Biography hank williams

Hank Williams Jr.

American singer-songwriter and musician (born 1949)

Hank Williams Jr.
Williams in 2008
Birth name	Randall Hank Williams
Born	(1949-05-26) May 26, 1949 (age 75) Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupations	Singer-songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar banjo piano keyboards harmonica fiddle drums
Years active	1963–present
Labels
Spouse	Gwen Yeargin (m. 1971; div. 1977) Becky White (m. 1977; div. 1983) Mary Jane Thomas (m. 1990; died 2022) Brandi Williams (m. 2023)
Website	hankjr.com
Children	5, including Hank Williams III and Holly Williams

Musical artist

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

Williams began his career following in his famed father's footsteps, covering his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' first television appearance was in a December 1963 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, in which at age fourteen he sang several songs associated with his father. Later that year, he was a guest star on Shindig!

As Williams struggled to define his own voice and place within the country music genre, his style began slowly to evolve. His career was interrupted by a near-fatal fall while Williams was climbing Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975. After an extended recovery, he rebuil

Hank williams age at death

Hank williams jr

Hank Williams, a tortured soul, is rightly regarded as country music’s eminent singer and songwriter. During an all-too-short ten-year period, he wrote and recorded some of the most enduring country songs. Over the years Hey Good Lookin’, Jambalaya, Half As Much, Cold, Cold Heart, Your Cheatin’ Heart and Take These Chains From My Heart, have been embraced around the world and are regarded as popular standards. The godfather of modern-day country music, Williams, died 60 years ago, yet the legacy of his music lives on. Not just through his own music, but also through the songs and the performances of young singers who have come under the influence of a man reverently referred to as ‘the poet of the common man.’ Many of today’s modern country stars often look and sound interchangeable. Not so with Williams. Like the best blues and country singers, he possessed the rare ability to project real emotion through the sound of his voice. People don’t listen to Williams for enlightenment, but for consolation in a world of trouble and confusion. A tortured genius whose personal life was not only revealed in the stark pain of his lyrics, but a man whose alcoholism drove nearly everyone he worked with and loved crazy.

Hiriam King Williams was born on September 17, 1923 in Georgia, Alabama. A poor, rural white boy who possessed a raw talent, he was a member of the church choir at six, and learned guitar from Tee-Tot (Rufe Payne), an elderly black street musician. When barely a teenager he won an amateur talent contest, formed a band, the Drifting Cowboys, and played on a local Montgomery, Alabama radio station. In 1946 he was signed to Sterling Records, switching to the newly formed MGM label the following year. Though virtually an alcoholic, he was booked as a regular on the Louisiana Hayride and made his chart debut with Move It On Over in 1947. Rarely off the charts, he made his biggest impact with Lovesick Blues in 1949, which led to him joining the Grand Ole Opry. Sig

Hank williams jr age

Hank Willliams Sr. Few performers in the history of country music can compare with Hank Williams Sr. (1923-1953) in terms of importance and influence. A key figure in the development of modern country music, Williams personified the musical genre's shift from a regional, rural phenomenon to nationwide, urban acceptance in the late 1940s. Revered by fans drawn to the sincerity of his songs and his singing and glorified by an industry that once ostracized him, Hank Williams, during his brief 29 years, was instrumental in turning "hillbilly" music into "country" music.

Hiram "Hank" Williams was born on September 17, 1923, near Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama, to Lon Williams, a locomotive engineer, and Lillie Williams, a church organist. The couple separated early in Hank's life, and he was raised primarily by his mother during his formative years. Williams spent most of his childhood in Georgiana and Greenville, both in Butler County, and early on became enthralled with music, playing harmonica, learning the organ from his mother, and acquiring his first guitar around the time he was eight years old.

Williams Family Reunion Like many other young boys growing up in the South at the time, Williams was a fan of singer Jimmie Rodgers, a Mississippian whose groundbreaking music blended blues guitar, evocative yodeling, and vivid lyrical imagery. Williams' sound was further influenced by his friendship with African American street singer Rufus "Tee Tot" Payne, who helped Williams hone his guitar-playing skills and, more importantly, develop the blues phrasing and blues rhythms that he would later use in his own singing style.

In 1937, Lillie Williams and her son moved to the capital city of Montgomery, where Lillie opened a boarding house. Hank augmented the family income by shining shoes and selling peanuts on the street. He maintained his interest in music and eventually began Hank and Hezzy's Driftin' Cowboys performing on Montgomery's WSFA radio station, whe

Hank Williams

American singer, songwriter, and musician (1923–1953)

For other people named Hank Williams, see Hank Williams (disambiguation).

HiramKing "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.

Born and raised in Alabama, Williams learned guitar from African-American blues musician Rufus Payne. Both Payne and Roy Acuff significantly influenced his musical style. After winning an amateur talent contest, Williams began his professional career in Montgomery in the late 1930s playing on local radio stations and at area venues such as school houses, movie theaters, and bars. He formed the Drifting Cowboys backup band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote his time to his career. Because his alcoholism made him unreliable, he was fired and rehired several times by radio station WSFA, and had trouble replacing several of his band members who were drafted during World War II.

In 1944, Williams married Audrey Sheppard, who competed with his mother to control his career. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. He released the hit single "Move It On Over" in 1947 and joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. The next year he released a cover of "Lovesick Blues", which quickly reached number one on Billboard's Top Country & Western singles chart and propelled him to stardom on the Grand Ole Opry. Although unable to read or notate music to any significant degree, he wrote such iconic hits as "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'", and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". In 1952, Audrey divorced him and

When was hank williams born