Hank Williams, Jr.

Hank Williams, Jr. (born May 26, 1949) is a country singer, son of country music pioneer Hank Williams, Sr. and father of Hank III and Holly Williams.

Related Topics:
May 26 - 1949 - Country - Hank Williams, Sr. - Hank III - Holly Williams

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Born Randall Hank Williams in Shreveport, Louisiana and known by the nickname Bocephus, he was raised by his mother Audrey after his father's death in 1953. He began performing when eight years old, and in 1963 made his recording debut with Lone Gone Lonesome Blue, a staple of his father's career.

Related Topics:
Shreveport, Louisiana - 1953 - 1963

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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, and he became best known for hits like Family Tradition and Born to Boogie.

Related Topics:
Your Cheatin' Heart - Rock and roll

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 early late 40's and early 50's. Audrey, in many ways, wished for young Hank to be a clone of his father, sometimes going as far as to have clothes designed for him that were identical to his father's stage clothes and that his vocal stylings and sounds were almost identical to those of Hank Sr. Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous top ten country hits throughout the 1960's, he became disillusioned with his role as a "Hank Williams Clone" and severed ties with his mother in order to persue his own musical direction and tastes. By the mid 1970's, 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 mainstream Country radio 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 with Southern rock musicians like Toy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels.

Related Topics:
1974 - Alabama - Southern rock - Toy Caldwell - Marshall Tucker Band - Charlie Daniels

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1975, he was severely injured in a mountain-climbing accident in Montana. The accident literally destroyed his face, shattering every bone within his face and actually exposing his brain to open air. It would eventually take 9 major surgeries to put his face back together again. In order to hide the numerous scars, Williams adopted a look that would become his trademark, a thick full beard, cowboy hat, and dark sunglasses Upon his recovery (which took two years), Williams worked with Waylon Jennings on The New South. He didn't reach the charts again until the late 1970s, with I Fought the Law (Bobby Fuller), Family Tradition and Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound. The singles, Family Tradition and Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound sent Williams career into orbit. During the 1980's, Williams' scored no less than 35 top ten and number one singles on the country music charts and an impressive string of gold, platinum, and multi-platinum selling albums. Despite selling millions of albums, setting concert attendance records, and being one of Country Music's biggest stars, Williams recieved very little recognition by the country music establishment. Williams' untraditional approach, style, behavior, sound, and Rock and Roll attitude was seen as not being "country enough" for hardcore country loyalists within the Nashvile music scene. By the mid-1980's, Williams took advantage of the emerging popularity of music videos and shot a video to showcase the single, All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight. The song became one of Williams' true signature songs, due in great part to the video that featured, quite literally, many of Williams' closest friends, many of whom were among the most recognizable names in music such as George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Thurogood. The video for All My Rowdy Friends became the first video to be named Video Of The Year by the Country Music Association in 1985. Williams' career began to hit it's peak after his first taste of recognition by the country music establishment. His popularity had risen to such levels, he could no longer be overlooked for major industry awards. In 1986 and 1987, Williams was named Entertainer Of The Year by the Country Music Association. In 1987, 1988, and 1989, he won the same award from the Academy of Country Music. During the 1980s, Williams became a country music superstar known for catchy anthems and hard-edged rock-influenced country. By the end of the decade, however, the hits had begun to dry up. A new generation of country singers began to emerge that brought with them songs and vocal stylings with a more traditional sound. These singers, which would include Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, and Garth Brooks, became known as Neo-Traditionalists. Williams' was now seen at somewhat out of fashion with this new traditionalist movement. His last major success being 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 Sr. playing just his guitar. The music video for the song combined existing television footage of Hank Williams Sr. 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.

Related Topics:
1975 - Montana - Waylon Jennings - The New South - 1970s - Bobby Fuller - George Jones - Willie Nelson - George Thurogood - 1980s - Randy Travis - Alan Jackson - Vince Gill - Garth Brooks

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Despite his slumping album sales, Hank Williams Jr. continued to be a popular concert draw during the early 1990's 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 apart 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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When not performing, Williams lives in on his compound outside of Missoula, where he spends his time composing new material, hunting & fishing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recently, he has made a cameo appearance along with Larry the Cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Charlie Daniels in Gretchen Wilson's music video for the song "All Jacked Up", whose album will be released at the end of September.

Related Topics:
Larry the Cable Guy - Kid Rock - Charlie Daniels - Gretchen Wilson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~