rather than just words. The lyrics are simple yet heartfelt and convey the depth of emotions felt by the singer. The use of repetition of the phrase "I love you I'll prove it in days to come" emphasizes the singer's determination to prove their love.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you I'll prove it in days to come
I deeply love you and I will prove my love for you with my actions in the days ahead.
I swear it's true darling you're the only one
I promise that it's true, my darling, you're the only person I love.
I think of you of the past and all our fun
When I think of you, I remember all the good times we've shared in the past.
You're my darling you've been true
You are my beloved and you have always been faithful to me.
I should have been good to you
I regret not treating you better in the past.
You're the one that's in my heart
You are the only one that holds a special place in my heart.
While we're apart
Even though we are separated, you are still always on my mind.
I'll be true I'll prove it to you some day
I promise to be faithful to you and I will show you that I mean it someday soon.
I love you in my heart you'll always stay
You will always hold a special place in my heart, my love for you is real.
I've been so blue and lonesome all these days
I've been feeling very sad and lonely without you around all this while.
I'll be nice and sweet to you and no more will you be blue
I will be kind and caring towards you, and I promise that you will no longer feel sad and lonely.
I'll prove I love you every day all kinds of ways
I will show my love for you every day in many different ways.
Darling please wait please wait until I'm free
My love, please be patient and wait for me until I become free.
There'll be a change a great change made in me
I promise that a significant and positive change will happen within me.
I'll be true you'll have no more blue days
I will be faithful to you and make sure that you do not feel sad and lonely anymore.
I love you and I'll prove it a thousand ways
I deeply love you and I will prove it to you in countless meaningful ways.
Contributed by Peyton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frank Stanton
Why did Hank jr move away from this kind of singing !! What a voice he’s got!
shuffle877
I love Hank Jr.'s early stuff. He can really do traditional country well if he wants to. Thanks Jack!!!
J.W. Gauntt
shuffle877 very welcome shuff man, i agree wholeheartedly
The Watchman
This is actually best version of this old classic song I can find, and that includes Lefty's version. Superb.
Esme Mohabir
Excellent singing good voice ..Great video.
Barwick
Hank lost me a little bit in the 80s but his early stuff shows his talent
Tom Mortensen
Man this is the real deal nice work Hank Jr.
Ida Berrones
Love it
Tommy Vinson
Yeah he does a good job on this one.
Loretta Burnell
THANK YOU FOR SHARING. LOVE THAT SONG.