A little more than a week removed from the tragic death of his wife Mary Jane, ol’ Hank Williams Jr. is back in the saddle.
Last week, Hank took to Instagram to thank fans for the support, and announce that he will continue to tour despite this awful tragedy.
“Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers during this time.
The family has encouraged me to perform this weekend. Not only is it healing, but I do not want to disappoint my fans who have purchased tickets.”
He also announced his upcoming blues record, Rich White Honky Blues.
But this past Friday, Bocephus kicked things off at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, and as always, he didn’t disappoint.
Performing hits like “Country Boy Can Survive,” “Move It On Over,” “There’s A Tear In My Beer,” and more, but when it came time for “Family Tradition,” Hank lived up to the name.
He was joined by his son Sam Williams, and his daughter, Holly Williams, both of whom are musicians themselves. A family tradition indeed…
Check it out:
And how about a little Johnny Cash?
He did a little “Walk The Line,” before turning into “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” and “Country Boy Can Survive.”
Hank Williams Jr. Announces Upcoming Blues Album, ‘Rich White Honky Blues’
Bocephus sings the Blues.
Hank Williams Jr. has officially announced his next album, Rich White Honky Blues, and for this upcoming project, Hank is strippin’ it down and taking it all the way back to his roots.
A bluesman at heart, Hank Jr.’s father Hank Williams Sr. was taught to play guitar as a small child by a bluesman named Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne.
So, with producer Dan Auerbach at the helm, Hank Jr. will pay homage to his roots, recording classics from Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, R.L. Burnside, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, as well as a few from Hank himself.
“The blues is where it all comes from. It’s the start of everything musical in my family; everything starts with Tee-Tot and flows from there.
I’ve always flirted with this stripped back blues, all the way back to the ‘80s. But I finally made an album that’s just that, and I like it.”
Williams and Auerbach started discussing how it would all come together, but on the first day of recording, Hank wasn’t in the mood as Auerbach recalls:
“First thing he said to me when he walked in was, ‘I don’t really feel like fucking with this shit!’ And he walked into another room.”
But when the expert group of players started jamming out, Hank came back in, and they threw the whole project down in just three days:
“If you wanted to play this kind of music, you couldn’t have better players.
The first time I ever saw Hank Jr. on TV, I was a kid raised on Robert Johnson and Hank Williams, Sr. records, and those things came through so clearly watching him.
So, I tried to assemble the right parts to just sit in that piece of who he is.”
When the three days were over, Hank said:
“I hope you got all of that. I bet YOU did. I’m going to listen and smoke…”
And here we are… Hank Williams Jr.’s upcoming blues record, Rich White Honky Blues is set for release on June 17th.
Hank introduces the project with his “.44 Special Blues”
Rich White Honky Blues Tracklist:
1. .44 Special Blues
2. Georgia Women
3. My Starter Won’t Start
4. Take Out Some Insurance
5. Rich White Honky Blues
6. Short Haired Woman
7. Fireman Ring the Bell
8. Rock Me Baby
9. I Like It When It’s Stormy
10. Call Me Thunderhead
11. TV Mama
12. Jesus Will You Come By Here
Hank Williams Jr. Tour Dates
On sale now unless otherwise noted.
April 1 Landers Center Southaven, MS
May 27 First Interstate Arena at MetraPark^ Billings, MT
May 29 Alerus Center^ Grand Forks, ND
June 17 Wells Fargo Arena^ Des Moines, IA
June 18 Denny Sanford Premier Center^ Sioux Falls, SD
July 8 Golden Nugget+ Lake Charles, LA
July 9 Orion Amphitheater~ Huntsville, AL
July 21 Great Jones County Fair Monticello, IA
July 22 Nutter Center^ Dayton, OH
July 29 Salem Civic Center^ Salem, VA
July 30 Delaware State Fair Harrington, DE
Aug. 5 Simmons Bank Arena# North Little Rock, AR
Aug. 6 Choctaw Grand Theatre Durant, OK
Aug. 9 Jackson County Fair Jackson, MS
Aug. 12 Beaver Dam Amphitheater+ Beaver Dam, KY
Aug. 13 Neon Lights Festival* North Lawrence, OH
