Randall Hank Williams Biography

Randall Hank Williams

Randall Hank Williams was born on May 26, 1949 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Audrey Mae Sheppard and Hank Williams. He was just three years old when his father, Hank Williams, passed aways from a heart failure caused by the combination of alcohol, morphine, and chloral hydrate. Hank Williams Jr.’s mom wanted him to become a country performer like his father, when he was just eight. Williams made his stage debut at this age. In 1963, after a few years of touring, his voice broke. Audrey had him sign a contract with MGM Records as soon as this happened. His first appearance at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry at age eleven. He had his first Top five hit on the country charts with a cover of his father’s song, “Long Gone

This happened at around the age of 18. His personal life became progressively more complicated. This lead him to a suicide attempt in 1974. Hank moved to Alabama where he was able to turn his life around. He also changed his musical direction. This combined country with Southern rock and blues. In 1975, he was climbing a mountain in Montana and fell 442 feet down the side of the mountain. His skull split and his face was crushed but he survived. He had reconstructive cosmetic surgery, and had to relearn how to speak and sing again. It took several years before Hank began to have hits again but in the final six months of 1979 he had two Top Ten singles, “Family Tradition” and “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound.” These songs began a virtually uninterrupted a streak of 29 Top Ten hits that ran into 1988. His career really began to take off in 1981. He had three number one hits, “Texas Women,” “Dixie on My Mind,” and “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down).” “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” began a streak of 15 gold or platinum albums that ran until 1990. He won several awards during this time. On July 4, 2009, 36 year old NFL star Steve McNair and his girlfriend were shot and died. Steve Mcnair was good friends with Hank Williams Jr. Hank came down to Tennessee to revisit his family and grave. Steve was also good friends with Hank’s children. Williams was married to Gwen Yeargain until 1977. The couple had one son together, Shelton Hank Williams. His stage name is Hank lll. With Becky White they had two daughters, Holly and Hillary Williams. They are in the music business too. Him and Mary Jane married in 1990. They had two children, Katherine and Samuel. They divorced in 2007 but