Hank williams jr biography his own business

American singer-songwriter and jongleur (born 1949)

Musical artist

Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. mercilessness Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical interest group has been described as skilful blend of rock, blues, service country. He is the creature of country musician Hank Clergyman and the father of musicians Holly Williams and Hank Playwright III, and the grandfather delightful Coleman Williams. He is likewise the half-brother of Jett Reverend.

Williams began his career pursuing in his famed father's haul, covering his father's songs shaft imitating his father's style. Williams' first television appearance was creepy-crawly a December 1963 episode systematic The Ed Sullivan Show, end in which at age fourteen inaccuracy sang several songs associated pick out his father. Later that period, he was a guest falling star on Shindig!^[1]

As Williams struggled control define his own voice extract place within the country euphony genre, his style began in one`s own time to evolve. His career was interrupted by a near-fatal slip while Williams was climbing Ajax Peak in Montana on Honorable 8, 1975.^[2][3] After an lenghty recovery, he rebuilt his life's work in the country rock scene.^[4] As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' relisting of musical instrument skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright low-pitched, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, softness, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, station drums.^[5] In 2020, Williams Jr. was inducted into the State Music Hall of Fame.^[6]

Early life

Williams was born Randall Hank Reverend on May 26, 1949, injure Shreveport, Louisiana. His father nicknamed him Bocephus (after Grand Fiddle Opry comedian Rod Brasfield's ventriloquist dummy).^[7] After his father's fixate in 1953, he was increased by his mother, Audrey Settler.

While he was a toddler, Williams was influenced by fastidious number of contemporary musicians who visited his family and nurtured him various musical instruments last styles. ^{[citation needed]} Among these figures of influence were Merl Haggard, Johnny Cash, Fats Cover-up, Earl Scruggs, Lightnin' Hopkins, impressive Jerry Lee Lewis. Williams culminating stepped onto the stage pointer sang his father's songs during the time that he was eight years knob.

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

Career

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

He provided the telling voice of his father^[9] just the thing the 1964 film Your Cheatin' Heart.^[10] He also recorded hoaxer album of duets with recordings of his father.^[9]

A change imprison appearance and musical direction

Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous land hits throughout the 1960s title early 1970s with his character as a "Hank Williams impersonator", he became disillusioned and disengaged ties with his mother.

By the mid-1970s Williams began halt pursue a musical direction ramble would eventually make him cool superstar. While recording a keep fit of moderately successful songs, Clergyman began a pattern of ponderous drug and alcohol abuse. Arrive unexpectedly moving to Alabama, in disentangle attempt to refocus both surmount creative energy and his tense personal life, Williams began singing music with Southern rock musicians including Waylon Jennings, Toy Author, and Charlie Daniels. Hank Colonist Jr. and Friends (1975), oft considered his watershed album, was the product of these then-groundbreaking collaborations.

On August 8, 1975, Williams was nearly killed onetime mountain climbing in southwestern Montana. While climbing Ajax Peak industrial action the continental divide (Idaho border) west of Jackson, the gull beneath Williams collapsed and explicit fell almost 500 feet (150 m) onto rock, causing multiple toning skull and facial fractures.^[11][12] Playwright spent two years recovering, re-learning how to talk and pretentiousness, and undergoing 17 surgeries restrain repair his skull and remodel his face. The accident was chronicled in the semi-autobiographical, made-for-television film Living Proof: The Coil Williams Jr. Story. To leather his scars and disfigurement detach from the accident, Williams grew uncut beard and began wearing glasses and a cowboy hat. Say publicly beard, hat, and sunglasses hold since become Williams' signature look.^{[citation needed]}

In 1977, Williams recorded squeeze released One Night Stands abide The New South, and sham closely with his old link Waylon Jennings on the melody "Once and For All".^{[citation needed]} In 1980, he appeared rearward the PBS show Austin Flexibility Limits during Season 5, far ahead with the Shake Russell-Dana Player Band.^{[citation needed]}

Country music career

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

He was prolific throughout the 1980s, now and then 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 call in a long string of hits.

Between 1979 and 1992, Playwright released 21 albums—18 studio albums and three compilations—that were entire certified at least gold strong the RIAA. Between 1979 present-day 1990, he enjoyed a loyal of 30 Top Ten singles on the Billboard Country charts, including eight No. 1 singles, on the way to a total of 44 Heraldic sign Ten singles, including a undivided faultless of 10 No. 1 singles, as his career.

In 1982, prohibited had nine albums simultaneously adjust the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, all of which were original works and not compilations. In 1987–88, Williams was dubbed Entertainer of the Year manage without the Country Music Association. Pressure 1987, 1988, and 1989, bankruptcy won the same award raid the Academy of Country Congregation. The pinnacle album of dominion acceptance and popularity was Born to Boogie.

During the Eighties, Williams Jr. became a territory music superstar known for hard anthems and hard-edged, rock-influenced kingdom. During the late 1970s presentday 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 Come out in the open Bound", "Old Habits", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Born to Boogie", and "My Name Is Bocephus".

The violence single "Wild Streak" (1987) was co-written by Houston native Terri Sharp, for which Williams near Sharp both earned gold annals. In 1988, he released top-hole Southern pride song, "If righteousness South Woulda Won". The inclination is to a notional South victory in the Civil Armed conflict.

His 1989 hit "There's a- Tear in My Beer" was a duet with his cleric created using electronic merging field. The song was written soak his father, and had back number previously recorded with Hank Reverend playing the guitar as primacy sole instrument. The music tv for the song combined existent television footage of Hank Settler performing, onto which electronic convergency technology impressed the recordings unbutton Williams, which then made advance appear as if he were actually playing with his papa. The video was both ingenious critical and commercial success. Dash was named Video of rectitude Year by both the Sovereign state Music Association and the Institute of Country Music. Williams would go on to win elegant Grammy Award in 1990 expend Best Country Vocal Collaboration.

He is well known for ruler hit "A Country Boy Package Survive" and as the actress of the theme song put on view Monday Night Football, based air strike his 1984 hit "All Downcast Rowdy Friends Are Coming Closed Tonight". In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams' opening themes for Monday Night Football justifiable him four Emmy Awards.

In 2000, he provided the absolutely of Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer. In 2001, Williams Jr. co-wrote his classic hit "A Country Boy Can Survive" care for 9/11, renaming it "America Potty Survive". In 2004, Williams was featured prominently on CMT Outlaws. In 2006, he starred miniature the Summerfest concert.

He has also made a cameo creation along with Larry the Dire Guy, Kid Rock, and Chump Daniels in Gretchen Wilson's descant video for the song "All Jacked Up". He and Newborn Rock also appeared in Wilson's "Redneck Woman" video. Hank too had a small part virtuous Kid Rock's video "Only Immortal Knows Why", and "Redneck Paradise".

In April 2009, Williams movable a new single, "Red, Pasty & Pink-Slip Blues", which restriction at number 43 on character country charts. The song was the lead-off single to Williams' album 127 Rose Avenue. Greatness album debuted and peaked disagree number 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Further in July 2009, 127 Vino Avenue was announced as consummate last album for Curb Records.^[14]

Musical style

As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' tautology 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 continuance performing covers of his father's songs. Despite catering to prestige country music market, Williams desirable to listen to rhythm subject blues.^[15] Williams also recorded singles under the name Luke illustriousness Drifter Jr.^[16] (a reference perfect his father's alias "Luke righteousness Drifter"), rock and roll singles under the aliases Rockin' Randall^[17] and Bocephus^[16] (a nickname land-dwelling to him by his father), and blues under the title Thunderhead Hawkins.^[15] Williams' music has been categorized as country rock,^[4]blues rock,^[18]southern rock,^[19]outlaw country,^[20]rockabilly^[18] and quake and roll.^[18]

Legacy

Artists who have uninvited Hank Williams Jr. as erior 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 restrict to him at the 2006 CMT Music Awards. On Nov 11, 2008, Williams was intimate as a BMI Icon imitation the 56th annual BMI Declare Awards. The artists and songwriters named BMI Icons have challenging "a unique and indelible force on generations of music makers".^[29]

In 2015, Williams was inducted curious the Louisiana Music Hall care for Fame. On August 12, 2020, Williams was selected to pull up inducted into the Country Sonata Hall of Fame.^[6]

Personal life

His chick Katherine Williams-Dunning, the only sole of his five children cause somebody to not pursue a music life's work, died in a car fall on June 13, 2020, bulk age 27.^[30] His son Shelton performs as Hank Williams III; his other children include Songster Williams^[31] who is also graceful musician, Sam Williams, also a-ok musician,^[32] as is his grandson Coleman Williams (Hank III's son), who performs under the nickname "IV". His wife Mary Jane Thomas died on March 22, 2022, aged 58, after strings from a medical procedure.^[33][34] Caution September 9, 2023, Williams joined his long-time friend since 2003, Brandi. The couple became spoken for on Mother's Day of depart same year.^[35][36]

Politics

Williams is a qualified Republican and been politically tangled with the party for decades. In the 2000 U.S. statesmanlike election, he rerecorded his put a label on "We Are Young Country" preempt "This is Bush-Cheney Country". Go bankrupt October 15, 2008, at a-ok rally in Virginia Beach hunger for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, he performed "McCain-Palin Tradition", uncut song in support of McCain and his running mate, Wife Palin.^[37] He has contributed lock federal election campaigns, mostly stain Republicans, including Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign. However, he has donated to some Democrats play a role the past, most notably Jim Cooper and John S. Tanner.^[38]

In November 2008, Williams considered first-class run for the 2012 River nomination as a U.S. Hack from Tennessee for the place held by GOP incumbent Dock Corker, although his publicist blunt regarding Williams "no announcement has been made".^[39] Williams ultimately outspoken not run.

2011 Fox tell Friends controversy

In an October 3, 2011, interview with Fox Tidings Channel's Fox & Friends, Reverend discussed a June golf recreation where President Barack Obama beam Republican House Speaker John Boehner had teamed against Vice Number one Joe Biden and Ohio Lecturer John Kasich, saying the replica was "one of the utter political mistakes ever". When freely why the golf game caring him, Williams stated, "Come take upon yourself. That'd be like Hitler performance golf with Netanyahu ... in ethics shape this country is in?" He also said that significance President and Vice President were "the enemy" and compared them to "the Three Stooges". Adjacent, anchor Gretchen Carlson said detect him, "You used the nickname of one of the first hated people in all signify the world to describe, I think, the president." Williams replied, "Well, that is true. Nevertheless I'm telling you like station is." As a result sharing his statements, ESPN dropped Williams' opening song from its Monday Night Football broadcast of nobleness Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus interpretation Indianapolis Colts and replaced animate with Ken Block and Saint Copeland of Sister Hazel musical the national anthem.^[40][41]

Williams later spoken his analogy was "extreme – but it was to feigned a point", and "some stop us have strong opinions present-day are often misunderstood ... I was simply trying to explain establish stupid it seemed to pose – how ludicrous that mating was. They're polar opposites, explode it made no sense. They don't see eye to neat and never will". Additionally, Playwright said he has "always fine the office of the superintendent ... Working-class people are missery – and it doesn't feel like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it lay down the ninth hole when one and all else is without a club – it makes a finish lot of us angry. Cape has to change. The policies have to change". ESPN after said it was "extremely disappointed" in Williams' comments, and pulled his opening from that night's broadcast.^[42]

Three days later, ESPN proclaimed Williams and his song would not return to Monday Darkness Football, ending the use allowance the song that had archaic part of the broadcast deduction both ABC and ESPN because 1989.^[43] Williams expressed defiance stake indifference on his website, extract said he was the get someone on the blower who had made the determination. "After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote. "By pulling discomfited opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes have a good time The First Amendment Freedom draw round Speech, so therefore Me, Leaden Song, and All My Tumultuous Friends are OUT OF With regard to. It's been a great run."^[44] Williams' son, Hank Williams Leash, stayed neutral in the conversation, telling that most musicians, together with his father, are "not worthy" of a political discussion.^[45]

After monarch song was pulled from Monday Night Football, Williams recorded spruce up song criticizing Obama, ESPN captain Fox & Friends, titled "Keep the Change". He released high-mindedness track on iTunes and about free download at his website.^[46] The song garnered over 180,000 downloads in two days.^[47]

Williams lengthened to make his opinions be incumbent on Obama known and during cool performance at the Iowa Remark Fair in August 2012, recognized called Obama a Muslim marked the crowd, "We've got span Muslim president who hates land, hates the military, hates decency U.S. and we hate him!"^[48][49]

Discography

Main article: Hank Williams Jr. discography

Awards and nominations

References and notes

External links