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Hank Williams Jr.

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Hank Williams Jr.
Williams in 2008
Williams in 2008
Background information
Birth nameRandall 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 active1963–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)​
[a]
Websitehankjr.com
Children5, including Hank Williams III and Holly Williams

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![1]

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.[2][3] After an extended recovery, he rebuilt his career in the country rock scene.[4] As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of musical instrument skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.[5] In 2020, Williams Jr. was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[6]

Early life

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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, he was raised by his mother, Audrey Williams.

While he was a child, Williams was influenced by a number of contemporary musicians who visited his family and taught him various musical instruments and styles. [citation needed] Among these figures of influence were Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Earl Scruggs, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Williams first stepped onto the stage and sang his father's songs when he was eight years old.

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

Career

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

He provided the singing voice of his father[9] in the 1964 film Your Cheatin' Heart.[10] He also recorded an album of duets with recordings of his father.[9]

A change in appearance and musical direction

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Although Williams' 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 pattern of heavy 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 including Waylon Jennings, Toy Caldwell, and Charlie Daniels. Hank Williams Jr. and Friends (1975), often considered his watershed album, was the product of these then-groundbreaking collaborations.

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

In 1977, Williams recorded and 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, along with the Shake Russell-Dana Cooper Band.[citation needed]

Country music career

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Williams performing at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, 2006

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 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—18 studio albums and three compilations—that were all certified at least gold by the RIAA. Between 1979 and 1990, he enjoyed a string of 30 Top Ten singles on the Billboard Country charts, including eight No. 1 singles, for a total of 44 Top Ten singles, including a total of 10 No. 1 singles, during his career.

In 1982, he had nine albums simultaneously on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, all of which were original works and not compilations. In 1987–88, 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 Jr. became a country music superstar known for catchy anthems and hard-edged, rock-influenced country. During the late 1970s and into the mid-1980s, Williams' songs constantly flew into the number one or number two spots, with songs such as "Family Tradition", "Whiskey Bent 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 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 notional 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 his father, and had been previously recorded with Hank Williams playing the guitar as the sole instrument. The music video for the song combined existing television footage of Hank Williams performing, onto which electronic merging technology impressed the recordings of Williams, 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. Williams 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' opening themes for Monday Night Football earned him four Emmy Awards.

Williams in 2006

In 2000, he provided the voice of Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer. In 2001, Williams Jr. co-wrote 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, he 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 also had a small part of Kid Rock's video "Only God Knows Why", and "Redneck Paradise".

In April 2009, Williams released a new single, "Red, White & Pink-Slip Blues", which peaked at number 43 on the country charts. The song was the lead-off single to 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 last album for Curb Records.[14]

Musical style

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As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, Resonator guitar, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.[5] Williams began his recording career performing covers of his father's songs. Despite catering to the country music market, Williams preferred to listen to rhythm and blues.[15] Williams also recorded singles under the name Luke the Drifter Jr.[16] (a reference to his father's alias "Luke the Drifter"), rock and roll singles under the aliases Rockin' Randall[17] and Bocephus[16] (a nickname given to him by his father), and blues 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

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Artists who have cited Hank 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 Award, 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 and indelible influence on generations of music makers".[29]

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

Personal life

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His daughter Katherine Williams-Dunning, the only one of his five children to not pursue a music career, died in a 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 is also a musician, as is his grandson Coleman Williams (Hank III's son), who performs under the sobriquet "IV". His wife Mary Jane Thomas died on March 22, 2022, aged 58, after complications from a medical procedure.[32][33] On September 9, 2023, Williams married his long-time friend since 2003, Brandi. The couple became engaged on Mother's Day of that same year.[34][35]

Politics

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Williams has been politically involved with the Republican Party. For 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 in Virginia Beach for Republican presidential nominee John McCain, he performed "McCain-Palin Tradition", a song in support of McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin.[36] He has contributed to federal election campaigns, mostly to Republicans, including Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign. However, he has donated to some Democrats in the past, most notably Jim Cooper and John S. Tanner.[37]

In November 2008, Williams considered a run for the 2012 Republican nomination as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee for the seat held by GOP incumbent Bob Corker, although his publicist said regarding Williams "no announcement has been made".[38] Williams ultimately did not run.

2011 Fox and Friends controversy

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In an October 3, 2011, interview with Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends, Williams discussed a June golf game where President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner had teamed against Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Governor John Kasich, saying the match was "one of the biggest political mistakes ever". When asked why the golf game troubled him, Williams stated, "Come on. That'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu ... in the shape this country is in?" He also said that the President and Vice President were "the enemy" and compared them to "the Three Stooges". Later, anchor Gretchen Carlson 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 song from its Monday Night Football broadcast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus the Indianapolis Colts and replaced it with the national anthem.[citation needed]

Williams later said his analogy was "extreme – but it was to make a point", and "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". Additionally, Williams said he has "always respected the office of the president ... 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 later said it was "extremely disappointed" in Williams' comments, and pulled his opening from that night's broadcast.[39]

Three days later, ESPN announced 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 1989.[40] Williams expressed defiance and indifference on his website, and said he was the one who had 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."[41] Williams' son, Hank Williams III, stayed neutral in the debate, telling TMZ.com that most musicians, including his father, are "not worthy" of a political discussion.[42]

After his song was pulled from Monday Night Football, Williams recorded a song criticizing Obama, ESPN and Fox & Friends, titled "Keep the Change". He released the track on iTunes and via free download at his website.[43] The song garnered over 180,000 downloads in two days.[44]

Williams continued to make his opinions of Obama known and during a performance at the Iowa State Fair in August 2012, he called Obama a Muslim telling the crowd, "We've got a Muslim president who hates farming, hates the military, hates the U.S. and we hate him!"[45][46]

Discography

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Main article: Hank Williams Jr. discography

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Award
2020 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
2017 No. 50 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time Rolling Stone[47]
2007 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
2007 Tennessean of the Year Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
2006 Johnny Cash Visionary Award CMT Music Awards
2003 No. 20 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music CMT
1996 Top Vocal Duo of the Year nomination with Hank Williams III Academy of Country Music[48]
1994 Composed Theme Emmy
1993 Composed Theme Emmy
1992 Composed Theme Emmy
1991 Composed Theme Emmy
1990 Video of the Year – There's a Tear in My Beer TNN/Music City News
1990 Vocal Collaboration of the Year – There's a Tear in My Beer TNN/Music City News
1989 Top Vocal Duo of the Year nomination with Hank Williams Academy of Country Music[48]
1989 Video of the Year – There's a Tear in My Beer Academy of Country Music
1989 Song of the Year nomination – There's a Tear in My Beer Academy of Country Music
1989 Single Record of the Year nomination – There's a Tear in My Beer Academy of Country Music
1989 Entertainer of the Year Academy of Country Music
1989 Music Video of the Year – There's a Tear in My Beer Country Music Association
1989 Vocal Event of the Year – There's a Tear in My Beer Country Music Association
1989 Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – There's a Tear in My Beer Grammy Awards
1988 Entertainer of the Year Academy of Country Music
1988 Video of the Year – Young Country Academy of Country Music
1988 Top Male Vocalist nomination Academy of Country Music
1988 Male Vocalist of the Year nomination Country Music Association
1988 Album of the Year – Born to Boogie Country Music Association
1988 Entertainer of the Year Country Music Association
1988 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male nomination – Born to Boogie Grammy Awards
1987 Top Male Vocalist nomination Academy of Country Music
1987 Song of the Year nomination – Born to Boogie Academy of Country Music
1987 Single Record of the Year nomination – Born to Boogie Academy of Country Music
1987 Entertainer of the Year Academy of Country Music
1987 Album of the Year nomination – Born to Boogie Academy of Country Music
1987 Entertainer of the Year Country Music Association
1987 Music Video of the Year – My Name Is Bocephus Country Music Association
1987 Male Vocalist of the Year nomination Country Music Association
1987 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male nomination – Ain't Misbehavin Grammy Awards
1986 Top Male Vocalist nomination Academy of Country Music
1986 Entertainer of the Year nomination Academy of Country Music
1986 Male Vocalist of the Year nomination Country Music Association
1985 Music Video of the Year – All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight Country Music Association
1985 Male Vocalist of the Year nomination Country Music Association
1985 Top Male Vocalist nomination Academy of Country Music
1985 Single Record of the Year nomination – I'm for Love Academy of Country Music
1985 Entertainer of the Year nomination Academy of Country Music
1985 Album of the Year nomination – Five-O Academy of Country Music
1985 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male nomination – All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight Grammy Awards
1985 Grammy Award for Best Country Song nomination – All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight Grammy Awards
1984 Video of the Year – All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight Academy of Country Music
1984 Album of the Year nomination – Man of Steel Academy of Country Music
1984 Entertainer of the Year nomination Academy of Country Music
1983 Entertainer of the Year nomination Academy of Country Music
1982 Top Male Vocalist nomination Academy of Country Music
1981 Top Male Vocalist nomination Academy of Country Music
1980 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male nomination – Family Tradition Grammy Awards
1966 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Album nomination – Father and son: Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. Grammy Awards
1965 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Album nomination – Hank Williams Jr. Sings the Songs of Hank Williams Grammy Awards

References and notes

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  1. ^ "Hank Williams, Jr". IMDb. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  2. ^ Buchalter, Gail (October 22, 1979). "Hank Williams Jr. Fell Down a Mountain and Lived Now He's Climbing High on the C&w Charts". People. 12 (17). Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Fall". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Burns, Ken. "Hank Williams Jr. Biography". PBS. Retrieved July 7, 2023. He began the slow rebuilding of his career, this time entirely in the Southern country-rock genre.
  5. ^ a b "Hank Williams Jr. – Official Website". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Paulson, Matthew Leimkuehler and Dave. "Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, Dean Dillon to enter the Country Music Hall of Fame". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  7. ^ Cantwell, David (March 24, 2016). "The Awkward, Enduring Influence of Hank Williams, Jr". The New Yorker.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944–2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 388. ISBN 0823082911.
  9. ^ a b Hank Williams Jr. interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  10. ^ "Your Cheatin' Heart". IMDb.com. December 1, 1964.
  11. ^ "Singer injured in fall". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 11, 1975. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Hank Williams visits W.Va. mine survivor". USA Today. January 11, 2006.
  13. ^ "Hank Williams Jr.: Hank William Jr. and Friends. By John Morthland : Articles, reviews and interviews from Rock's Backpages". Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via Rock's Backpages.
  14. ^ Morris, Edward (July 21, 2009). "Hank Williams Jr. says new album is his last for Curb Records". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  15. ^ a b Dukes, Billy (June 17, 2022). "Hank Williams Jr. Explains 'Rich White Honky Blues' Album Title". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Harrington, Richard (December 16, 1992). "Recordings". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Webb, Todd (December 7, 1984). "Hank Williams Jr. Rocks Norman Crowd". Oklahoman. Retrieved July 7, 2023. Williams returned the welcome with an inspired set of country-style rock 'n' roll at its best. [...] a full-speed-ahead set of no-holds-barred rock, blues-rock, and rockabilly rock so intense that Williams himself was forced to partially disrobe near the end of the show.
  19. ^ Malone, Bill, ed. (February 2014). "Williams, Hank Jr.". The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. University of North Carolina Press. p. 383. ISBN 978-1469616667.
  20. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hank Williams, Jr. Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  21. ^ Banner, Sandy Meindersma (July 31, 2008). "Country and blues on stage this Friday". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  22. ^ Paul, Evan (January 27, 2022). "WALKER HAYES ON HIS LOVE OF HANK JR., DON WILLIAMS". Taste of Country.
  23. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (February 28, 2015). "Country Radio Seminar Closes With Stellar Performances by Sam Hunt, Cole Swindell & More". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Hage, Erik. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (August 3, 2018). "Shooter Jennings Premieres 'D.R.U.N.K.,' Talks Hank Williams Jr. Influence". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  26. ^ Gonzalez, Tony (December 17, 2013). "Bar owner charged in singer's death released from jail". USA Today.
  27. ^ Sanford, Jay Allen (August 1, 2019). "Electric hoedown with hillbillies on steroids". San Diego Reader. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  28. ^ Rogers, Bridget (March 28, 2022). "What Happened To Gretchen Wilson – What's She Doing Now in 2022". Gazette Review. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  29. ^ "Hank Williams, Jr. to be Honored as Icon at 56th Annual BMI Country Awards". Bmi.com. September 17, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  30. ^ "Daughter of country music legend Hank Williams Jr. dies in car crash, authorities say". Cbsnews.com. June 14, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  31. ^ Colurso, Mary (June 8, 2021). "Hank Jr.'s son following in footsteps of legendary grandpa Hank Williams?". al.com. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  32. ^ Avila, Daniela; Michaud, Sarah (March 23, 2022). "Hank Williams Jr.'s Wife Mary Jane Thomas Has Died: 'A Beautiful Soul'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  33. ^ "Hank Williams Jr.'s Wife Mary Jane Thomas Dead at 58". TMZ. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  34. ^ Denis, Kyle (September 12, 2023). "Hank Williams Jr. Gets Married in Alabama". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  35. ^ Wilson, Angela (September 12, 2023). "Hank Williams Jr. Marries Fiancée Brandi in Alabama Days After Announcing Engagement". People. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  36. ^ ""McCain–Palin Tradition"". Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  37. ^ "Hank Williams Jr". Federal Campaign Contribution Report. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  38. ^ "Hank Williams Jr. For Senate? - Real Clear Politics – TIME.com". Realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com. November 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  39. ^ "ESPN pulls Hank Williams Jr. intro after singer links Obama with Hitler". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. October 3, 2011. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  40. ^ "ESPN, Hank Williams Jr. part ways". ESPN.com. October 6, 2010.
  41. ^ "ESPN – Hank Williams Jr. theme song won't return to Monday Night Football – ESPN". ESPN. October 6, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  42. ^ "Hank Williams Jr.'s Son – My Dad Should NOT Talk Politics". TMZ.com. November 22, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  43. ^ Weir, Tom (October 10, 2011). "Hank Williams Jr. retaliates with song that slams Fox". USA Today.
  44. ^ "Hank Williams Jr. Thrives With Downloads, Media Coverage Surrounding Controversy". CMT News. October 12, 2011. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011.
  45. ^ "Country Star Calls Obama 'a Muslim'". ABC News. August 20, 2012.
  46. ^ Couch, Aaron (August 18, 2012). "Hank Williams Jr. Calls Obama 'Muslim' Who 'Hates The Military'". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  47. ^ "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time". Rollingstone.com. June 15, 2017.
  48. ^ a b "Winners database". ACM Country. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  1. ^ Brandi's last name is currently unknown.
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