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.
Moanin
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
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There wasn't nothin' I could do
But mosey around with my head in my hands
Lord what am I comin' to
I just keep moanin'
Moa-oanin' the blues.
I wrote a nice, long letter
Your dad-ad-dy is lon-one-some
And all I do is moan
I been lovin' that gal for so doggone long
I can't afford to lose her now
I thought I was right but I must of been wrong
'Cause my head is startin' to bow
And now I'm moanin'
Moa-oanin' the blues.
If you want a good gal to stay around
You gotta treat her nice and kind
If you do her wrong she'll leave this town
And you'll almost lose your mind
Then you'll moanin' moa-oanin' the blues.
Aw baby, baby, baby
Honey baby, please come home
Your dad-ad-dy is lon-one-some and all I do is moan
I promise you baby that I'll be good
And I'll never be bad no more
I'm sittin' here waitin' for you right now
To walk through that front door
Then I'll stop moanin' moa-oanin' the blues
In "Moanin' the Blues," Hank Williams sings about the pain of losing his lover and being alone with his sorrow. He describes himself as walking around aimlessly with his head in his hands, wondering what he has come to. Williams uses the phrase "moanin' the blues" to describe the way he's feeling as he longs for his ex-lover.
The lyrics reveal his desperation as he tries to win his lover back. He writes a letter, pleading with her to come back, reassuring her that he'll never be bad again. However, he acknowledges that he may have done her wrong in the past, and now he's paying the price with his heartache. He knows that if he wants a good thing, he's got to treat it well, and he's lost sight of that.
Williams' melancholy tone and mournful lyrics strike a chord with anyone who has gone through the pain of a breakup. His desperation is palpable, as is his regret for not treating his lover with the kindness she deserved. In the end, he begs his lover to return, promising to be good and never hurt her again.
Line by Line Meaning
When my baby moved out and the blues moved in
My girl left me and a great sorrow fills me
There wasn't nothin' I could do
I am helpless and feel defeated
But mosey around with my head in my hands
I wander aimlessly, lost in thought and despair
Lord what am I comin' to
I feel like I'm going crazy with heartbreak
I just keep moanin' Moa-oanin' the blues.
All I can do is sigh and lament my misery
I wrote a nice, long letter
I tried to reach out to her and communicate my emotions
Sayin' mama please come home
Asking her to come back and heal my broken heart
Your dad-ad-dy is lon-one-some
I am lonely and miserable without you
And all I do is moan
All I can do is express my sorrow and pain
I been lovin' that gal for so doggone long
I have loved her with all my heart for a really long time
I can't afford to lose her now
I cannot bear the thought of losing her
I thought I was right but I must of been wrong
I made a mistake and now regret it deeply
'Cause my head is startin' to bow
I am ashamed and defeated by my wrongdoings
And now I'm moanin'
My heart is heavy and I am consumed by grief
Moa-oanin' the blues.
My only solace is to keep expressing my sadness
If you want a good gal to stay around
To keep your woman, you must treat her well
You gotta treat her nice and kind
Be loving and compassionate towards her
If you do her wrong she'll leave this town
If you mistreat her, she will walk away
And you'll almost lose your mind
The pain of losing her will be unbearable
Then you'll moanin' moa-oanin' the blues.
You will also be consumed with sadness and lament your actions
Aw baby, baby, baby
My heart is crying out for you
Honey baby, please come home
Please return and heal my heartache
I promise you baby that I'll be good
I vow to treat you with love and respect
And I'll never be bad no more
I have learned from my mistakes and will never repeat them
I'm sittin' here waitin' for you right now
I am patiently waiting for your return
To walk through that front door
To open the door to my love and forgiveness
Then I'll stop moanin' moa-oanin' the blues
With you back in my life, my sadness will recede and joy will return to my heart.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HANK WILLIAMS SR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind