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.
Stirrin' It Up
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking to lay some blame
Some on the left and some on the right
Playing that controversy game
I'm not in a real cheery mood so I think I'll call them up
And them em, why don't you play some blues
And both sides shut up
Ain't the world got enough
Without y'all stirrin it up
I am from the old school
Cowboy hat, sure enough
Too damn old to change horses now
Cause I would probably fall off
I'm a little whiskey bent and slowed my roll
And if you ain't real sure about me
Why don't you take it up with Gretchen and Tim
Rockin Shawn Hannity
But you just love trouble
Ain't the world got enough
Without y'all stirrin it up
Back off
So some celeb has teed y'all off
Well, I get teed off too
Why didn't you know that you're supposed
To except our point of view
I have learned at the school of hard knocks
Things change quite a bit
Folks get all jacked up
I don't really give a ... darn
I got a little child and a fishing pole
A can of worms and a boat
I'm goin down to the river now
And let all my problems float
Yeah, I've mellowed a lot
And I don't jump into things like I used to
Hey, what'd you say
Why, you son of a gun
Now see what you made me do
I don't want no trouble
Ain't the world got enough
Without y'all stirrin it up
Stirrin it up
Let the pot simmer (stirrin it up)
Let the dust settle (stirrin it up)
Let's try and get along
And it'll be more better
(Stirrin it, stirrin it, stirrin it up)
(Stirrin it up) sick em, Rush
(Stirrin it up) jump in there, Bill
Stir it up, Shawn
(Stirrin it up)
(Stirrin it up)
The lyrics of Hank Williams Jr.'s "Stirrin' It Up" criticize the media and political figures, condemning them for perpetuating controversy and adding to the existing problems in the world. The song speaks out against the never-ending cycle of blame and conflict, encouraging everyone to take a step back and do their part to alleviate tension. Williams claims to be an old-school cowboy, uninterested in changing his ways or getting involved in these disputes that only serve to stir up trouble. He argues that while the media and politicians may enjoy the drama and attention that comes from creating controversy, it ultimately adds to the overwhelming problems that already exist in the world. Instead, Williams chooses to focus on the simple things in life, like spending time with his child and going fishing, and encourages others to do the same.
Overall, the song is a call for people to be more mindful of their actions and to refocus their priorities on what really matters. Williams is urging everyone to let go of the need for drama and to instead work towards peaceful, productive solutions to the problems that plague our world.
Line by Line Meaning
All the talk shows, you know, geniouses and experts
People who consider themselves experts in their fields often appear on talk shows
Looking to lay some blame
These experts often make an effort to shift the blame for certain issues onto others
Some on the left and some on the right
The blame for contentious issues is often attributed to both liberal and conservative groups
Playing that controversy game
These experts thrive on causing and exacerbating controversies
I'm not in a real cheery mood so I think I'll call them up
The artist is not happy with the controversy and would like to express that to people in charge of the talk shows
And them em, why don't you play some blues
The singer is suggesting that the talk shows switch to a more relaxed, calm genre of music to reduce tension
And both sides shut up
The singer is asking both liberal and conservative groups to stop arguing with each other
But do we just love trouble
The artist is questioning why controversial issues are so attractive to people
Ain't the world got enough
The artist is implying that there are already too many problems in the world, and creating more through controversy is unnecessary
I am from the old school
The artist is from a previous generation
Cowboy hat, sure enough
The singer often wears a cowboy hat, which may be seen as old-fashioned
Too damn old to change horses now
The artist is at an age where changing habits or beliefs is difficult or unlikely
Cause I would probably fall off
If the singer tried to change, they would likely not be successful and it would cause problems for them
I'm a little whiskey bent and slowed my roll
The singer may be a bit intoxicated and thus may be slowing down or relaxing
And if you ain't real sure about me
If the listener is not certain about the singer's character or beliefs
Why don't you take it up with Gretchen and Tim
The artist suggests that the listener should talk to other people if they have doubts about the artist
Rockin Shawn Hannity
Referring to the political commentator Sean Hannity
So some celeb has teed y'all off
A celebrity has caused people to become angry or upset
Well, I get teed off too
The singer is also getting angry
Why didn't you know that you're supposed
The artist is questioning why others do not know the artist's perspective
To except our point of view
The artist wants others to understand and accept their beliefs
I have learned at the school of hard knocks
The artist has learned from difficult experiences in life
Things change quite a bit
The world is always changing and evolving
Folks get all jacked up
People get overly excited or worked up about controversial issues
I don't really give a ... darn
The singer does not care about other people's opinions or viewpoints
I got a little child and a fishing pole
The singer has a young child and is going fishing
A can of worms and a boat
The singer is going fishing with live bait and a boat
I'm goin down to the river now
The artist is going to the river to fish
And let all my problems float
The artist is trying to forget about their problems for the day
Yeah, I've mellowed a lot
The singer has become more laid back as they have aged
And I don't jump into things like I used to
The singer no longer jumps into situations quickly like they did when they were younger
Hey, what'd you say
The artist is interrupted by someone
Why, you son of a gun
The artist is surprised or angry with the interrupter
Now see what you made me do
The interrupter has caused the artist to become angry and upset
I don't want no trouble
The singer wants to avoid any conflict or trouble
Let the pot simmer (stirrin it up)
The artist uses a cooking metaphor to encourage people to let their issues settle for a while
Let the dust settle (stirrin it up)
The singer uses a metaphor to encourage people to let the tension between them die down
Let's try and get along
The singer wants people to attempt to make peace with one another
And it'll be more better
The singer believes that things will be better if people try to get along
(Stirrin it, stirrin it, stirrin it up)
The artist repeats their metaphor to encourage people to let issues settle down
(Stirrin it up) sick em, Rush
The artist is referring to the conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh
(Stirrin it up) jump in there, Bill
The singer is referring to the former president, Bill Clinton
Stir it up, Shawn
The singer is referring to Sean Hannity once again
(Stirrin it up)
The artist repeats their refrain, which encourages people to let issues settle down for a while
Contributed by Adeline B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.