Williams' early career definitely seemed to centre around his father's music. Williams first performed on stage by singing one of his father's songs when he was eight years old. In 1964, he made his recording debut with 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues', one of his father's many classic songs. Williams provided the singing voice of his father in the 1964 film 'Your Cheatin' Heart' and also recorded an album of duets with his father.
Williams' early career was guided, and to an extent dominated, by his mother, who is widely claimed as being the driving force that led his late father to musical superstar status during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Audrey promoted young Hank Jr. as a Hank Williams tribute act, even to the extent of having stage clothes designed for him that were identical to his father's, and encouraging vocal styles very similar to those of his father.
This all became too much for the young musician who eventually severed the ties with his mother in an attempt to find his own musical voice. By the mid-1970s Williams began to pursue a musical direction that would eventually make him a superstar. At the time of recording a series of moderately successful songs, Williams began a heavy pattern of both drug and alcohol abuse. Upon moving to Alabama, in an attempt to refocus both his creative energy and his troubled personal life, Williams began playing music with Southern rock musicians including Waylon Jennings, Toy Caldwell, and Charlie Daniels.
He has achieved huge commercial success on the US Country charts over his career, most notably a run of six albums released between 1984 and 1988 which all topped the chart. He has had countless wins and nominations at Academy of Country Music and the Grammy Awards.
As the son of one of the all-time icons of the country genre, Hank Williams, it’s perhaps not surprising that Hank Williams Jr. would go on to follow on his father’s footsteps - to some extent, at least. He certainly can’t be accused of failing to put his own spin on the genre, or of simply trading off of his father’s name and songs; instead, he brought a rough and ready rock approach the country sound, one that’s often been described as ‘outlaw country’, or just lumped in with the hard southern rock sound that’s become so prominent on the U.S. rock scene these past few decades. Either way, there’s no question that Williams has been commercially successful as a result; he’s made no fewer than fifty-four studio albums, which overall have shifted in excess of thirty six million copies; his most recent full-length, Old School New Rules, dropped in 2012. He continues to tour the U.S. extensively, although his audience outside of his homeland is limited; his cult fanbase turn up to his shows for both the high-octane country rock that characterises them, and Williams’ now-infamous - but indeed customary - rants against President Barack Obama, a staple of the shows since he took office.
Taking an interest in music from an early age, Mark Wills began his musical journey through performing in various garage bands inspired by rock artists such as Bon Jovi. In his teenage years he fell in love with country music and at 17 took the opportunity to enter a local talent show in Georgia. Winning the talent show was just the beginning of his humble climb up the ladder, it wasn’t long before he transitioned into singing on demos and eventually his talent being recognised, amounting to his label partnership with Mercury Records Nashville who he signed with in 1996. Later that year he released his debut self-titled album, produced by Carson Chamberlain and Keith Stegall. The first single to come off that album ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ was a roaring success and headed straight into the country charts at number six. His commercial success really took off with the release of his second album, ‘Wish You Were Here’ which featured the title track which earned him his first number one and landed number eight in the Country album charts. That album also scored Wills the ‘Top New Male Vocalist’ title at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1998.
With seven studio albums under his belt, Mark Wills has forged his path to success as well as becoming a recognised Country icon. His live performances have won over many a heart. Simplicity is key for Wills, often performing on a stool in regular clothes and with an acoustic guitar shrouded in a single spotlight. His deep sultry tone wafts through the room, enchanting all present as he delves into his back catalogue playing tracks like ‘I Do (Cherish You)’, ‘Places I’ve Never Been’ and ‘19 Somethin’. The rapport which Wills creates with the attentive audience is both charming and endearing, the intimate settings allows the relationship with the crowd to blossom as he interacts in between tracks asking for song suggestions with plenty of banter. Mark Wills is a pure delight to watch and is guaranteed to leave you with goosebumps.