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.
Pan American
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
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But now I'll tell you about one all the southern folks have seen|g
She's the beauty of the southlands listen to that whistle scream
It's that pan american on her way to new or-leans.
She leaves cincinnati headin' down that dixie line
When she passes that nashville tower you can hear that
Whistle whine
Your on that pan american on her way to new or-leans.
If your ever in the south lands and want to see the scenes
Just get your self a ticket on that pan american queen
There's louivill nashville montgomery the cap'tal of ala-bam
You pass right through then all when your new orleans bound.
She leaves cincinnati headin' down that dixie line
When she passes that nashville tower you can hear that
Whistle whine
Stick your head right out the window and feel that southern breeze
Your on that pan american on her way to new or-leans.
The song "Pan American" by Hank Williams Jr. is a tribute to the train known as the Pan American, which traveled through the southern United States from Cincinnati, Ohio, all the way down to New Orleans, Louisiana. The lyrics describe the train's beauty and power, with its whistle screaming and its passage marked by the whine of the whistle. The song pays homage to the many southern towns and cities that the train passes through on its journey, including Nashville, Louisville, Montgomery, and the capital of Alabama.
The song's lyrics are filled with nostalgia and evoke a bygone era of travel, when trains were the dominant mode of transportation and the journey itself was as exciting as the destination. It also speaks to the beauty of the southern landscape, with its rolling hills, verdant forests, and warm, balmy breezes. It celebrates the sense of community and camaraderie that arose among passengers as they rode the train together, sharing stories and experiences along the way.
Overall, "Pan American" is a heartfelt tribute to a beloved train and the region it passed through, serving as a reminder of a simpler time and a way of life that has largely vanished from the modern world.
Line by Line Meaning
I have heard your stories about your fast trains
I am aware of your tales of quick locomotives
But now I'll tell you about one all the southern folks have seen
Allow me to describe a particular train frequently observed by southerners
She's the beauty of the southlands listen to that whistle scream
This train is an exquisite sight to see, with a whistle that rings jubilantly
It's that pan american on her way to new or-leans.
This delightful train is the Pan American headed towards New Orleans
She leaves cincinnati headin' down that dixie line
The Pan American departs from Cincinnati, taking the Dixie Line southward
When she passes that nashville tower you can hear that Whistle whine
Upon reaching Nashville, the Pan American's whistle produces a high-pitched shriek
Stick your head right out the window and feel that southern breeze
If you lean out the window, you'll catch the refreshing gusts of the southern wind
Your on that pan american on her way to new or-leans.
You're on board the Pan American, en route to New Orleans
If your ever in the south lands and want to see the scenes
If you ever find yourself in the southern territory, and want to sightsee
Just get your self a ticket on that pan american queen
Simply obtain a ticket for the regal Pan American train
There's louivill nashville montgomery the cap'tal of ala-bam
The Pan American goes through Louisville, Nashville, and Montgomery, the capital of Alabama
You pass right through then all when your new orleans bound.
As you travel towards New Orleans, you'll pass through all of these locations
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Albert Emanuello
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