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.
Orange Blossom Special
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comin' down that railroad track
Hey, look a-yonder comin'
Comin' down that railroad track
It's the Orange Blossom Special
Bringin' my baby back
Well, I'm going down to Florida
Or maybe California
And get some sand in my shoes
I'll ride that Orange Blossom Special
And lose these New York blues
Hey, talk about a-ramblin'
She's the fastest train on the line
Talk about a-travellin'
She's the fastest train on the line
It's that Orange Blossom Special
Rollin' down the seaboard line
The song "Orange Blossom Special" by Hank Williams Jr. is a joyful tribute to the famous passenger train of the same name. The song starts with the singer spotting the train from a distance as he exclaims “Look a-yonder comin', comin' down that railroad track". The Orange Blossom Special is a special theme train that used to run from New York to Miami. The train itself is the main protagonist of the song, as it is described in detail, "fastest train on the line" and "rolling down the seaboard line".
The singer then tells us that he is going to Florida, and he plans to take the train. He wants to leave the city life behind and go someplace where he can relax, enjoy the sun, and get some "sand in his shoes". He's feeling the "New York Blues" and is looking to escape them by riding the Orange Blossom Special. Overall, the song is an upbeat and exciting celebration of the Orange Blossom Special and the joy that comes with riding a train.
Line by Line Meaning
Look a-yonder comin'
Observing the arrival of something from afar
Comin' down that railroad track
Approaching via the railroad
Hey, look a-yonder comin'
Expressing excitement upon noticing the arrival
It's the Orange Blossom Special
Identifying the incoming train as the Orange Blossom Special
Bringin' my baby back
Bringing the singer's loved one with the Orange Blossom Special
Well, I'm going down to Florida
The singer is planning a trip to Florida
And get some sand in my shoes
They want to experience the beach in Florida and feel the sand in their shoes
Or maybe California
Alternatively, the singer is contemplating a trip to California
And get some sand in my shoes
The singer wants to visit the beach in California as well
I'll ride that Orange Blossom Special
The singer intends to ride the Orange Blossom Special train
And lose these New York blues
The singer hopes to escape their current dissatisfaction with New York
Hey, talk about a-ramblin'
Expressing admiration for the train's capability to travel far and wide
She's the fastest train on the line
Describing the Orange Blossom Special as the fastest train on the given route
Talk about a-travellin'
Admiring the train's ability to travel great distances
It's that Orange Blossom Special
Identifying the praised train as the Orange Blossom Special
Rollin' down the seaboard line
Shorthand for the Ocean Shore Railroad line, which spans from New York to Florida
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERVIN THOMAS ROUSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mitzi Mathias
Thàt is definitely one of the best versions, wore out my vinyl on that one too!
Linda Vaughn
Cool
doughesson
In the early 90s,my cassette player finally ate the original tape I had of this.
Someone stole the replacement along with my other tapes and some guns in 2005 so I don't know where it is.
Richard Apsassin
Hank Williams Jr tunes are the bestest kind to hear drunk or stoned or sober anywhere on the planet that's how great his awesome song's are
Brendon Lainhart
yes sir
Len David Hart
Had this cassette when i was a kid!!!!!!!! LOVED THIS PIECE OF MUSIC.
Edit/added, this IS good music.
Eric Glock
Best version of Orange Blossom Special Ever (sounds exactly like a train in this one).
doughesson
He ended his 1983 concert in Memphis with this as he whipped out a .30-30 to shoot blanks(God,I hope so) at the crowd while his kids were breakdancing across the stage.
Paul Hampton
the best version ever!
eericturbeville
Hank makes any song better!