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.
Practice What I Preach
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This world is going too fast we'd like to slow it down
Don't let them talk you into doin' what you don't want to
Just learn to say no and learn how to refuse
Cause you don't owe nobody nothing except God above
Go out and go after the things in life you love
Don't try to force it if it ain't going smooth
You can make it to the top but only you'll know when to reach
And I am not just talking, I practice what I preach
Maybe you don't do all the things you're supposed to
Your boss gives you a job you hate but you smile
That's the rule
You see yourself playing the game and it's rubbin' you wrong
Ah, you don't know how much more you'll take
How long can it go on
Cause you don't owe nobody nothing except God above
Go out and go after the things in life you love
Don't try to force it if it ain't going smooth
The one person that you should never try to fool is you
You can make it to the top but only you'll know when to reach
And I am not just talking, I practice what I preach
No I am not just talking cause I practice what I preach
The song "Practice What I Preach" by Hank Williams Jr. is a call to action for listeners to slow down and take control of their lives. Williams Jr. encourages listeners to say no to things they don't want to do, chase after things they love, and be honest with themselves. He emphasizes that the only person listeners owe anything to is God above and that they should never try to fool themselves.
The lyrics also address the pressure individuals may face to conform to society's expectations, such as working a job they hate or playing a game that doesn't feel right. Williams Jr. acknowledges the difficulty in standing up for oneself but reminds listeners that they have the power to make positive changes in their lives.
The title and repetition of the refrain, "I am not just talking, I practice what I preach", serves as a reminder that Williams Jr. isn't just spouting empty words; he lives by the advice he gives.
Overall, "Practice What I Preach" is a motivational song that encourages listeners to take control of their lives, pursue their dreams, and be true to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
People I think it's time we stop this runnin' around
It's time to slow down and take control of our lives.
This world is going too fast we'd like to slow it down
The world is moving too quickly and we should take a break.
Don't let them talk you into doin' what you don't want to
Don't be influenced into doing something you don't want to do.
Just learn to say no and learn how to refuse
Learn to say no and refuse anything that you are uncomfortable with.
Cause you don't owe nobody nothing except God above
The only person you owe anything to is God.
Go out and go after the things in life you love
Pursue the things in life that make you happy.
Don't try to force it if it ain't going smooth
Don't try to make something work if it's not working.
The one person that you should never try to fool is you
Don't deceive yourself with false beliefs.
You can make it to the top but only you'll know when to reach
Success is subjective and only you know when you've reached it.
And I am not just talking, I practice what I preach
I'm not just saying these things, I practice them myself.
Maybe you don't do all the things you're supposed to
It's okay if you don't do everything society expects of you.
Your boss gives you a job you hate but you smile
You may have to do things you don't like for a living, but that's life.
That's the rule
That's just how things are sometimes.
You see yourself playing the game and it's rubbin' you wrong
You may feel like something is not right when trying to fit in with others.
Ah, you don't know how much more you'll take
It can be hard to know how much longer you can tolerate something.
How long can it go on
How much longer can this situation last?
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Whippy
I love this song because you can hear ghosts of Hank. Sr. in his voice. It's got a great message too.
airforcemax
Hank Williams Jr, his dad, and daughter have great songs.
xxdfoster
Uh? How bout III? Well since you forgot him I added him. God bless.
Jack Barrett
@xxdfoster Im sure he intentionally left III out, as if he appreciates Sr, Jr and Holly, it shows he has good taste in music .'Hank III' simply has no talent..
Wendy Bounds
This is a DEEP SONG! <3
Thomas Hawkins Hibbs
Deep Deep Deep 💕🙏🇺🇸👍
Appalachian American
bought this album when we was in desert Strom listened to it all the time got alot of truth in it first song till the last
Thomas Hawkins Hibbs
Amen 👍🇺🇸
xxdfoster
God bless. Hank is the truth.
kelly chiarelli
If this song doesnt speak volumes!!! ❤❤❤