Hank Williams III

Hank Williams III (2006)

Shelton Hank Williams III (born December 12, 1972 in Nashville , Tennessee ), also known as Hank III or Hank3 , is an American country , metal , punk and rock musician. After a first traditional country album in 1996, he began to break away from the scene and processed influences from the punk and metal scene . His style is also known as Hellbilly and is associated with the alternative country scene and the outlaw movement . With his bands Superjoint Ritual , with which he plays bass, and Assjacks, he is also active in the extreme metal genre. He is the grandson of Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams Jr.

Life

Adolescent years

Williams' father, Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams III was born in Nashville in 1972 to Hank Williams Jr. and his second wife, Gwen Yeargain. When his parents divorced in 1977, Williams moved to Atlanta with his mother . His relationship with his father was divided from the start. The father suffered from depression at the time and was suicidal. He also just had a serious mountaineering accident from which he was slow to recover. Williams III was raised strictly religious; Metal and rock music was frowned upon in his mother's household. He also had to go to church several times a week. When Williams was around ten years old, he was back in touch with his father. This taught him to play the drums . In his younger years, Williams III was musically influenced by his father's record collection, including the albums of his grandfather Hank Williams , but also by rockabilly , bluegrass and hard rock by ZZ Top , Queen and Ted Nugent . Also soundtracks and Classic Rock were among his preferences.

As the grandson of Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams Jr., he was known in the country scene. But first he tried to pursue a career independently. At 15 he played drums in some punk bands in the southeastern United States and moved from town to town. He began to use marijuana, which was characteristic of him later on . When a child emerged from a one-night stand , a court order forced him to lead a more sedentary and orderly life. He had to pay $ 24,000 in maintenance . The judge advised him to take up more lucrative work. So he started making his living as a country musician and performed on several tribute shows for his grandfather.

Curb Records

In 1996 he got a record deal with Curb Records . Label boss Mike Curb was a companion of his father and had this under contract. As the owner of the rights to the recordings of Hank Williams, he had almost complete control over all three generations of the Williams family. A short time later, the album Three Hanks: Men With Broken Hearts was released, on which the voices of the three generations were united. He was never particularly convinced of the concept. Although he liked being on an album with his grandfather and father, the design seemed too cheap and geared towards commercial gain. In addition, his father's vocal tracks were recorded separately from his.

His first solo album Risin 'Outlaw was released in September 1999. Musically it was traditional country in the style of the outlaw movement. He was not satisfied with the album, in particular he did not like the production. In 2001 he took part in the Vans Warped Tour and performed there before Rancid . His second album Lovesick, Broke & Driftin followed in 2002. This time he left nothing to chance and produced the album himself. The album contained mostly traditional country, which is mainly about drinking and smoking weed. Some of the songs are in the style of his grandfather. With Atlantic City is a cover version of Bruce Springsteen on the album. He shows his aversion to commercial country in the play Trashville .

He then had big problems with Curb Records, as they refused to release the album This Ain't Country and because of their contract prevented him from offering it elsewhere. Instead of working on new albums, he published music in extreme limits on his website. The two parties litigated each other, which led to the fact that he was forced to stop selling his bootlegs . He went on to sell "Fuck Curb" t-shirts and spoke ill of his record company. In June 2004 he allowed all bootleggers to record and post his shows. Since then, some live recordings have been part of the Internet Archive .

In 2002 he started playing bass with Superjoint Ritual , the band of former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo . His next solo album was released in March 2006. The double album was called Straight to Hell and appeared again on Curb Records, which the label, however, as "Bruc" (Curb backwards) stated. The first CD contained country, the second only one song. Louisiana Stripes is underlaid with ambient and noise . The song contained no singing, but sampled dialogues and answering machine messages, echo and dub effects. In January 2003, he appeared with his father in the Grand Ole Opry to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hank Williams' death.

After Superjoint Ritual ended in 2006, he founded the hardcore punk band Arson Anthem together with Phil Anselmo, Colin Yeo and EyeHateGod singer Mike Williams . After a self-titled EP in 2008, the debut album Insecurity Notoriety was released on Housecore Records in 2010 . The project was later put on hold.

In October 2008 he released the album Damn Right, Rebel Proud . As in 2006, the record company refused to print its name on the album due to the offensive language used on it, and released it under its sub-label Sidewalk Records. In August 2009, the self-titled debut album by Assjack followed. Although Assjack was basically his tour band, he recorded the album on his own and produced it himself. The music is a mixture of Death Metal , his version of Country, Industrial Metal and Hardcore Punk. The style was compared with Ministry , Roach Motel, and Slipknot .

In 2010 the last collaboration with Curb Records was The Rebel Within . After that, his contract was fulfilled. There are some punk and metal influences on Rebel Within , especially in the vocal parts, but the majority of the album consists of traditional country music. In 2011, after years of disputes, Curb released the often illegally sold album This Ain't Country with alternative material as Hillbilly Joker . Although he did not promote the album, it made the top 10 on the US Billboard country charts and even peaked at number 62 on the Billboard 200 . In 2012, again against the wishes of Hank Williams III, Curb released the album Long Gone Daddy with outtakes from previous recording sessions.

In spring 2014, the album Ramblin 'Man followed again via Curb Records , which contains songs by ZZ Top , Merle Haggard , Johnny Paycheck and Peter LaFarge , as well as some recordings for the This Ain't Country album, which is already included in other versions of the Hillbilly Joker album. Also in 2015, Take As Needed for Pain, a compilation consisting mainly of outtakes and tracks for tribute albums , was released. He rejects the releases he does not want and encourages his fans to copy them and distribute them via file sharing .

As an independent artist

Hank Williams III (2010)

After the experience with Curb, he wanted to be independent. He founded his own label, Hank3 Records, on which he released three albums simultaneously: the country double album A Ghost to a Ghost / Guttertown , the Doom Metal album Attention Deficit Domination and the Speed ​​Metal album Cattle Calling under the pseudonym 3 bar ranch. A Ghost to a Ghost / Guttertown was released as a double album. While Ghost to a Ghost follows more of his earlier albums, the second part Gutter Town is more experimental music that took up the style of Louisiana Stripes and mixed it with Cajun music . Les Claypool by Primus and Tom Waits are represented as guests . The distribution of all publications of Hank 3 Records took over the Hard Rock - and metal - independent label Megaforce Records .

Williams originally planned to only go on tour for the next few years. But a serious injury to his drummer forced the band to take a tour break. Williams used this break and wrote 25 new songs. In 2013 the country double album Brothers of the 4x4 and the cowpunk album A Fiendish Treat were released . The latter pays homage to his punk roots, which are essentially shaped by Black Flag , Minor Threat , The Misfits , Jane's Addiction and the Ramones .

Music style and lyrics

Country & Hellbilly

Hank Williams III (2012)

While his father was counted as outlaw country due to his positions and his appearance, but his music included traditional country and honky tonk , Williams III stands between all styles. He plays alternative country and likes to experiment with styles within the metal and punk genre. But he also repeatedly uses elements of the original country and Cajun music . With Assjack he plays music strongly based on Death Metal and with Superjoint Ritual a style influenced by Metalcore .

The term Hellbilly is often used for his style , a combination of Hillbilly , an often derogatory term for people living in rural areas, and the English word Hell for Hell. In addition to his grandfather and other country artists, musical role models are primarily Tom Waits , GG Allin , Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra ( Dead Kennedys ). As for the concept of his music, he is shaped by Frank Zappa , who was also at home in many musical genres and had released albums in various genres.

His singing style was reminiscent of his grandfather's, especially on earlier recordings. He had the typical nasal pitch that Hank Williams was all about , and he can yodel like him. But his affinity for intoxicants and the frequent change of his singing style during the concerts changed his voice over the years. In the mid-2000s, he lost his voice for a short time and had to take several cures. Since then, his voice has been hoarse and darker than that of his grandfather.

Texts

Lyrically, Hank Williams III deals primarily with the country scene in general and the typical rowdy airs of outlaw country. His lyrics differ little from the general content of country songs. There are motifs of cowboy scenarios, prisons, truck drivers, individual freedom and lovesickness. His songs deal with unhappily ending relationships and the hard life in the country, and the description of binge drinking and brawling. What distinguishes his lyrics from mainstream artists is the frequent use of obscene words and a dark melancholy, as well as his tendency towards musical and lyrical experiments. His texts about drugs, especially marijuana, can also be clearly assigned to the outlaw country scene. The contrast to the mainstream - Country scene is also a recurring motif in his work. Williams III is bored of the predictable Nashville sound and atmosphere there. He began writing songs that rebelled against the Nashville country establishment . For example, his song Dick in Dixie says:

“I'm here to put the dick in Dixie and the cunt back in country / 'Cause the kind of country I hear nowadays is a bunch of fuckin' shit to me / They say that I'm ill-mannered, that I ' m gonna self-destruct / But if you know what I'm thinkin ', you'll know that pop country really sucks. "

“I'm here to put my dick ('tail') back in Dixieland and the 'cunt' back in country. Because what I'm hearing about Country today is a bunch of shit. They say I'm naughty and destroy myself. But if you would think like me, you would know that pop country is just annoying. "

- Hank Williams III : Dick in Dixie

Logo with stripes based on Black Flag

There are connections to the punk scene visually, lyrically and musically. He used the characteristic black stripes of the Black Flag logo several times for his logo . He also released a Black Flag cover version of No Values for the tribute album Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three , the proceeds of which went to the litigation costs of the West Memphis Three . With PFF (“Punch, Fight, Fuck”) he released a piece based on GG Allin's Drink, Fight & Fuck . Other titles also combine outlaw country with punk and hardcore punk.

performance

Because of the different styles of music that he combines in his work, his live performances are often divided into two or three parts, so that the first hour mainly comprises country and bluegrass . There is then a five-minute break to give the audience the opportunity to go home or stay. In the second hour the more punk or metallic pieces follow. The intensity increases towards the end of the set. During this phase, Hank Williams' singing style changes from plain singing to guttural singing. At the end of the set, pieces are played by the assjacks. The audience changes, however, sometimes a third to half of the audience leaves the event after the country set, but Hank Williams also has fans who watch the entire concert.

Success and importance

Williams III first tried to capitalize on his inheritance to support his illegitimate son or to pay off debts. But like his father, who combined country with southern rock in the 1970s , he later pursued his own path that removed him from traditional country audiences. His audience includes listeners who like traditional country, bluegrass and Cajun music, as well as punk and metal fans, whom he attracts with Assjack and his work in collaboration with Phil Anselmo. His music style is considered unique, although the early albums in particular did not go far enough for the critics. After much experimentation, he finally succeeded in reaching an audience that was composed of an intersection of the three scenes punk, metal and country. However, he only had commercial success almost consistently with his more traditionally oriented albums, which received high placements in both the Billboard 200 and the Billboad Country Charts.

In the American public he has a daredevil image, although he sees himself as a nice but deeply honest person. Curb Records tried to get him to attend seminars to improve his image, but Williams refused. His clear texts also meant that he was boycotted by the supermarket chain Wal-Mart .

Williams III is committed to the legalization of hemp , not only from a consumer point of view, but also from an agricultural point of view, to give farmers another livelihood. Furthermore, he has been trying for years to give his grandfather an honor in the Grand Ole Opry and initiated the Reinstate Hank campaign for this .

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1999	Risin 'outlaw	-	Country52 (31 weeks) Country	Curb Records
2002	Lovesick, Broke and Driftin '	US156 (2 weeks) US	Country17 (31 weeks) Country	Curb Records
2006	Straight to Hell	US73 (3 weeks) US	Country17 (31 weeks) Country	Bruc Records
2008	Damn Right, Rebel Proud	US18 (4 weeks) US	Country2 (41 weeks) Country	Sidewalk Records
2010	Rebel Within	US20 (3 weeks) US	Country4 (21 weeks) Country	Curb Records
	Hillbilly Joker	US62 (1 week) US	Country10 (17 weeks) Country	Sidewalk Records released without consent
2011	Ghost to Ghost / Gutter Town	US49 (2 weeks) US	Country14 (14 weeks) Country	Megaforce Records / Hank 3 Records
	3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin '	-	-	Megaforce Records / Hank 3 Records
	Attention Deficit Domination	US179 (1 week) US	-	Megaforce Records / Hank 3 Records
2013	Brothers of the 4x4	US61 (2 weeks) US	Country10 (7 weeks) Country	Megaforce Records / Hank 3 Records
	A Fiendish Treat	-	-	Megaforce Records / Hank 3 Records

Collaboration albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
1996	Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts	US167 (1 week) US	Country29 (20 weeks) Country	Curb Records with Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr.
2009	Assjack	-	-	Curb Records with Assjack

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	Country
2012	Long gone daddy	US92 (1 week) US	Country16 (15 weeks) Country	Curb Records released without consent
2014	Ramblin 'Man	-	Country37 (1 week) Country	Curb Records released without consent
2015	Take As Needed for Pain	-	-	Curb Records released without consent

Live albums

• 2001: Live in Scotland ( BBC )

Semi-official bootlegs

Released by Curb Records during the boycott.

• 2000: Hank III Says Fuck You !!!
• 2000: Bootleg # 1
• 2001: Bootleg # 2
• 2002: Bootleg # 3 demo
• 2002: Bootleg # 3

Singles

• 2000: You're the Reason (from Risin 'Outlaw )
• 2000: I Don't Know (by Risin 'Outlaw , # 50 in the US country charts)
• 2001: If the Shoe Fits (from Risin 'Outlaw )
• 2002: Mississippi Mud (from Lovesick, Broke and Driftin ' )
• 2002: Cecil Brown (from Lovesick, Broke and Driftin ' )
• 2003: Nighttime Ramblin 'Man (von Lovesick, Broke and Driftin' )
• 2006: Low Down (from Straight to Hell )
• 2007: Louisiana Stripes (from Straight to Hell )
• 2008: Six Pack of Beer (by Damn Right, Rebel Proud )
• 2008: Long Hauls and Close Calls (by Damn Right, Rebel Proud )
• 2009: PFF (by Damn Right, Rebel Proud )
• 2009: Redneck Ride (by Assjack )
• 2010: # 5 (by Rebel Within )
• 2010: Rebel Within (by Rebel Within )
• 2010: Lost in Oklahoma (by Rebel Within )
• 2010: Karmageddon (by Rebel Within )
• 2011: Hellbilly (from Hillbilly Joker )
• 2011: Tennessee Driver (by Hillbilly Joker )
• 2011: Hillbilly Joker (from Hillbilly Joker )
• 2011: Gutter Town (from Ghost on a Ghost / Gutter Town )
• 2011: Gutter Stomp (from Ghost on a Ghost / Gutter Town )
• 2011: Outlaw Convention (from Ghost on a Ghost / Gutter Town )
• 2012: The Wind Blew Cold (by Long Gone Daddy )
• 2012: Sun Comes Up (by Long Gone Daddy )
• 2012: Good Hearted Woman (by Long Gone Daddy )
• 2012: The Bottle Let Me Down (by Long Gone Daddy )
• 2012: Make a Fall (from Attention Deficit Domination )
• 2012: Goats N Heathans (from Attention Deficit Domination )
• 2012: Livin 'Beyond Doom (by Attention Deficit Domination )
• 2012: In the Camouflage (from Attention Deficit Domination )
• 2012: Demons Mark (from Attention Deficit Domination )
• 2012: Black Cow (from 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin ' )
• 2012: Mad Cow (from 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin ' )
• 2012: square Bailor (from 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin ' )
• 2012: Countin Cows (from 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin ' )
• 2012: Branded (from 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin ' )
• 2012: Moo You (from 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin ' )
• 2013: Nearly Gone (by Brothers of the 4x4 )
• 2013: The Outdoor Plan (by Brothers of the 4x4 )
• 2013: Deep Scars (by Brothers of the 4x4 )
• 2013: Farthest Away (by Brothers of the 4x4 )
• 2013: Fight My Way (by A Fiendish Threat )
• 2013: Broke Jaw (by A Fiendish Threat )
• 2013: Your Floor (by A Fiendish Threat )
• 2014: Breakin 'Free (by A Fiendish Threat )
• 2014: Different from the Rest (by A Fiendish Threat )
• 2014: Runnin 'and Gunnin' (by Ramblin 'Man )
• 2014: Marijuana Blues (by Ramblin 'Man )

Music videos

• 2000: You're the Reason
• 2008: Long Hauls & Close Calls
• 2009: Redneck Ride
• 2014: Different from the Rest
• 2014: Loners 4 Life

With superjoint ritual

→ Main article : "Discography" in the article Superjoint Ritual

With Arson Anthem

• 2008: Arson Anthem (EP, Housecore Records)
• 2010: Insecurity Notoriety (Album, Housecore Records)

literature

• Susan Masino: Family Tradition - Three Generations of Hank Williams . Backbeat Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-61713-107-3 .

Web links

Commons : Hank Williams III  - Collection of Images

• Website
• Concert recordings of Hank III on Archive.org
• Hank Williams III at the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Hank Williams III at Discogs (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Born to Be Wild . In: People . No. 57/15 , April 22, 2002 ( people.com ).
2. ↑ ^{a b} Stephen Forster: Waking Up in Nashville . SMT Books, 2010, ISBN 978-0-85712-447-0 , pp. 143 .
3. ↑ Jonny Whiteside: Hank Williams III - Biography. Amoeba Music, accessed September 27, 2014 . 
4. ↑ Alexia: Q&A with Hank 3. WeLoveDC, March 13, 2012, accessed September 7, 2014 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b} Bill Lynch: Hank Williams III stays busy with recording, touring. The Charleston Gazette , accessed September 7, 2014 . 
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Hank Williams III at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
7. ^ The Curb Records Bio. Rockabilly.net, accessed September 2, 2014 . 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Patrick Ambrose: Smoke the Fire. The Morning News , accessed September 1, 2014 . 
9. ↑ Risin 'Outlaw at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
10. ↑ Lovesick, Broke & Driftin ' at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
11. ↑ Elizabeth Gilbert: The Ghost. Gentlemen's Quarterly , December 2000, accessed September 1, 2014 . 
12. ^ ^{A b c} Michael J. Mooney: Hank III's Hellish Days at Curb Records are Nearly Over. browardpalmbeach.com, August 26, 2010, accessed September 7, 2014 . 
13. ↑ Concert recordings of Hank III on Archive.org
14. ↑ ^{a b} Straight to Hell at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
15. ^ Colin Escott: The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon . Hachette UK, 2009, ISBN 978-1-59995-248-2 .
16. ^ Arson Anthem Profile Page. Musicemissions.com, accessed September 7, 2014 . 
17. ↑ Phil Anselmo Disband's Superjoint Ritual. Metalunderground.com, April 25, 2006, accessed September 7, 2014 . 
18. ^ Damn Right Rebel Proud at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
19. ↑ Assjack at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
20. ↑ Rebel Within at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
21. ^ Hank III in Billboard Top 10 For All The Wrong Reasons. SavingCountryMusic.com, June 3, 2011, accessed September 1, 2014 . 
22. ↑ Hank 3's “Ramblin 'Man”: Another Unauthorized and Inessential Collection from Curb Records. (No longer available online.) Wildamericanradio.com, archived from the original on August 14, 2014 ; accessed on September 7, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
23. ↑ Take as Needed for Pain at Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 4, 2015.
24. Jump up ↑ Curb Records to release Hank III's "Ramblin Man" album. SavingCountryMusic.com, January 23, 2014, accessed September 3, 2015 . 
25. ↑ Ghost to a Ghost / Gutter Town on Allmusic (English). Retrieved September 21, 2014.
26. ^ Two New Albums Coming From Hank Williams III. Savingcountrymusic.com, March 4, 2013, accessed September 7, 2014 . 
27. ↑ ^{a b} Jeniffer Zimmerman: Devil Weed Meets Devil Music: Hank Williams III - The descendant of Hank Williams shocks and smokes pot with pleasure. (No longer available online.) Cannabisculture.com, September 19, 2006, archived from the original on October 6, 2014 ; Retrieved September 29, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
28. ↑ ^{a b} Stephen Forster: Waking Up in Nashville . SMT Books, 2010, ISBN 978-0-85712-447-0 , pp. 145 .
29. ^ ^{A b} Will Harris: Interview with Hank Williams III. Bullz-eye.com, October 22, 2008, accessed September 1, 2014 . 
30. ↑ Stephen Forster: Waking Up in Nashville . SMT Books, 2010, ISBN 978-0-85712-447-0 , pp. 142 .
31. ↑ ^{a b c} Johannes Waechter: Interview with Hank III: “I had to fight for a long time”. (No longer available online.) SZ discotheque , archived from the original on October 6, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
32. ↑ ^{a b c d} Chart sources: US
33. ↑ Reinstate Hank. Official website, accessed September 1, 2014 . 
34. ↑ Search on RIAA.com

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on September 25, 2015 in this version .