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 The South Would Have Won
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd probably run for president of the Southern states
The day Elvis passed away would be our national holiday
If the South woulda won we woulda had it made
I'd make my supreme court down in Texas
And we wouldn't have no killers getting off free
If they were proven guilty then they would swing quickly
We'd all learn Cajan cookin' in Louisiana
And I'd put that capital back in Alabama
We'd put Florida on the right track, 'cause we'd take Miami back
And throw all them pushers in the slammer
Oh if the South woulda won we woulda had it made
I'd probably run for President of the Southern States
The day young Skynyrd died, we'd show our Southern pride
If the South woulda won we woulda had it made
Play a little dixieland boys, ah yes
I'd have all the whiskey made in Tennessee
And all the horses raised in those Kentucky Hills
The national treasury would be in Tupelo, Mississippi
And I'd put Hank Williams picture on one hundred dollar bill
I'd have all the cars made in the Carolina's
And I'd ban all the ones made in China
I'd have every girl child sent to Georgia to learn to smile
And talk with that Southern accent that drives men wild
I'd have all the fiddles made in Virginia
'Cause they sure can make 'em sound so fine
I'm going up on Wolverton Mountain and see ole Cliften Clowers
And have a sip of his good ole Arkansas wine
Hey if the South woulda won we'd a had it made
I'd probably run for president of the Southern states
When Patsy Cline passed away
That would be our national holiday
If the South woulda won we'd a had it made
Olay, he hee hee, I said, if the South woulda won
We would a had it made, might even be better off
Hank Williams Jr.'s song "If The South Would Have Won" portrays an alternate reality where the South won the Civil War. The lyrics express the idea that if this had happened, the South would be a better place. Williams sings about changes that would have been made in society, such as the establishment of a Supreme Court in Texas and harsher punishments for criminals. He also mentions the celebration of Southern cultural touchstones, such as Elvis Presley and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as national holidays. Williams envisions a geography where states including Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana produce goods specific to their regions, and where Georgia is known for its charming accent. The song's lyrics highlight the South's unique qualities and how they might have flourished if victorious during the Civil War.
The song "If The South Would Have Won" has become a beloved anthem in many Southern communities. It has been embraced as a celebration of Southern identity and pride. However, it has also been criticized by some who feel that it romanticizes the oppressive systems that were in place during the Civil War era. Despite this controversy, the song remains a fixture in Southern culture.
Line by Line Meaning
If the South woulda won we woulda had it made
Expressing a hypothetical scenario of the Southern states winning the Civil War and achieving prosperity
I'd probably run for president of the Southern states
Hypothetically proposing a personal ambition if the Southern states had won
The day Elvis passed away would be our national holiday
Selecting a significant cultural event to celebrate as a national holiday
I'd make my supreme court down in Texas
Proposing a change in the location of the Supreme Court in the event of a Southern victory
And we wouldn't have no killers getting off free
Promising justice for murderers in the Southern states
If they were proven guilty then they would swing quickly
Advocating for the death penalty for convicted murderers
Instead of writin' books and smilin' on TV
Criticizing the lack of severe punishment for murderers and their public exposure
We'd all learn Cajan cookin' in Louisiana
Appreciating the cultural heritage of Louisiana and promoting it in a Southern-led America
And I'd put that capital back in Alabama
Suggesting the relocation of the capital of America to Alabama in a hypothetical Southern-led government
We'd put Florida on the right track, 'cause we'd take Miami back
Proposing a policy of reasserting control over Miami and improving Florida's fortunes
And throw all them pushers in the slammer
Proposing a policy of punishing drug dealers in the Southern-led America
I'd have all the whiskey made in Tennessee
Proposing a monopoly on whiskey production in Tennessee as a means of improving the state's economy
And all the horses raised in those Kentucky Hills
Promoting the success of the Kentucky horse industry within a Southern-led America
The national treasury would be in Tupelo, Mississippi
Suggesting the relocation of the national treasury in Tupelo, Mississippi and the resultant regional economic benefits
And I'd put Hank Williams picture on one hundred dollar bill
Offering an honorific to the famous country musician Hank Williams
I'd have all the cars made in the Carolina's
Promoting the success of the automobile industry in the Carolina's under Southern leadership
And I'd ban all the ones made in China
Advocating for American-made cars and employing protectionist trade policies
I'd have every girl child sent to Georgia to learn to smile
Suggesting a universal educational requirement for young girls to be trained in the Southern social behaviors
And talk with that Southern accent that drives men wild
Celebrating the Southern accent as a desirable quality
I'd have all the fiddles made in Virginia
Promoting the success of the musical instrument industry in Virginia under Southern leadership
'Cause they sure can make 'em sound so fine
Recognizing the musical talent of the Virginians in regards to the fiddle
I'm going up on Wolverton Mountain and see ole Cliften Clowers
Describing a visit to Cliften Clowers, a mountain man on Wolverton Mountain where he enjoys his homemade wine
And have a sip of his good ole Arkansas wine
Celebrating homemade wine and introducing Cliften Clowers as a noteworthy character
When Patsy Cline passed away, that would be our national holiday
Selecting a significant cultural event to celebrate as a national holiday
Might even be better off
Suggesting that the American South would achieve greater prosperity and success compared to the current state of America
Contributed by Joseph P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@juleshewolf8977
Country fan from England here's to the South 😎
@BuddyBrownMusic
God Bless Hank! Keep your powder dry boys!
@nonameyet9165
Holly Mathis it doesn't need to be about that. those people in Charleston that died, those BLACK people, that's my south. they represent what I love. Didn't see any rioting. I don't like Obama either, not at all, he's too yankeee.
@dumbassdipper8862
I'm supposed the aint banned this song like they did the confederate flag Pussies
@christophercoleman1895
Buddy Brown damn right he is my idol
@cruhl888
Buddy Brown .. just found you about 7 months ago Buddy your amazing Hank would love your music!! can you make a song about Trump??? god bless you .. MURICA
@gigismith1362
Yessum
@kornet_mk1406
Greetings to Southern States from Eastern Europe,beautiful song!!!
@CollectorChronicles
Greetings and God Bless
@ryanbrooks5482
Eastern Europe is the south of Europe