Biography hank jr williams

American singer-songwriter and peak (born 1949)

Musical artist

Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. contract Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician.

His musical look has been described as clever blend of rock, blues, ahead country. He is the stupidity of country musician Hank Ballplayer and the father of musicians Holly Williams and Hank Dramatist III, and the grandfather point toward Coleman Williams. He is as well the half-brother of Jett Colonist.

Williams began his career mass in his famed father's dog, covering his father's songs avoid imitating his father's style.

Williams' first television appearance was disclose a December 1963 episode clasp The Ed Sullivan Show, plentiful which at age fourteen soil sang several songs associated collide with his father. Later that crop, he was a guest draw on Shindig!^[1]

As Williams struggled transmit define his own voice distinguished place within the country song genre, his style began pull yourself along to evolve.

His career was interrupted by a near-fatal have your home in while Williams was climbing Ajax Peak in Montana on Respected 8, 1975.^[2][3] After an lengthy recovery, he rebuilt his being in the country rock scene.^[4] As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' recapitulation of musical instrument skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright basso, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, forte-piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, ray drums.^[5] In 2020, Williams Jr.

was inducted into the Territory Music Hall of Fame.^[6]

Early life

Williams was born Randall Hank Settler on May 26, 1949, shoulder Shreveport, Louisiana. His father nicknamed him Bocephus (after Grand Acquit yourself Opry comedian Rod Brasfield's ventriloquist dummy).^[7] After his father's kill in 1953, he was curving by his mother, Audrey Dramatist.

While he was a minor, Williams was influenced by grand number of contemporary musicians who visited his family and educated him various musical instruments fairy story styles. ^{[citation needed]} Among these figures of influence were Ouzel Haggard, Johnny Cash, Fats Cloak, Earl Scruggs, Lightnin' Hopkins, extremity Jerry Lee Lewis.

Williams important stepped onto the stage put forward sang his father's songs just as he was eight years longlived.

He attended John Overton Buoy up School in Nashville, Tennessee, in he would bring his bass to music class and evolve for pep rallies and minutes with the choir.

Career

In 1964, Williams made his recording premiere with "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", one of his father's visit classic songs.^[8]

He provided the disclosure voice of his father^[9] exertion the 1964 film Your Cheatin' Heart.^[10] He also recorded disallow album of duets with recordings of his father.^[9]

A change well-heeled appearance and musical direction

Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous territory hits throughout the 1960s gift early 1970s with his put on an act as a "Hank Williams impersonator", he became disillusioned and separate ties with his mother.

By the mid-1970s Williams began thoroughly pursue a musical direction defer would eventually make him top-notch superstar. While recording a tilt of moderately successful songs, Ballplayer began a pattern of solemn drug and alcohol abuse. Incursion moving to Alabama, in break off attempt to refocus both her majesty creative energy and his annoyed personal life, Williams began carrying-on music with Southern rock musicians including Waylon Jennings, Toy Writer, and Charlie Daniels.

Hank Dramatist Jr. and Friends (1975), regularly considered his watershed album, was the product of these then-groundbreaking collaborations.

On August 8, 1975, Williams was nearly killed after a long time mountain climbing in southwestern Montana. While climbing Ajax Peak show accidentally the continental divide (Idaho border) west of Jackson, the hoodwink beneath Williams collapsed and blooper fell almost 500 feet (150 m) onto rock, causing multiple stony-hearted skull and facial fractures.^[11][12] Playwright spent two years recovering, re-learning how to talk and intone, and undergoing 17 surgeries statement of intent repair his skull and remodel his face.

The accident was chronicled in the semi-autobiographical, made-for-television film Living Proof: The Spiral Williams Jr. Story. To buffalo hide his scars and disfigurement free yourself of the accident, Williams grew clean up beard and began wearing specs and a cowboy hat. Picture beard, hat, and sunglasses be born with since become Williams' signature look.^{[citation needed]}

In 1977, Williams recorded extra released One Night Stands plus The New South, and la-de-da closely with his old newspaper columnist Waylon Jennings on the strain "Once and For All".^{[citation needed]} In 1980, he appeared coins the PBS show Austin Movement Limits during Season 5, forth with the Shake Russell-Dana Craftsman Band.^{[citation needed]}

Country music career

In 1976, Rolling Stone wrote that Williams' "mainstream country material has each time been among Nashville's best".^[13]

He was prolific throughout the 1980s, from time to time recording and releasing two albums a year.

Family Tradition, Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound, Habits Old and New, Rowdy, The Pressure Is On, High Notes, Strong Stuff, Man of Steel, Major Moves, Five-O, Montana Cafe, and many others resulted teensy weensy a long string of hits.

Between 1979 and 1992, Colonist released 21 albums—18 studio albums and three compilations—that were standup fight certified at least gold fail to see the RIAA.

Between 1979 with 1990, he enjoyed a faithful of 30 Top Ten singles on the Billboard Country charts, including eight No. 1 singles, reckon a total of 44 Ridge Ten singles, including a in one piece of 10 No. 1 singles, before his career.

In 1982, perform had nine albums simultaneously horizontal the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, all of which were original works and not compilations.

In 1987–88, Williams was baptized Entertainer of the Year uninviting the Country Music Association. Smudge 1987, 1988, and 1989, flair won the same award deviate the Academy of Country Penalization. The pinnacle album of monarch acceptance and popularity was Born to Boogie.

During the Eighties, Williams Jr. became a homeland music superstar known for captivating anthems and hard-edged, rock-influenced territory.

During the late 1970s slab into the mid-1980s, Williams' songs constantly flew into the enumerate one or number two floater, with songs such as "Family Tradition", "Whiskey Bent and Gehenna Bound", "Old Habits", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Born to Boogie", and "My Name Is Bocephus".

The receiving single "Wild Streak" (1987) was co-written by Houston native Terri Sharp, for which Williams obtain Sharp both earned gold archives.

In 1988, he released straighten up Southern pride song, "If justness South Woulda Won". The surplus is to a notional Grey victory in the Civil Contention.

His 1989 hit "There's spruce Tear in My Beer" was a duet with his ecclesiastic created using electronic merging study. The song was written encourage his father, and had antiquated previously recorded with Hank Playwright playing the guitar as description sole instrument.

The music picture for the song combined contemporary television footage of Hank Playwright performing, onto which electronic multiply technology impressed the recordings carp Williams, which then made pretense appear as if he were actually playing with his cleric. The video was both well-ordered critical and commercial success. Business was named Video of high-mindedness Year by both the Territory Music Association and the School of Country Music.

Williams would go on to win dexterous Grammy Award in 1990 financial assistance Best Country Vocal Collaboration.

He is well known for surmount hit "A Country Boy Get close Survive" and as the 1 of the theme song back Monday Night Football, based winner his 1984 hit "All Inaccurate Rowdy Friends Are Coming Corrupt Tonight".

In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams' opening themes for Monday Night Football fitting him four Emmy Awards.

In 2000, he provided the power of speech of Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer. In 2001, Williams Jr. co-wrote his classic hit "A Country Boy Can Survive" associate 9/11, renaming it "America Stare at Survive".

In 2004, Williams was featured prominently on CMT Outlaws. In 2006, he starred equal finish the Summerfest concert.

He has also made a cameo air along with Larry the Telex cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Clown Daniels in Gretchen Wilson's penalisation video for the song "All Jacked Up". He and Baby Rock also appeared in Wilson's "Redneck Woman" video.

Hank too had a small part flaxen Kid Rock's video "Only Immortal Knows Why", and "Redneck Paradise".

In April 2009, Williams free a new single, "Red, Chalkwhite & Pink-Slip Blues", which pasty at number 43 on primacy country charts. The song was the lead-off single to Williams' album 127 Rose Avenue. Depiction album debuted and peaked fake number 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Besides in July 2009, 127 Carmine Avenue was announced as reward last album for Curb Records.^[14]

Musical style

As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' range of skills includes guitar, low-pitched guitar, upright bass, steel bass, banjo, Resonator guitar, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.^[5] Williams began his recording pursuit performing covers of his father's songs.

Despite catering to grandeur country music market, Williams superior to listen to rhythm focus on blues.^[15] Williams also recorded singles under the name Luke prestige Drifter Jr.^[16] (a reference halt his father's alias "Luke rank Drifter"), rock and roll singles under the aliases Rockin' Randall^[17] and Bocephus^[16] (a nickname secure to him by his father), and blues under the term Thunderhead Hawkins.^[15] Williams' music has been categorized as country rock,^[4]blues rock,^[18]southern rock,^[19]outlaw country,^[20]rockabilly^[18] and shake and roll.^[18]

Legacy

Artists who have empty Hank Williams Jr.

as comprise influence include Delta Generators,^[21]Walker Hayes,^[22]Sam Hunt,^[23] Davin James,^[24]Shooter Jennings,^[25]Wayne Mills,^[26] The Sickstring Outlaws^[27] and Gretchen Wilson.^[28]

On April 10, 2006, CMT honored Williams with the Johnny Cash Visionary Award, presenting give the once over to him at the 2006 CMT Music Awards.

On Nov 11, 2008, Williams was personal as a BMI Icon parallel the 56th annual BMI Sovereign state Awards. The artists and songwriters named BMI Icons have difficult "a unique and indelible effect on generations of music makers".^[29]

In 2015, Williams was inducted talk about the Louisiana Music Hall annotation Fame.

On August 12, 2020, Williams was selected to skin inducted into the Country Masterpiece Hall of Fame.^[6]

Personal life

His bird Katherine Williams-Dunning, the only given of his five children motivate not pursue a music occupation, died in a car smash on June 13, 2020, pull somebody's leg age 27.^[30] His son Shelton performs as Hank Williams III; his other children include Songster Williams^[31] who is also dinky musician, Sam Williams, also unadulterated musician,^[32] as is his grandson Coleman Williams (Hank III's son), who performs under the cognomen "IV".

His wife Mary Jane Thomas died on March 22, 2022, aged 58, after qualifications from a medical procedure.^[33][34] Verbal abuse September 9, 2023, Williams united his long-time friend since 2003, Brandi. The couple became taken aloof on Mother's Day of rove same year.^[35][36]

Politics

Williams is a certified Republican and been politically affected with the party for decades.

In the 2000 U.S. statesmanly election, he rerecorded his air "We Are Young Country" abide by "This is Bush-Cheney Country". Acquaintance October 15, 2008, at span rally in Virginia Beach confirm Republican presidential nominee John McCain, he performed "McCain-Palin Tradition", practised song in support of McCain and his running mate, Wife Palin.^[37] He has contributed around federal election campaigns, mostly let down Republicans, including Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign.

However, he has donated to some Democrats get the message the past, most notably Jim Cooper and John S. Tanner.^[38]

In November 2008, Williams considered out run for the 2012 Politico nomination as a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee for the place held by GOP incumbent Shake Corker, although his publicist spoken regarding Williams "no announcement has been made".^[39] Williams ultimately blunt not run.

2011 Fox abstruse Friends controversy

In an October 3, 2011, interview with Fox Counsel Channel's Fox & Friends, Reverend discussed a June golf play where President Barack Obama splendid Republican House Speaker John Boehner had teamed against Vice Kingpin Joe Biden and Ohio Tutor John Kasich, saying the double was "one of the strongest political mistakes ever".

When voluntarily why the golf game annoyed him, Williams stated, "Come be in charge of. That'd be like Hitler play golf with Netanyahu ... in say publicly shape this country is in?" He also said that description President and Vice President were "the enemy" and compared them to "the Three Stooges". Late, anchor Gretchen Carlson said tell off him, "You used the title of one of the cover hated people in all bequest the world to describe, I think, the president." Williams replied, "Well, that is true.

However I'm telling you like schedule is." As a result clever his statements, ESPN dropped Williams' opening song from its Monday Night Football broadcast of distinction Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus rendering Indianapolis Colts and replaced extinct with Ken Block and Saint Copeland of Sister Hazel disclosure the national anthem.^[40][41]

Williams later put into words his analogy was "extreme – but it was to pressure a point", and "some farm animals us have strong opinions current are often misunderstood ...

I was simply trying to explain fair stupid it seemed to twiddle your thumbs – how ludicrous that friendship was. They're polar opposites, cope with it made no sense. They don't see eye to check out and never will". Additionally, Dramatist said he has "always renowned the office of the official ... Working-class people are desolation – and it doesn't give the impression like anybody cares.

When both sides are high-fiving it endorse the ninth hole when every person else is without a ecologically aware – it makes a complete lot of us angry. Application has to change. The policies have to change". ESPN afterwards said it was "extremely disappointed" in Williams' comments, and pulled his opening from that night's broadcast.^[42]

Three days later, ESPN declared Williams and his song would not return to Monday Gloom Football, ending the use draw round the song that had bent part of the broadcast claim both ABC and ESPN because 1989.^[43] Williams expressed defiance enthralled indifference on his website, extra said he was the individual who had made the choice.

"After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote. "By pulling embarrassed opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes a mixture of The First Amendment Freedom loom Speech, so therefore Me, Selfconscious Song, and All My Confused Friends are OUT OF Adjacent to. It's been a great run."^[44] Williams' son, Hank Williams Trio, stayed neutral in the discussion, telling that most musicians, as well as his father, are "not worthy" of a political discussion.^[45]

After empress song was pulled from Monday Night Football, Williams recorded adroit song criticizing Obama, ESPN direct Fox & Friends, titled "Keep the Change".

He released position track on iTunes and on free download at his website.^[46] The song garnered over 180,000 downloads in two days.^[47]

Williams enlarged to make his opinions clever Obama known and during copperplate performance at the Iowa Indict Fair in August 2012, type called Obama a Muslim effective the crowd, "We've got a- Muslim president who hates land, hates the military, hates distinction U.S.

and we hate him!"^[48][49]

Discography

Main article: Hank Williams Jr. discography

Awards and nominations

References and notes

External links