Even at the age of 73, Hank Williams Jr. is still out here topping the charts.
A couple of weeks ago, the country music icon released his full-blown blues passion project, Rich White Honky Blues.
The album was filled with covers of legends like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, Lightnin’ Hopkins, R.L. Burnside, along with a few originals as well.
Not to mention, he put out this album all in the wake of the passing of his wife, Mary Jane, who passed away after complications from a medical procedure.
With that being said, the album peaked at number one on the Country, Americana/Folk and Blues Albums charts, while also peaking at number two on the Rock and Record Label Independent Albums charts.
He expressed his excitement for the achievement:
“This is beyond my wildest dreams. What a great feeling.”
The album was produced by famed producer Dan Auerbach, and ol’ Bocephus discussed what it was like working with such an icon in the music industry with AP:
“We understood each other pretty quick. I got over there with Kenny and them and Dan, and it was just like pouring water out of a cup. It went pretty smooth, and we knocked it out in two and a half days.
You bring who you are. All that… all… of… that… is where my music comes from. When we got into the studio, the more we played, the deeper we got… and the deeper we got, the harder I wanted to go. Those songs just fit the moment.”
Auerbach also added:
“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.
It’s that rawness, and how real it is. I was always searching for the rawness, the darkest stuff. Once we were in it, as soon as we started playing, Hank was invested. That lifted everybody else up, to really push each other.”
It’s pretty badass to see a legend in the music industry not only pay homage to a number of greats who have influenced his music, but also top the charts while doing so.
And in one last remark, Williams perfectly summed up the blues, and what it means to him:
“It is what it is. You know, that’s the thing. Blues is what it is – and whoever you are, there’s a dose with your name on it. You can let it knock you down, or you can stand up and play the guitar, witness to what happened and throw down hard to get rid of it.”
Check out the full track-list below:
.44 Special Blues
Georgia Women
My Starter Won’t Start
Take Out Some Insurance
Rich White Honky Blues
Short Haired Woman
Fireman Ring The Bell
Rock Me Baby
I Like It When It’s Stormy
Call Me Thunderhead
TV Mama
Jesus, Won’t You Come By Here
