Hank Williams Jnr (Bocephus)

Randall Hank Williams was the only child of Hank Williams by his wife Audrey. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1949. 
He was only a young child, when his father died, tragically and at the age of 29, on a trip to a New Year’s Gig. His mother was traumatized by her stormy marriage and the divorce from Hank Senior but after his death, she saw herself as the keeper of his legacy. She pressured her son to sing his father’s hits and she managed him, trying to make money out of the songs that were his father’s legacy. Hank Junior (sometimes known by his father’s nickname for him, Bocephus) had a very good country voice and great instrumental talent and he went along with his mother’s “pushing” as a boy. However it was increasingly difficult for him to live up to people’s expectations of him, particularly his mother’s. He loved country music but he also loved rock -and as he grew older, he wanted to step out from his father’s shadow and to work at the music he himself liked. He knew all the country and early rock and roll “Greats” from Jerry Lee Lewis to Johnny and June Carter Cash (June Carter was his godmother), but he was increasingly unhappy with being forced to sing the old Hank Williams classics when he wanted to strike out in a new direction for himself. His mother was possessive and difficult and in spite of the money from Hank’s hits, there were financial problems. 

As he grew older, the pressures on Hank, made him more depressed. He turned, like his father, to drink and drugs. His first marriage, when he was very young, was short lived. His second marriage, to Gwen Yeargain produced his first child Shelton Hank Williams (now known as Hank III) but again, he was unhappy and finding it hard to cope with marriage or fatherhood. He made a suicide attempt but survived. He and his wife had separated and he was desperately unhappy. Then in 1975 he went mountain climbing in Montana and fell 500 feet down a mountain. The accident almost killed him. He survived but with serious scarring of his face. He was traumatized seriously by this and it took some time before he fully recovered. He had plastic surgery which repaired his face. The psychological wounds remained. From then on, he started to wear a hat and sunshades, on stage, and grew a beard to hide the scars. 
Some of his best songs are about his relationship with Country music and his father, such as "Family Tradition".  Other well-known and loved classics are "If Heaven aint a lot like Dixie", " Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound (about honky tonks), "A Country boy can survive" and others.  He often performs with the rock singer Kid Rock who has become a country fan and whom Hank calls his "rebel son"...

He married again and had more children, but the damage done to his relationship with his eldest child was still there. He tried to spend time with his son, but Hank III felt neglected. However, in the 70s’ after the accident he began to branch into the sort of music that he really wanted to do, while still doing some of his father’s country hits. He still had addictions to drink and drugs, and while he was immensely popular and successful, his addictions sometimes interfered with his performances. 

Hank’s voice is as strong as ever, though he’s now in his 60s and he is great at playing to an audience. He is a big man with a powerful musical voice...

His musical ability has not diminished as he’s grown older. His life is more settled now and he is as successful as ever with his music. Like his father, he is a Republican supporter and he has caused some controversy with some of his slightly unorthodox political statements. But in spite of the dramas and tragedies of his early life, he has fulfilled his early musical promise.