Hank Williams, Jr.
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Hank Williams, Jr.
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One of the superstars of '80s country & western music and the son of one of its legends, Hank Williams Jr. has also appeared in a few feature films. Williams made his screen debut playing the lead in A Time to Sing (1968). Nine years later, Williams headlined in three feature films. During the '80s and '90s, he appeared in numerous documentaries and concert films. ~ Sandra Brennan, RoviRelated Videos:
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Hank Williams, Jr.
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| Full name, Randall Hank Williams, Jr. ; born May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, La.; son of Hank, Sr. (a singer, songwriter, and musician) and Audrey Williams; married first wife (divorced); married Beck White (divorced); children: (first marriage) Shelton Hank; (second marriage) Hilary, Holly. Education: High school dropout. Country singer, 1957—. Currently backed by The Bama Band. Sang soundtrack for motion picture based on his father’s life, “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” 1964, and for motion picture based on his own autobiography, “Living Proof; star of motion picture “A Time To Sing.” Awards: Holder of 15 gold and 3 platinum albums; Video of the Year Award from Country Music Association, 1986; Entertainer of the Year Award from Academy of Country Music, 1987 and 1988; Entertainer of the Year Award from Country Music Association, 1987 and 1988; Album of the Year Award, 1988, for Born to Boogie. Addresses: Office–Hank Williams, Jr. Enterprises, P.O. Box 850, Highway 79, East Paris, TN 38242. |
Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Hank Williams, Jr. seems destined to achieve the unthinkable: a level of stardom and critical acclaim exceeding that of his famous father. Named Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association for two consecutive years (1987 and 1988), the voluble Williams has finally come into his own as a performer and songwriter. Philadelphia Inquirer critic Ken Tucker contends that, given the weight of his father’s legend in the music business, "it is remarkable that Hank Williams, Jr. even decided to become a country-music performer, let alone one who has run up a consistent string of hits in the last few years."
Tucker adds that the younger Williams has finally shaken "the lingering spirit of his father’s style" and created "his own rough, raucous approach to country music." Williams has been singing professionally since he was eight, but only in the last decade has he forged a sound that can be called his own. That sound, "the purest example of the fusion between rock and country ever recorded," to quote Esquire contributor Michael Bane, has found a nationwide following of fans.
Randall Hank Williams, Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1949. When he was only ten days old his father had a stunning six-encore debut at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Hank Williams, Sr. is still considered one of the most influential—and most loved—of country musicians, even though his days in the spotlight were few. Williams spent little time with Hank, Jr. as he toured the country and made records, and before the boy turned four, he was dead of an overdose of alcohol and drugs.
Death only increased Williams’s fame, and Hank, Jr.’s mother, Audrey, decided that her son could capitalize on the legendary name he had inherited. At the age of eight Hank Williams, Jr. was put to work singing. Bane writes: "From the time he was old enough to hold a guitar, Hank Junior was The Living Proof, the reincarnation of the sainted Hank Williams, dead of pills and liquor…. He sang his daddy’s songs, memorized his daddy’s jokes, practiced his daddy’s stage patter, and, ultimately seemed destined to repeat his daddy’s nose dive."
Rick Marschall analyzes the pressures on Williams in The Encyclopedia of Country and Western Music."To a creative artist," writes Marschall, "being accepted for wrong reasons is usually more frustrating than finding no acceptance at all. And such was the challenge to a very young Hank Jr. as he developed." Indeed, many of the songs Williams wrote in his twenties deal with his father either directly or indirectly. One of his first number one country hits, "Standing in the Shadows," describes his insecurity about his own accomplishments.
Another, "The Living Proof," asks rhetorically if the son will fall into all of his father’s bad habits. For a time Williams seemed predisposed to do just that. He abused alcohol and pills, married and divorced twice, and even attempted suicide before he turned thirty. Finally, convinced that his audience "came to hear the reincarnation of Hank Williams, the one true son of the rural South," to quote Bane, Williams dropped out of the business temporarily, to concentrate on making himself unique.
According to Bane, in the early 1970s Williams threw himself into songwriting "with a vengeance, trying to piece his life together through the words of his songs…. The songs of Hank Junior became increasingly personal, honky-tonk vignettes frozen in amber." The music also picked up that fusion of rock and country that would become the earmark of the so-called "outlaw" or "urban cowboy" school. Williams was one of the first to experiment with that sound; his 1975 album Hank Williams Junior and Friends is considered a watershed recording in the "outlaw" style.
Bane notes that Williams wanted "no less than a reaffirmation of the old fusions—blues/country, R&B/coun-try, rock/R&B, the kind of music that had powered southern honky-tonks since Day One." Ironically, just as Hank Williams and Friends was giving a needed boost to his career, the young singer was nearly killed in an accident. He slipped while mountain climbing and fell nearly 500 feet, landing on a boulder. For more than a year he was incapacitated while surgeons reconstructed his face, which had been literally split in half. Then, with the accident behind him, a new Hank Williams, Jr. rose to the challenge of stardom.
From the late 1970s until the mid-1980s, Williams was known primarily for celebrating male rowdiness and nonstop rockabilly. Jack Hurst observes in the Chicago Tribune that Williams "used his loud guitar and versatile instrumental skills to become first a Stars and Bars-waving musical Dixie zealot…. This stance made him a god south of the Mason-Dixon line." Gradually, however, both Williams’s personal lifestyle and his song lyrics began to reflect his maturity and a newfound awareness of political and social issues. "Instead of his former intense Dixie-ism," writes Hurst, "he expresses much more of a musical Americanism. Country music, he says, ‘has to have’ all sorts of sounds."
Bane elaborates: "With his own life filled with enough tragedy for a good dozen country tearjerkers, Hank Junior’s viewpoint became wry and satiric rather than self-pitying. It was, in fact, the viewpoint of a survivor, the person left standing when all the shooting stopped." Nowhere is this sentiment more obvious than in Williams’s number one hit "A Country Boy Can Survive," an earnest evocation of all the positive aspects of plain country life. Bane calls the song "the classic southern ethos—leave me alone or else—boiled down into three minutes or so, and it is a personal as well as a political statement. This particular country boy has survived."
Not only has Williams survived, he has flourished. In 1985 he hired a new manager, Merle Kilgore, who set about rehabilitating his rowdy, outlaw image and mending the bridges between Williams and the Nashville hierarchy. Properly humbled, and finally willing to participate politely in the Nashville scene, Williams has been embraced and has earned the industry’s most prestigious awards. Williams told the Chicago Tribune that his new image is more than skin deep. "I may seem pretty square to some folks at this point in my life," he said, "but I get so sick of the damn drug thing, seeing it on the news and seeing it take a lot of great artists right to the bottom. I probably started feeling that way because of all my trips to the hospital, hearing doctors tell me to start being a tough s.o.b. and start taking care of myself. After you lose enough friends—and I’ve lost some, whether in car wrecks or drug overdoses or whatever—it just gets frightening."
Williams has also become philosophical about the industry rejection he suffered until just recently. "America loves an underdog," he told the Chicago Tribune."If I had gotten all the awards [before], I’d probably be like some of these other guys who today are selling insurance in Birmingham or something. And I don’t want to do that."
Selected discography
Hank Williams Jr. and Friends, Polydor, 1975; reissued, 1987.
Five-O, Warner Brothers, 1985.
Major Moves, Warner Brothers, 1985.
Greatest Hits Volume II, Warner Brothers, 1985.
The Early Years: 1976-1978, Warner Brothers, 1986.
Montana Cafe, Warner Brothers, 1986.
Blues My Name, Polydor, 1987.
Hank "Live," Warner Brothers, 1987.
Born To Boogie, Warner Brothers, 1987.
Eleven Roses, Polydor, 1987.
Live at Cobo Hall, Polydor, 1987.
Luke the Drifter, Jr., Volume II, Polydor, 1987.
Standing in the Shadows, Polydor, 1988.
Wild Streak, Warner Brothers, 1988.
Also recorded Pride’s Not Hard To Swallow, The Last Love Song, After You, Family Tradition, 14 Greatest Hits, 40 Greatest Hits, Greatest Hits, Volume I, Habits Old and New, High Notes, Man of Steel, The New South, One Night Stands, The Pressure Is On, Rowdy, Strong Stuff, A Time to Sing, and Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound.
Writings
Living Proof(autobiography), Dell, 1983.
Sources
Books
Marschall, Rick, The Encyclopedia of Country and Western Music, Exeter, 1985.
The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock ’n’ Roll, Summit Books, 1983.
Periodicals
Chicago Tribune, October 18, 1987; October 2, 1988.
Esquire, March, 1982.
Philadelphia Inquirer, March 15, 1985.
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Hank Williams, Jr.
- Genres: Country
Biography
The offspring of famous musicians often have a hard time creating a career for themselves, yet Hank Williams, Jr. is one of the few to develop a career that is not only successful, but markedly different from his legendary father. Originally, Hank Jr. simply copied and played his father's music, but as he grew older, he began to carve out his own niche and it was one that owed as much to country-rock as it did to honky tonk. In the late '70s, he retooled his image to appeal both to outlaw country fans and rowdy Southern rockers, and his makeover worked, resulting in a string of Top Ten singles -- including the number one hits "Texas Women," "Dixie on My Mind," "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)," "Honky Tonkin'," and "Born to Boogie" -- that ran into the late '80s.Hank Jr. never was above capitalizing on his father's name, yet his tributes and name-dropping often seemed affectionate, not crass. Also, Bocephus -- as his father nicknamed him when he was a child -- was a passionate cheerleader for patriotic American values; he even wrote a pro-Gulf War song during 1991. All of these actions helped make him an American superstar during the '80s, becoming one of the most recognizable popular culture figures of the era. As new country took over the airwaves in the '90s, Williams slowly disappeared from the charts and his concerts stopped selling as well as they did ten years earlier, yet he retained a devoted core audience throughout the decade.
The son of Hank and Audrey Williams, Hank Jr. was born in Shreveport, LA, in 1949. Less than four years later, his father died, leaving behind a huge legacy. When Hank Jr. was eight years old, Audrey decided to push her son into the spotlight, positioning him as the rightful heir to his father's legacy. Dressed in a white Nudie suit, he would sing Hank Sr.'s biggest hits on package tours, and by the time he was 11, he had made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. After a few years of touring, Hank Jr.'s voice broke in 1963. As soon as his voice changed, Audrey had her son sign a contract with MGM Records.
Hank Jr. recorded his father's "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" as his debut single, and the record was a hit upon its early 1964 release, climbing to number five. Later that year, he sang all the material for the Hank Williams, Sr. biopic Your Cheatin' Heart and starred in the film A Time to Sing. Though he immediately had a hit, he wasn't able to follow it up with another Top Ten hit until 1966, when his self-penned "Standing in the Shadows" reached number five. By that time, he had begun to grow tired of his reputation as a Hank Williams imitator and was trying to create his own style, as "Standing in the Shadows" proved. Following that single, he began to explore rock & roll somewhat, occasionally performing under the name Rockin' Randall.
Despite his half-hearted rock & roll attempts, Williams continued to concentrate on country music, turning out a string of hit singles, including the number one "All for the Love of Sunshine" and a number of inspirational cuts released under the name Luke the Drifter, Jr., a reference to his father's alter ego. Though his career was doing well, Hank Jr. began falling into drug and alcohol abuse after he turned 18 years old. His personal life became progressively more complicated, culminating in a suicide attempt in 1974. Following the attempt, Williams moved to Alabama, where he not only got his life together, but he changed his musical direction as well. Hooking up with Southern rockers like Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band's Toy Caldwell, he recorded Hank Williams, Jr. & Friends, which fused hardcore country with rock & roll. Though he wasn't scoring as many hits as he had in the early '70s, his music was becoming more original and focused.
Just as his career was being revived, tragedy beset Williams. While he was climbing a mountain in Montana in 1975, he fell 442 feet down the side of the mountain. His injuries were serious -- his skull was split and his face was crushed -- but he survived. Following extensive reconstructive cosmetic surgery, he had to relearn how to speak and sing. Williams' recovery period lasted a full two years. When he re-emerged in 1977, he aligned himself the outlaw country movement, as Waylon Jennings produced Hank Jr.'s comeback effort, The New South. It took several years before Williams began to have hits again -- his biggest hit in the late '70s was a cover of Bobby Fuller's "I Fought the Law," which reached number 15 -- but in the final six months of 1979, he had two Top Ten singles, "Family Tradition" and "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound," which began a virtually uninterrupted streak of 29 Top Ten hits that ran into 1988.
Throughout the '80s, Hank Jr. was one of the most popular, and controversial, figures in country music. Following his image makeover, he appealed primarily to young and rowdy crowds with his hell-raising anthems and jingoistic ballads. Though he had established his own distinctive style, he continued to name-check and pay tribute to his father, and these salutes became as much a part of his act as his redneck rockers. Both the wild music and the party-ready atmosphere of his concerts made Hank Jr. an immensely popular musician and helped him crossover into the rock & roll audience. Williams' career really began to take off in 1981, when he had three number one hits -- "Texas Women," "Dixie on My Mind," and "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)" -- and Rowdy began a streak of 15 gold or platinum albums that ran until 1990. During that time, he won several awards, including back-to-back Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year in 1987 and 1988.
By the end of the decade, Hank Jr.'s persona was becoming a little tired, especially in light of the new breed of clean-cut new country singers who had taken over Nashville. Williams could still have a hit -- such as "There's a Tear in My Beer," which was an electronic duet between him and his father -- but by the end of 1990, he was no longer hitting the Top Ten and by the middle of the decade he had trouble reaching the Top 40. Despite his declining record sales, Hank Jr. remained a popular concert draw into the latter half of the '90s, as well as a relatively prolific character in the studio. His string of new albums tapered off in the early 2000s, with 2003's I'm One of You marking his final album for several years. Hank Jr. returned toward the decade's end, however, with 127 Rose Avenue appearing in 2009. 2012's Old School New Rules, which featured guest appearances by Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins, was the first release for Williams on his own Bocephus Records, an independent label based in Nashville, and marked how much Williams had taken over control of all aspects of his work and career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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| Hank Williams, Jr. | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hank Williams, Jr. performing during a 2006 concert. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Randall Hank Williams |
| Born | May 26, 1949 Shreveport, Louisiana, US |
| Genres | Country, outlaw country, southern rock, country rock |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, keyboards, harmonica, fiddle, saxophone, dobro, drums, piano[1] |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | MCA, Warner Bros., Curb |
| Website | www.hankjr.com |
Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country. He is the son of country music pioneer Hank Williams and the father of Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, Hilary Williams, Samuel Williams, and Katie Williams.
Williams began his career by following in his famed father's footsteps; singing his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams's own style slowly evolved as he struggled to find his own voice and place within the country music industry. This trend was interrupted by a near fatal fall off the side of Ajax Mountain in Montana on August 8, 1975. After an extended recovery he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. Williams enjoyed much success in the 1980s from which he earned considerable recognition and popularity both inside and outside the country music industry.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams's repertoire of skills include guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, Dobro, piano, keyboards, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.[1]
From 1989 until October 2011,[2] a version of his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" was used as the opening for broadcasts of Monday Night Football.[3]
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Contents
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Biography
Early life and career
Williams was born on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father nicknamed him Bocephus (after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield's ventriloquist dummy). After his father's untimely death in 1953, he was raised by his mother, Audrey Williams. While he was a child, a vast number of contemporary musicians visited his family, who influenced and taught him various music instruments and styles. Among these figures of influence were Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Earl Scruggs, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Williams first stepped on the stage and sang his father's songs when he was eight years old. In 1964 he made his recording debut with "Long Gone Lonesome Blues", one of his father's many classic songs.
Williams's early career was guided, and to an extent some observers say outright dominated, by his mother who is widely claimed as having been the driving force that led his late father to musical superstar status during the late 1940s and early 1950s[citation needed]. Audrey, in many ways, promoted young Hank Jr. as a Hank Williams impersonator, even to the extent of having stage clothes designed for him that were identical to his father's, and encouraging vocal styles very similar to those of his father.
A change in appearance and musical direction
Although Williams's recordings earned him numerous country hits throughout the 1960s and early 1970s with his role as a "Hank Williams impersonator", he became disillusioned and severed ties with his mother.
By the mid-1970s, Williams began to pursue a musical direction that would, eventually, make him a superstar. While recording a series of moderately successful songs, Williams began a heavy pattern of both drug and alcohol abuse. Upon moving to Alabama, in an attempt to refocus both his creative energy and his troubled personal life, Williams began playing music with Southern rock musicians, among them Jake Lovendahl, Waylon Jennings, Toy Caldwell, Charlie Daniels, and others. Hank Williams, Jr. and Friends, often considered his watershed album, was the product of these then-groundbreaking collaborations. In 1977, Williams recorded and released One Night Stands, The New South, and worked closely with his old friend Waylon Jennings on the album Once and For All.
On August 8, 1975, Williams was nearly killed in a mountain-climbing accident. While he was climbing Ajax Peak in Montana, the snow beneath Williams collapsed and he fell almost 500 feet onto solid rock. He suffered multiple skull and facial fractures—his face was split vertically from chin to hairline, exposing the frontal lobes of his brain and requiring over two years[4] of reconstructive surgeries to rebuild his face. To hide the scars and the disfigurement from the accident, Williams grew a beard and began wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat. The beard, hat, and sunglasses have since become his signature look and he is rarely seen without them.
Acceptance into the country music establishment
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Williams's career began to hit its peak after the Nashville establishment gradually—and somewhat reluctantly—accepted his new sound. His popularity had risen to levels where he could no longer be overlooked for major industry awards. He was prolific throughout the 1980s, sometimes 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 in a long string of hits. Between 1979 and 1992, Williams released 21 albums that were all, at least, certified gold by the RIAA. Between 1979 and 1990, Williams enjoyed a string of 30 Top Ten singles on the Billboard Country charts, including 8 #1 singles, for a total of 44 Top Ten singles, including a total of 10 #1 singles, during his career. In 1987 and 1988, 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. The pinnacle album of his acceptance and popularity was Born to Boogie. During the 1980s, Williams became a country music superstar known for catchy anthems and hard-edged rock-influenced country. During the late 1970s and into the early to mid 1980s Hank Jr's songs constantly flew into the number one or number two spot. His songs like "Family Tradition", "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound", "Old Habits", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Born to Boogie", and "My Name Is Bocephus".[clarification needed] The 1987 hit single Wild Streak was co-written by Houston native Terri Sharp, for which Williams and Sharp both earned gold records.
In 1988 he released a Southern pride song, "If The South Woulda Won". The reference is to a Southern victory in the Civil War. The song featured modern Southern holidays, honoring Elvis Presley, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Patsy Cline. Hank Williams Jr. would run for president of the South. He would place the capital in Montgomery, Alabama. Honoring his father, Hank Williams Sr., with his image on the $100 bill.
His 1989 hit "There's a Tear in My Beer" was a duet with his father created using electronic merging technology. The song itself was written by his father, and had been previously recorded with Hank Williams playing the guitar as the sole instrument. The music video for the song combined television footage that had existed of Hank Williams performing, onto which electronic merging technology impressed the recordings of Hank Jr., which then made it appear as if he were actually playing with his father. The video was both a critical and commercial success. 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.
He is well known for his hit "A Country Boy Can Survive" and as the performer of the theme song for Monday Night Football, based on his 1984 hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams's opening themes for Monday Night Football earned him four Emmy Awards. In 2001 Hank rewrote his classic hit "A Country Boy Can Survive" after 9/11, renaming it "America Can Survive". In 2004, Williams was featured prominently on CMT Outlaws. In 2006 Williams starred at the Summerfest concert.
He has also 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". He and Kid Rock also appeared in Wilson's "Redneck Woman" video. Hank is also in a small part of Kid Rock's video "Only God Knows Why". He is also referenced in numerous songs by modern-day country singers, including Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Gretchen Wilson, Alan Jackson, Justin Moore, Trace Adkins, and Aaron Lewis.
In April 2009, Williams released a new single, "Red, White & Pink-Slip Blues", which charted to number 3 on the country charts. The song was the lead-off single to Williams's album 127 Rose Avenue. The album debuted and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Also in July 2009, it was announced that 127 Rose Avenue would be his last album for Curb Records.[5]
Notable events
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Williams donated $125,000 to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Biloxi, Mississippi, on October 14, 2005.[6]
Williams visited with Randal McCloy Jr., the only survivor of the Sago Mine accident, on Wednesday, January 11, 2006, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Williams traveled to the hospital after learning that McCloy was a fan of his music. "It just hit me like a ton of bricks because I had a big mountain fall in the 1970s, and they said I wouldn't live," Williams told Pittsburgh TV station KDKA-TV. "It really, really affected me, and I said, 'I've just got to go there and meet the family.'"
The Tennessee Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling stating that Williams and half-sister Jett have the sole rights to sell their father's old recordings made for a Nashville radio station in the early 1950s. The court rejected claims made by Polygram Records and Legacy Entertainment in releasing recordings Williams made for the Mother's Best Flour Show, a program that originally aired on WSM-AM. The recordings, which Legacy Entertainment acquired in 1997, include live versions of Williams's hits and his cover version of other songs. Polygram contended that Williams's contract with MGM Records, which Polygram now owns, gave them rights to release the radio recordings.
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.
He sold the majority of his compound outside Missoula, Montana, in 2007. He kept a small plot of land and now stays in his guest house when he is in Montana. He also resides in the small town of Paris, Tennessee, and owns a hunting cabin in rural Pike County, Alabama.
In 2008 Williams performed at the first annual BamaJam Music and Arts Festival in Enterprise, Alabama.[7] On January 18, 2009, he performed in front of a sold-out crowd at Heinz Field before the 2009 AFC championship game.
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."[8]
Politics
Williams has been politically involved with the Republican Party. For the 2000 election, he redid his song "We Are Young Country" to "This is Bush–Cheney Country". On October 15, 2008, at a rally in Virginia Beach for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, he performed "McCain–Palin Tradition", a song in support of McCain and his vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.[9] He has made many contributions to federal election campaigns, mostly to Republicans, including Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign.[10]
In November 2008, Williams explored a run for the 2012 Republican nomination as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee for the seat held by Bob Corker, though his publicist said Williams "has talked about it, but no announcement has been made".[11]
2011 Fox and Friends appearance
On October 3, 2011, in a morning interview with Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends, Williams in reference to a June golf game where President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner had teamed against Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Governor John Kasich, offered the opinion that match was "one of the biggest political mistakes ever".
Asked about why that golf game disturbed him, Williams said, "Come on. That'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu ... In the country this shape is in ... I mean, in the shape this country is in?" He also stated that the President and Vice President are "the enemy" and compared them to "the Three Stooges". When anchor Gretchen Carlson later said to him, "You used the name of one of the most hated people in all of the world to describe, I think, the president." Williams replied, "Well, that is true. But I'm telling you like it is." As a result of his statements, ESPN dropped Williams' opening musical number from its Monday Night Football broadcast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus the Indianapolis Colts and replaced it with the national anthem.
Later Williams, stated his analogy was "extreme – but it was to make a point", stating that "Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood ... I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me – how ludicrous that pairing was. They're polar opposites, and it made no sense. They don't see eye-to-eye and never will."
Williams went on to claim he has "always respected the office of the president" despite having called the commander-in-chief "the enemy" and in context continued with, "Every time the media brings up the Tea Party, it's painted as racist and extremists – but there's never a backlash, no outrage to those comparisons ... Working-class people are hurting – and it doesn't seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job – it makes a whole lot of us angry. Something has to change. The policies have to change." ESPN announced later that they were "extremely disappointed" in Williams' comments, and pulled his opening from that night's broadcast.[12]
Three days later, ESPN released a statement announcing Williams and his song would not return to Monday Night Football, ending the use of the song that had been part of the broadcast on both ABC and ESPN since 1991.[13] Williams has further expressed defiance and indifference on his website, and said he was the one who made the decision. "After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote. "By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run."[14] Williams' son, Hank Williams III, stayed neutral in the debate, telling TMZ.com that most musicians, including his dad, are "not worthy" of a political discussion.[15]
After his song was pulled from Monday Night Football broadcasts permanently, Williams recorded a song criticizing President Obama, ESPN and Fox & Friends titled "Keep the Change". He released the track on iTunes and via free download at his website.[16] The song garnered over 180,000 downloads in two days.[17]
Discography
Main article: Hank Williams, Jr. discography
Awards
| Year | Award | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | CMT Giants | CMT |
| 2007 | Tennessean of the Year | Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame |
| 2006 | Johnny Cash Visionary Award | CMT Music Awards |
| 2003 | #20 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music | CMT |
| 1994 | Composed Theme | Emmy |
| 1993 | Composed Theme | Emmy |
| 1992 | Composed Theme | Emmy |
| 1991 | Composed Theme | Emmy |
| 1990 | Video Of The Year | TNN/Music City News |
| 1990 | Vocal Collaboration Of The Year | TNN/Music City News |
| 1989 | Video Of The Year | Academy of Country Music |
| 1989 | Music Video Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1989 | Vocal Event Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1989 | Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals | Grammy |
| 1988 | Entertainer Of The Year | Academy of Country Music |
| 1988 | Video Of The Year | Academy of Country Music |
| 1988 | Album Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1988 | Entertainer Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1987 | Entertainer Of The Year | Academy of Country Music |
| 1987 | Entertainer Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1987 | Music Video Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1986 | Entertainer Of The Year | Academy of Country Music |
| 1985 | Music Video Of The Year | Country Music Association |
| 1984 | Video Of The Year | Academy of Country Music |
References
- ^ a b Hank Williams Jr. - Official Website[dead link]
- ^ "Hank Williams dropped from Monday Night Football - Richard Deitsch - SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 2011-10-06. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/richard_deitsch/10/06/hankwilliamsjr.fired/index.html. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "ESPN pulls Williams from MNF opening". ESPN.com. October 4, 2011. http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7056003/espn-pulls-hank-williams-jr-ready-opening-mnf.
- ^ "Hank Williams visits W.Va. mine survivor". USA Today. January 11, 2006. http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-01-11-williams-miner-visit_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA.
- ^ Morris, Edward (2009-07-21). "Hank Williams Jr. says new album is his last for Curb Records". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1616664/hank-williams-jr-says-new-album-is-his-last-for-curb-records.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ^ "Hank Williams Jr To Donate $125,000 To Hurricane Relief Efforts In Biloxi @ Top40-Charts.com - 40 Top 20 & Top 40 Music Charts from 25 Countries>". Top40-charts.com. http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=17448&string=Lox. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "BamaJam – Artist Line Up". Bamajammusicfestival.com. http://www.bamajammusicfestival.com/artistlineup.html. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "Hank Williams, Jr. to be Honored as Icon at 56th Annual BMI Country Awards". bmi.com. http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/537255. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
- ^ "McCain–Palin Tradition"[dead link]
- ^ "NEWSMEAT ▷ Hank Williams, Jr's Federal Campaign Contribution Report". Newsmeat.com. http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Hank_Williams_Jr.php. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "Hank Williams Jr. For Senate? - Real Clear Politics – TIME.com". Realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com. 2008-11-25. http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2008/11/25/hank-williams-jr-for-senate. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "ESPN pulls Hank Williams Jr. intro after singer links Obama with Hitler". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 2011-10-03. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/10/03/espn.williams.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "ESPN, Hank Williams Jr. part ways". ESPN.com. October 6, 2010. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7066449/espn-hank-williams-jr-theme-song-return-monday-night-football.
- ^ "ESPN - Hank Williams Jr. theme song won't return to Monday Night Football - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2011-10-06. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7066449/espn-hank-williams-jr-theme-song-return-monday-night-football. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ "Hank Williams Jr.'s Son - My Dad Should NOT Talk Politics". TMZ.com. 2011-11-22. http://www.tmz.com/2011/10/04/hank-williams-jr-monday-night-football-son-politics-obama-hitler-fox-news-channel-jello-biafra-green-party-politics/#.TrhcafSXu7s. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
- ^ Weir, Tom (October 10, 2011). "Hank Williams Jr. retaliates with song that slams Fox". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/10/hank-williams-jr-retaliates-with-song-that-slams-fox/1.
- ^ "Hank Williams Jr. Thrives With Downloads, Media Coverage Surrounding Controversy". CMT News. October 12, 2011. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1672429/hank-williams-jr-thrives-with-downloads-media-coverage-surrounding-controversy.jhtml.
External links
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