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.
Pride
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's crawling back to you
I never thought
I'd live to see today
This time I'd go for good
And I was even proud enough
To tell myself I could
But it took a lot of lonely nights
To ever change my mind
It took a lot of missing youth
And things that I'd left behind
Intending to keep going
But the going got too rough
And pride's not hard to swallow
Once you chew it long enough
I know we won't
Always see eye to eye
But if you'll take me back
This time I'll really try
So many things I could have done
So much I failed to do
I've never needed anyone
As much as I need you
And it took a lot of lonely nights
To ever change my mind
It took a lot of missing youth
And things that I'd left behind
Intending to keep going
But the going it got too rough
And my pride's not hard to swallow
Once I've chewed it long enough
Hank Williams Jr.'s song "Pride" is a heartfelt ballad about a man who, after leaving his partner with the intention of never returning, finds himself crawling back to her. The opening verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer admitting to his partner that he "never thought [he'd] live to see today." Despite his initial intentions to leave for good, he finds himself returning, and it is clear that this has not been an easy decision for him.
The singer goes on to explain that it took "a lot of lonely nights" for him to change his mind and consider returning to his partner. He reflects on the things he left behind and realizes that although he initially intended to keep going, things got too rough and he couldn't handle it on his own. He acknowledges that pride can be difficult to swallow, but he has learned to do so and is willing to admit that he needs his partner in his life.
The song's chorus is a plea to his partner to give him another chance. He acknowledges that they won't always see eye to eye, but promises to try harder this time around. He laments the missed opportunities and failures from his previous time with her and admits that he has never needed anyone as much as he needs her now. The song is a touching tribute to the power of forgiveness and the strength it takes to admit when we need someone in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish you'd look who's crawling back to you
I am ashamed to admit that I am the one who is begging for forgiveness and coming back to you.
I never thought I'd live to see today
I never expected to be in this position where I am desperately trying to win back your love.
I swore to you the day I left this time I'd go for good
When I left you last time, I promised myself and you that I would never come back.
And I was even proud enough to tell myself I could
I was so confident in my ability to stay away from you that I convinced myself that I would never need you again.
But it took a lot of lonely nights to ever change my mind
I spent many nights alone, realizing how much I loved and missed you, and it changed my mind about leaving you for good.
It took a lot of missing youth and things that I'd left behind
To realize how much I had given up by leaving you, I had to miss out on many experiences and memories from my youth that I left behind.
Intending to keep going but the going it got too rough
I wanted to keep moving forward without you, but life became too difficult and overwhelming without your support and love.
And pride's not hard to swallow once you chewed it long enough
It may have been difficult to admit that I was wrong and made a mistake, but over time, my pride became easier to swallow.
I know we won't always see eye to eye
I understand that we may have disagreements and conflicts in the future.
But if you'll take me back this time I'll really try
If you give me another chance, I promise to put in the effort to make things work between us.
So many things I could have done so much I failed to do
Leaving you made me realize how many opportunities I missed and things I failed to do while I had your love and support.
I've never needed anyone as much as I need you
I have never felt so dependent and in need of someone's love and support as I do with you.
And it took a lot of lonely nights...
The realization of how much I needed you and missed you only came after spending many lonely nights without you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind