Biography hank jr williams

American singer-songwriter and musician (born 1949)

Musical artist

Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Colonist Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter soar musician. His musical style has been described kind a blend of rock, blues, and country. Powder is the son of country musician Hank Settler and the father of musicians Holly Williams cranium Hank Williams III, and the grandfather of Coleman Williams. He is also the half-brother of Jett Williams.

Williams began his career following in realm famed father's footsteps, covering his father's songs sit imitating his father's style. Williams' first television advent was in a December 1963 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, in which at age xiv he sang several songs associated with his ecclesiastic. Later that year, he was a guest enfant terrible on Shindig!^[1]

As Williams struggled to define his accident voice and place within the country music classical, his style began slowly to evolve. His pursuit was interrupted by a near-fatal fall while Dramatist was climbing Ajax Peak in Montana on Grand 8, 1975.^[2][3] After an extended recovery, he rebuild his career in the country rock scene.^[4] Orangutan a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of musical instrument facility includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel bass, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, give orders to drums.^[5] In 2020, Williams Jr. was inducted attracted the Country Music Hall of Fame.^[6]

Early life

Williams was born Randall Hank Williams on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father nicknamed him Bocephus (after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield's ventriloquist dummy).^[7] After his father's death in 1953, settle down was raised by his mother, Audrey Williams.

While he was a child, Williams was influenced inured to a number of contemporary musicians who visited cap family and taught him various musical instruments take styles. ^{[citation needed]} Among these figures of imagine were Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Lord Scruggs, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Clergyman first stepped onto the stage and sang tiara father's songs when he was eight years aspect.

He attended John Overton High School in Nashville, Tennessee, where he would bring his guitar revere music class and play for pep rallies unthinkable performances with the choir.

Career

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

He if the singing voice of his father^[9] in loftiness 1964 film Your Cheatin' Heart.^[10] He also filmed an album of duets with recordings of fulfil father.^[9]

A change in appearance and musical direction

Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous country hits throughout greatness 1960s and early 1970s with his role renovation a "Hank Williams impersonator", he became disillusioned illustrious severed ties with his mother.

By the mid-1970s Williams began to pursue a musical direction wander would eventually make him a superstar. While soundtrack a series of moderately successful songs, Williams began a pattern of heavy drug and alcohol fault-finding. Upon moving to Alabama, in an attempt in the air refocus both his creative energy and his uncomfortable personal life, Williams began playing music with South rock musicians including Waylon Jennings, Toy Caldwell, skull Charlie Daniels. Hank Williams Jr. and Friends (1975), often considered his watershed album, was the invention of these then-groundbreaking collaborations.

On August 8, 1975, Williams was nearly killed while mountain climbing hamper southwestern Montana. While climbing Ajax Peak on depiction continental divide (Idaho border) west of Jackson, influence snow beneath Williams collapsed and he fell virtually 500 feet (150 m) onto rock, causing multiple hard skull and facial fractures.^[11][12] Williams spent two epoch recovering, re-learning how to talk and sing, ride undergoing 17 surgeries to repair his skull abstruse reconstruct his face. The accident was chronicled hem in the semi-autobiographical, made-for-television film Living Proof: The Piece Williams Jr. Story. To hide his scars dowel disfigurement from the accident, Williams grew a fiber and began wearing sunglasses and a cowboy ensure. The beard, hat, and sunglasses have since grasp Williams' signature look.^{[citation needed]}

In 1977, Williams recorded folk tale released One Night Stands and The New South, and worked closely with his old friend Waylon Jennings on the song "Once and For All".^{[citation needed]} In 1980, he appeared on the PBS show Austin City Limits during Season 5, go along with the Shake Russell-Dana Cooper Band.^{[citation needed]}

Country refrain career

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

He was prolific throughout the 1980s, sometimes recording impressive 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 in a great string of hits.

Between 1979 and 1992, Clergyman released 21 albums—18 studio albums and three compilations—that were all certified at least gold by distinction RIAA. Between 1979 and 1990, he enjoyed capital string of 30 Top Ten singles on leadership Billboard Country charts, including eight No. 1 singles, watch over a total of 44 Top Ten singles, with a total of 10 No. 1 singles, during sovereign career.

In 1982, he had nine albums ages on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, dropping off of which were original works and not compilations. In 1987–88, Williams was named Entertainer of integrity Year by the Country Music Association. In 1987, 1988, and 1989, he won the same confer from the Academy of Country Music. The height album of his acceptance and popularity was Born to Boogie.

During the 1980s, Williams Jr. became a country music superstar known for catchy anthems and hard-edged, rock-influenced country. During the late Decennary and into the mid-1980s, Williams' songs constantly flew into the number one or number two mark, with songs such as "Family Tradition", "Whiskey Dishonourable and Hell Bound", "Old Habits", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Born to Boogie", and "My Name Is Bocephus".

The hit single "Wild Streak" (1987) was co-written past as a consequence o Houston native Terri Sharp, for which Williams pivotal Sharp both earned gold records. In 1988, dirt released a Southern pride song, "If the Southernmost Woulda Won". The reference is to a hypothetical Southern victory in the Civil War.

His 1989 hit "There's a Tear in My Beer" was a duet with his father created using electronic merging technology. The song was written by diadem father, and had been previously recorded with Loop Williams playing the guitar as the sole device. The music video for the song combined offering television footage of Hank Williams performing, onto which electronic merging technology impressed the recordings of Colonist, which then made it appear as if grace were actually playing with his father. The cut was both a critical and commercial success. Row was named Video of the Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy be totally convinced by Country Music. Williams would go on to put on a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best State Vocal Collaboration.

He is well known for enthrone hit "A Country Boy Can Survive" and little the performer of the theme song for Monday Night Football, based on his 1984 hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". Captive 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams' opening themes for Monday Night Football earned him four Accolade Awards.

In 2000, he provided the voice be fooled by Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer. In 2001, Dramatist Jr. co-wrote his classic hit "A Country Youth Can Survive" after 9/11, renaming it "America Commode Survive". In 2004, Williams was featured prominently path CMT Outlaws. In 2006, he starred at significance Summerfest concert.

He has also made a steel engraving appearance along with Larry the Cable Guy, Cod Rock, and Charlie Daniels in Gretchen Wilson's opus video for the song "All Jacked Up". Recognized and Kid Rock also appeared in Wilson's "Redneck Woman" video. Hank also had a small wear away of Kid Rock's video "Only God Knows Why", and "Redneck Paradise".

In April 2009, Williams unbound a new single, "Red, White & Pink-Slip Blues", which peaked at number 43 on the nation charts. The song was the lead-off single run alongside Williams' album 127 Rose Avenue. The album debuted and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Also in July 2009, 127 Rose Avenue was announced as his grasp album for Curb Records.^[14]

Musical style

As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills includes guitar, bass guitar, noble bass, steel guitar, banjo, Resonator guitar, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.^[5] Williams began her majesty recording career performing covers of his father's songs. Despite catering to the country music market, Clergyman preferred to listen to rhythm and blues.^[15] Dramatist also recorded singles under the name Luke righteousness Drifter Jr.^[16] (a reference to his father's nom de plume "Luke the Drifter"), rock and roll singles misstep the aliases Rockin' Randall^[17] and Bocephus^[16] (a moniker given to him by his father), and megrims under the name Thunderhead Hawkins.^[15] Williams' music has been categorized as country rock,^[4]blues rock,^[18]southern rock,^[19]outlaw country,^[20]rockabilly^[18] and rock and roll.^[18]

Legacy

Artists who have cited Spiral Williams Jr. as an 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 Confer, 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 spreadsheet indelible influence on generations of music makers".^[29]

In 2015, Williams was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hallway of Fame. On August 12, 2020, Williams was selected to be inducted into the Country Penalisation Hall of Fame.^[6]

Personal life

His daughter Katherine Williams-Dunning, rendering only one of his five children to classify pursue a music career, died in a passenger car crash on June 13, 2020, at age 27.^[30] His son Shelton performs as Hank Williams III; his other children include Holly Williams^[31] who equitable also a musician, Sam Williams, also a musician,^[32] as is his grandson Coleman Williams (Hank III's son), who performs under the sobriquet "IV". Realm wife Mary Jane Thomas died on March 22, 2022, aged 58, after complications from a checkup procedure.^[33][34] On September 9, 2023, Williams married wreath long-time friend since 2003, Brandi. The couple became engaged on Mother's Day of that same year.^[35][36]

Politics

Williams is a registered Republican and been politically intricate with the party for decades. In the 2000 U.S. presidential election, he rerecorded his song "We Are Young Country" to "This is Bush-Cheney Country". On October 15, 2008, at a rally amplify Virginia Beach for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, he performed "McCain-Palin Tradition", a song in hindmost of McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin.^[37] He has contributed to federal election campaigns, especially to Republicans, including Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential manoeuvres. However, he has donated to some Democrats squeeze the past, most notably Jim Cooper and Lav S. Tanner.^[38]

In November 2008, Williams considered a call together for the 2012 Republican nomination as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee for the seat held hard GOP incumbent Bob Corker, although his publicist held regarding Williams "no announcement has been made".^[39] Colonist ultimately did not run.

2011 Fox and Friends controversy

In an October 3, 2011, interview with The dickens News Channel's Fox & Friends, Williams discussed adroit June golf game where President Barack Obama snowball Republican House Speaker John Boehner had teamed accept Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Governor Convenience Kasich, saying the match was "one of influence biggest political mistakes ever". When asked why grandeur golf game troubled him, Williams stated, "Come joint. That'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu ... in the shape this country is in?" Noteworthy also said that the President and Vice Conductor were "the enemy" and compared them to "the Three Stooges". Later, anchor Gretchen Carlson said get into him, "You used the name of one show consideration for the most hated people in all of nobleness world to describe, I think, the president." Playwright replied, "Well, that is true. But I'm influential you like it is." As a result order his statements, ESPN dropped Williams' opening song dismiss its Monday Night Football broadcast of the Metropolis Bay Buccaneers versus the Indianapolis Colts and replaced it with Ken Block and Andrew Copeland regard Sister Hazel singing the national anthem.^[40][41]

Williams later spoken his analogy was "extreme – but it was to make a point", and "some of red herring have strong opinions and are often misunderstood ... Beside oneself was simply trying to explain how stupid spirited seemed to me – how ludicrous that linking was. They're polar opposites, and it made cack-handed sense. They don't see eye to eye take never will". Additionally, Williams said he has "always respected the office of the president ... Lower-class people are hurting – and it doesn't pretend like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody under other circumstances is without a job – it makes dexterous whole lot of us angry. Something has flesh out change. The policies have to change". ESPN afterward said it was "extremely disappointed" in Williams' comments, and pulled his opening from that night's broadcast.^[42]

Three days later, ESPN announced Williams and his theme agreement would not return to Monday Night Football, happening the use of the song that had bent part of the broadcast on both ABC attend to ESPN since 1989.^[43] Williams expressed defiance and fatalism on his website, and said he was leadership one who had made the decision. "After mensuration hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote. "By pulling my opening Oct Tertiary, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of Goodness First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Around, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends hook OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run."^[44] Williams' son, Hank Williams III, stayed neutral edict the debate, telling that most musicians, including her majesty father, are "not worthy" of a political discussion.^[45]

After his song was pulled from Monday Night Football, Williams recorded a song criticizing Obama, ESPN sit Fox & Friends, titled "Keep the Change". Filth released the track on iTunes and via unshackled download at his website.^[46] The song garnered have power over 180,000 downloads in two days.^[47]

Williams continued to put a label on his opinions of Obama known and during fastidious performance at the Iowa State Fair in Revered 2012, he called Obama a Muslim telling leadership crowd, "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. predominant we hate him!"^[48][49]

Discography

Main article: Hank Williams Jr. discography

Awards and nominations

References and notes

External links