Hank Williams Jr.

< RETURN TO STORE

The son and namesake of country music pioneer Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr.'s style combined country with Southern rock and blues. Born on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Hank Williams Jr. was performing Hank Sr.'s songs on stage at age 8. In the 1970s, he created his own musical identity, combining country with Southern rock and blues. Williams was severely injured in a mountain-climbing accident in 1975. He spent two years recovering from his injuries. By the 1980s, Williams had become one of country music's top performers. He had several multi-platinum albums during his career. In 2012, he released Old School New Rules. Country music legend Hank Williams Jr. was born Randall Hank Williams on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The son and namesake of country music pioneer Hank Williams, Hank Jr. was just three when his father died. His mother Audrey soon led him into becoming a country performer like his father. "Other kids could play cowboys and Indians and imagine they'd grow up to be cowboys," he wrote on his website. "I couldn't do that ... I knew I'd grow up to be a singer. That's all there ever was, the only option, from the beginning." Williams made his stage debut at the age of 8 and his first appearance at Nashville's famed Grand Ole Opry at age 11. At age 15, Williams had his first Top 5 hit on the country charts with a cover of his father's song, "Long Gone Lonesome Blues." He performed throughout his teens to sold-out crowds and on national television, carrying on his father's legacy through music. In the 1980s, Williams catapulted to stardom with several multi-platinum albums and dozens of chart-topping singles, including "Family Tradition," "Texas Women" and "Born to Boogie." He won the Country Music Association's Award for entertainer of the year in 1987 and '88, and a Grammy Award in 1989 for a duet with his father's recorded vocals called "There's a Tear in My Beer." In 1989, Williams began his long association with ABC's Monday Night Football. He retooled his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" for the program, and the new theme song earned Williams four Emmy Awards.

RELEASES