Hank Williams Jr.

Randall Hank Williams Born May 26 1949 Known Professionally As Hank Williams Jr. Or Alternatively As Hank Jr. Or Bocephus Is An American Singer-Songwriter And Musician. His Musical Style Is Often Considered A Blend Of Southern Rock Blues And Country. He Is The Son Of Country Music Singer Hank Williams The Half-Brother Of Jett Williams And The Father Of Hank Williams III Holly Williams Hilary Williams Sam Williams And The Late Katherine Williams-Dunning. 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. read less