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.
Sometimes I Feel Like Joe Montana
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Had my share of fame
Sometimes I just wanna go and
Get back in the game
Toss a few more touchdowns
Belt some more home runs
Instead of just sittin around
We had in those good ol days
But I know they're all gone
But I still got that spirit
And it just keeps hangin on
Sometimes I feel like Joe Montana
Just wanna go in one more game
I never thought I'd give a damn
When the time came to walk away
But I played hurt alot and I still won
Raced in the end zone steppin high
My worst injury is this misery
Just wanna win one one more time
No one's ever doubted
Or questioned my heart
Thank God I found a girl like you
To keep those worlds apart
So I'll just be her hero
And our kids will be the team
But some nights, I just can't sleep
And she knows it's that old dream
Sometimes I feel like Joe Montana
Just wanna go in one more game
I never thought I'd give a damn
When the time came to walk away
But I played hurt alot and I still won
Romped down the sideline every time
My worst injury are those memories
Just wanna win one one more time
My worst injury are those memories
Just wanna win one one more time
In Hank Williams Jr.'s song Sometimes I Feel Like Joe Montana, he sings about his desire to relive his glory days in sports, specifically football and baseball. He reminisces about his past successes and how he longs to experience them again. Williams acknowledges that those days are gone, but he still has the spirit and drive to play. He compares himself to legendary quarterback Joe Montana, expressing his desire to play just one more game and win one more time. Williams also speaks about his injuries and how, despite playing hurt, he still managed to triumph. He ultimately concludes that his worst injury is the memories of those past victories, and he just wants to win one more time.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been to the Big Dance
I have achieved a lot of success.
Had my share of fame
I am well-known and recognized for my achievements.
Sometimes I just wanna go and Get back in the game
I long to experience the thrill of competition again.
Toss a few more touchdowns
I want to score more points in football.
Belt some more home runs
I want to hit more home runs in baseball.
Instead of just sittin around Thinkin 'bout all the fun We had in those good ol days
I don't want to reminisce about the past, I want to create more memories.
But I know they're all gone But I still got that spirit And it just keeps hangin on
Although my past achievements are over, my competitive spirit still remains strong.
Sometimes I feel like Joe Montana
I wish to relive the glory days of my athletic success.
Just wanna go in one more game
I long to play in another game and experience the thrill of competition.
I never thought I'd give a damn When the time came to walk away
I didn't anticipate that I would have such a strong desire to stay competitive even after retiring.
But I played hurt alot and I still won
I was injured often, but I was still able to achieve victory.
Romped down the sideline every time
I was able to run down the field with ease and score every time.
My worst injury is this misery Just wanna win one one more time
My worst pain is not physical, but mental: the longing to compete and win again.
No one's ever doubted Or questioned my heart
I have always been known for my dedication and passion.
Thank God I found a girl like you To keep those worlds apart
Thankfully, I have someone who supports me in both my personal and athletic life.
So I'll just be her hero And our kids will be the team
I will focus on being a good partner and father to my family.
But some nights, I just can't sleep And she knows it's that old dream
Despite my focus on family, I still have a lingering desire to compete.
Contributed by Leo K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.