Country Music Legend of the Week, Hank Williams Jr. [VIDEOS]

Randall Hank Williams, better known as Hank Williams, Jr. was born on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

His father, Hank Williams, a country music pioneer, nicknamed him Bocephus after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield’s ventriloquist dummy.

Official Website | Facebook

After his father’s untimely death in 1953, he was raised by his mother, Audrey Williams. While he was a child, a vast number of contemporary musicians visited his family, who influenced and taught him various music instruments and styles. Among these figures of influence were Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Earl Scruggs, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Williams first stepped on the stage and sang his father’s songs when he was 8 years old.

In 1964 he made his recording debut with “Long Gone Lonesome Blues,” one of many of his father’s classic songs.

Williams’s own style slowly evolved as he struggled to find his own voice and place within the country music industry.