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.
If Heaven Ain
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wanna go
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I'd just as soon stay home
I was one of the chosen few
To be born in Alabam'
I'm just alike my daddy's son
I went through a lot of good women
And shook old Jim Beam's hand
If I never see the pearly gates
I've walked through the promised land
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I don't wanna go
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I'd just as soon stay home
If they don't have a Grand Ole Opry
Like they do in Tennessee
Just send me to Hell or New York City
It would be about the same to me
I've got wild honey trees and crazy little weeds
Growin' around my shack
These dusty roads ain't streets of gold
But I'm a happy right where I'm at
All these pretty little southern belles
Are a country boy's dream
They ain't got wings or halos
But they're sure looking good to me
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I don't wanna go
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I'd just as soon stay home
If they don't have a Grand Ole Opry
Like they do in Tennessee
Just send me to Hell or New York City
It would be about the same to me
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I don't wanna go
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I'd just as soon stay home
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I don't wanna go
If Heaven ain't a lot like Dixie
I'd just as soon stay home
If they don't have a Grand Ole Opry
Like they do in Tennessee
Just send me to Hell or New York City
It would be about the same to me
Hank Williams Jr.'s song If Heaven Ain't A Lot Like Dixie is a tribute to the southern way of life. The singer declares that he doesn't want to go to heaven, unless it's a lot like Dixie. It's a profound statement about how much he loves his home state of Alabama and the southern lifestyle in general. The song's lyrics include references to his roots, including his father, who was also a famous country singer.
He is proud of who he is and where he comes from, and he doesn't want to be anywhere else. Despite his fame and success, he is happy just where he is, in the South. He talks about his love for women, whiskey, and the simple life. He doesn't need anything fancy or materialistic to be happy; he's content with what he has. He mentions that he'd rather go to Hell or New York City than go to heaven if it's not like the Dixie way of life.
The song is a classic country music hit that has resonated with fans for decades. It's a celebration of the southern way of life and a tribute to those who love the South. The song's catchy tune and relatable lyrics have made it a popular anthem for those who are proud to be from the southern United States.
Line by Line Meaning
If ain't a lot like Dixie
If heaven does not resemble the state of Dixie, with all its attributes and features, then it is not worth going to.
I was one of the chosen few, To be born in Alabam', I'm just alike my daddy's son, I'm proud of who I am
I am proud to be from Alabama, just like my father before me, and I feel lucky to have been born there.
If I never see the pearly gates, I've walked through the promised land
I have experienced so many beautiful things in my life that I feel like I have already seen heaven, even if I never get there.
If they don't have a Grand Ole Opry, Like they do in Tennessee, Just send me to Hell or New York City, It would be about the same to me
The Grand Ole Opry is an essential part of my life, and if it is not in heaven, then I would rather go to Hell or New York City instead.
I've got wild honey trees and crazy little weeds, Growin' around my shack, These dusty roads ain't streets of gold, But I'm a happy right where I'm at
My humble surroundings may not be glamorous, but they bring me joy and contentment.
All these pretty little southern belles, Are a country boy's dream, They ain't got wings or halos, but they're sure looking good to me
There is nothing more attractive to a southern boy than a pretty southern girl, regardless of whether or not she has wings or a halo.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILLY MADDOX, DAVID LESLIE MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind