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.
The South's Gonna Rattle Again
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got ramblin' in my shoes.
Merle he's a drink'in that free bubble-up
Aat'in that rainbow stew.
Now Jones ain't play'in no possum,
He's the number one country man.
Charlie run the devil outta Georgia, Lord,
And the south's gonna rattle again. Yeah,
Dolly's wrapped up in the movie scene.
Tammy's sell'in books in the stores.
Waylon's gonna take us to the White House.
And Willie's gonna open up the door.
And Gilley's sell'in bowels every where ya go,
There made outta wood and tin.
The grounds gonna shake like a big rattle snake
And the south's gonna rattle again.
Yeah,
The south's gonna rattle again.
Yeah,
The south's gonna rattle again.
The south's gonna rattle again.
We got some big old silver eagles, and we're fly'in all over this land.
And you can bet our brag on that rebel flag.
You can damn well count me in.
The grounds gonna shake like a big rattle snake
And the south's gonna rattle again.
Yeah we're gonna shake and rattle again.
Yeah,
The south's gonna rattle again.
The south's gonna rattle again.
We got some big old silver eagles, and we're fly'in through Dixie land.
And you can bet our brag on that rebel flag.
You can damn well count me in.
The grounds gonna shake like a big rattle snake and the southern man's fight'in again.
Hank Williams Jr.'s "The South's Gonna Rattle Again" is a passionate song about the resilience of the South and its people. The lyrics are full of references to famous Southern musicians like Merle Haggard, George Jones, Charlie Daniels, and Dolly Parton, all of whom are doing what they do best – singing, performing, and entertaining. The song's theme centers around the idea that the South has endured a lot of hardships over the years but always manages to bounce back stronger and more resilient than before.
Hank is excited about the future of the South, and he believes that the region is on the brink of another awakening. He talks about the Rebel flag, which he sees as a symbol of pride and freedom, and he encourages his fellow Southerners to take pride in their heritage and traditions. The lyrics are full of colorful imagery, and they paint a vivid picture of a South that is alive and well, full of energy and enthusiasm.
Overall, "The South's Gonna Rattle Again" is a song that celebrates the Southern way of life and the resilience of its people. It's a patriotic and hopeful anthem that inspires listeners to take pride in their roots and to look forward to a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
I got my mind on Dixie.
I am thinking about the southern region of the United States.
I've got ramblin' in my shoes.
I have the urge to wander and explore.
Merle he's a drink'in that free bubble-up Aat'in that rainbow stew.
Merle is enjoying free drinks and food.
Now Jones ain't play'in no possum, He's the number one country man.
Jones is not pretending to be something he is not; he truly is the top country musician.
Charlie run the devil outta Georgia, Lord, And the south's gonna rattle again.
Charlie Daniels defeated the devil in the song 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia,' and this victory represents the strength and resilience of the southern region.
Dolly's wrapped up in the movie scene. Tammy's sell'in books in the stores.
Dolly Parton is focused on her career in film, and Tammy Wynette is successfully selling her books.
Waylon's gonna take us to the White House. And Willie's gonna open up the door.
Waylon Jennings will use his music to bring about political change, and Willie Nelson will be a welcoming figure as the door literally opens.
And Gilley's sell'in bowels every where ya go, There made outta wood and tin.
Mickey Gilley is selling inexpensive furniture made out of wood and tin materials.
The grounds gonna shake like a big rattle snake And the south's gonna rattle again.
There will be a powerful sense of southern pride and energy in the air.
Yeah, The south's gonna rattle again.
The southern region will regain its strength and vitality.
We got some big old silver eagles, and we're fly'in all over this land. And you can bet our brag on that rebel flag. You can damn well count me in.
There is a strong sense of patriotism towards the southern region, symbolized by the Confederate flag, and a commitment to its values and traditions.
The south's gonna rattle again. Yeah we're gonna shake and rattle again.
Once again, the southern region will experience a powerful sense of pride and energy.
The south's gonna rattle again. The south's gonna rattle again.
Repeating the message of the song, the southern region will regain its strength and vitality.
We got some big old silver eagles, and we're fly'in through Dixie land. And you can bet our brag on that rebel flag. You can damn well count me in.
Continuing the sense of patriotism and pride towards the southern region, and a commitment to its values and traditions.
The grounds gonna shake like a big rattle snake and the southern man's fight'in again.
The southern man is once again fighting to preserve and revive the culture and traditions of the region, represented by the powerful imagery of a rattlesnake shaking the ground.
Contributed by Jack N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.