Shelton Hank Williams aka "Hank Williams III," or "Hank3", was born in Nashville, in December 1972. He is the eldest child of Hank Williams
Junior and grandson of Hank Williams Senior, the “hillbilly Shakespeare”…and a
seminal figure in country music.
Hank 3, was born into a stormy
marriage. His parents were not very happy together and his father was deeply
depressed because of feeling that he was “living in the shadow” of his famous
father. His marriage to Gwen Yeargain was short lived and by the time when their son
was born, things were not well between them.
Hank Junior was working hard, and when he came home, he wanted to stay
home and relax... whereas his wife wanted to go out. His depression and drug problems drove him to
a suicide attempt and when he recovered his marriage was well and truly on the
rocks. He then had a serious
mountaineering accident, which left him injured, with scarring on his face and
a deep trauma.
He and Gwen divorced and
Shelton was mostly in his mother’s care... He beleived then that his father was too
wrapped up in his own problems and his own life to spend a lot of time with
him. He spent time with his mother’s
family on their farm and had a deep love of country life and sports. Also, not
surprisingly he loved music and started playing drums with his father at
times. He also played in punk rock
bands.
Shelton was a rebellious
teenager, traumatised by his family’s problems.
He was good at athletics at school, but did not do so well academically. At
17 he fathered a child, but didn’t learn of it till a few years later when the
mother brought a paternity suit. He
realised he had to start serious work, to provide for his son. He began to
capitalise on his family name. He had a strong resemblance in looks and voice to his grandfather
Hank and made use of it. Most people feel that he has a startling look of Hank Senior, which caused Minnie Pearl, an
old friend of Hank’s - to say to him “Honey you’re a ghost”.
As he developed musically, he
began to incorporate punk and metal into his act, and his “hell-billy” ramped up kind of
country music, rather than his grandfather’s more traditional work. He quarrelled with his record producers and
went independent, in hopes of doing the music he wanted, rather than what was
commercial. He has been criticised for
his raucous fast punk style of country, and for his use of vulgar language
and "wild man" attitude, but he has shown that he has great talent as a singer and
song writer… and in the work that he has done, he has adhered to the “Family Tradition”
of the Williamses, of drinking, smoking drugs, pill taking and womanising. He may be cruder in language than his father
and grandfather but the subject material of his songs is basically the same,
love, drinking, women and pain.
He has also been like his
father and grandfather in that he has had drug problems, and has at times been a “no
show” at gigs. In later years, he has
settled down and become a hard working performer whose concerts last often for
4 or 5 hours. He provides a choice of
genres, from traditional country, to hell billy to his “Assjack” band, which
does punk. He also makes a big effort to interact with his fans, spending hours
after a concert signing autographs and posing for pictures.
He hasn’t achieved the great
fame that he might have done, had he been willing to play the Nashville game
but he has a loyal following. And his talent shines forth in his lively
energetic performing and his list of great songs….
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