Hank Williams Jr. Closes Out Alabama Concert With “Family Tradition” & Message To People Who Don’t Like Donald Trump

Bocephus has never been afraid to tell you how he feels, and recently Hank Williams Jr. let fans know exactly who is part of his “Family Tradition.”

The hit 1979 hit is one of the most popular tunes in his entire catalog, and the call and response method makes it a fan favorite at the live show. He sings about being brought up in the country music world, and while it remains a celebration of the Williams name, it does touch on some of the generational substance abuse issues that Hank Williams Jr. has dealt with. And while Hank worked hard to forge his own path musically, there are a few things that are just “a family tradition.”

In “Family Tradition,” he sings that he’s always been proud to share his father’s name:

“I am very proud
Of my daddy’s name
Although his kind of music
And mine ain’t exactly the same…”

But Hank Jr. has also spoken in the past about the struggles of living up to his father’s legacy, and how hard it was on him early in his career:

“Hank Williams Jr., that name gets you started real good in some ways, and it also closes some doors in other ways. I played my first show when I was eight years old, recording for MGM at fourteen. And it was fun for the little boy to do Hank Williams, but it was hell for the man. So, at about 20 or 21 (he realized it closed doors)…” 

During a recent Orange Beach, Alabama show, Bocephus ended the night by singing “Family Tradition,” and as he usually does these days, he mashes it up with a little custom version of “If You Don’t Like Hank Williams.” Written by Kris Kristofferson and released on his Surreal Things record in 1976, the song was also cut by Hank Jr. for his 1980 record Habits Old And New. 

The original song paid tribute to a number of music legends including Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Waylon Jennings and of course, the namesake of the song, Hank Williams. And in Hank Jr.’s live show, he generally works it into a bit of a medley with “Family Tradition,” but he does not always sing the same names. Saturday night’s performance at the Wharf in Orange Beach included a list that ranged from other country music outlaws to public figures and rock and roll bands. Bocephus sings that if you are not a fan of these names, you can kiss… well, you know the rest:

“If you don’t like Waylon Jennings. If you don’t like Ludacris. If you don’t like Johnny Cash. If you don’t like Marshall Tucker. If you don’t like Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you don’t like Merle Haggard. If you don’t like Donald Trump. If you don’t like Hank Williams. You. Can. Kiss. All of our a**. All of our a**. All of our a**.”

Tell ’em.

@samantha_nicolex4 Replying to @j3ss If you don’t like Waylon Jennings, Ludacris, Johnny CASH, Marshall Tucker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Merle Haggard, DONALD TRUMP & Hank Williams you can kiss Read More