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.
It's a Start
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
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Where our house used to be
I spent all my pay check
Buyin' up that TNT
Where I dumped all your clothes
And I fed all your flowers
To some old billy goat
Now it ain't much but it's all that
I could think of at the time
The worst things were the first things
That came into my mind
I ain't done here enough
To get you out of my heart
But at least I'm feelin' better
What the hell, it's a good start
Pull out a chainsaw to the oak tree
Where our car bear a name
Took her back home to our parking spot
Upon lover's lane
I've been leaving lots of messages
On those bathroom walls
With your name and number
For some hot stuff, just call
It ain't much but it's all that
I could think of at the time
The worst things were the first things
That came into my mind
I ain't done here enough
To get you out of my heart
But at least I feel better
What the hell, it's a start
I ain't done here enough
To get you out of my heart
But at least I'm feelin' better
What the hell, it's a start
The lyrics to Hank Williams Jr.'s song "It's a Start" are about a man who is trying to cope with a break-up by destroying things that remind him of his former lover, such as their house, her belongings, and even a tree with their initials carved into it. He admits that his actions are extreme and that he hasn't yet gotten over his ex, but he feels some relief in the destruction he's caused. The chorus, "I ain't done enough to get you out of my heart, but at least I'm feeling better, what the hell, it's a start" shows that he knows he still has a long way to go in getting over the break-up, but he's taking it one step at a time.
The lyrics show a raw and honest way that some people cope with break-ups. The singer is filled with pain and anger, which he channels into destructive behavior. It's clear that he's not proud of what he's done, but he's trying to find some sense of control in an otherwise chaotic situation. The title of the song, "It's a Start," suggests that the singer knows he has a long way to go in healing and moving on, but he's taking small steps in the right direction.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a big old smokin' crater
Our house has been destroyed and now there's a huge hole and smoke coming out of it.
Where our house used to be
Our home is no longer present at the spot where it was originally located.
I spent all my pay check
I used all the money I had received from work.
Buyin' up that TNT
I used that money to buy explosives.
I just got back from goodwill
I returned from a thrift store.
Where I dumped all your clothes
I got rid of all your garments there.
And I fed all your flowers
I gave your flowers away to an old billy goat as food.
To some old billy goat
I fed your flowers to a male goat that was likely old.
Now it ain't much but it's all that
What I did wasn't really significant, but it's all I could think of at the time.
I could think of at the time
That's all I could come up with during that moment.
The worst things were the first things
The most negative ideas were the first ones to come to my mind.
That came into my mind
These thoughts just popped into my head without much filter.
I ain't done here enough
I haven't been away from this situation long enough.
To get you out of my heart
I still have feelings for you despite what you've done.
But at least I'm feelin' better
Despite my emotions, I am experiencing a sense of relief.
What the hell, it's a good start
It might not be much, but it's a step in the right direction.
Pull out a chainsaw to the oak tree
I used a mechanical saw to cut down an oak tree.
Where our car bear a name
There was a marking indicating our car's location at Lover's Lane.
Took her back home to our parking spot
I moved the car back to where it belonged.
Upon lover's lane
The car was located at a park where lovers go to be intimate.
I've been leaving lots of messages
I have been writing numerous messages.
On those bathroom walls
I have written those messages on the stalls in public restrooms.
With your name and number
Those messages contain your name and phone number.
For some hot stuff, just call
The messages suggest that people should contact you for 'hot stuff.'
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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