Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 15)

Living Proof 🎶 Orange Blossom Special

In case you’re unfamiliar…

Hank Williams Jr. was born the son of the one and only
Hank Williams—

a superstar who died in his prime at 29…
cardiac arrest… most likely brought on
by a mixture of drugs and alcohol.

Hank Jr. was just 3 years old.

From that point on—
his life was already decided for him.

His mother began shaping him
to take his father’s place—

thrown on stage as a kid…
dressed like him…
singin’ his songs…

not as himself—
but as a reflection.

And the older he got—
the more he hated it.

He didn’t want to be his daddy…

he wanted to be himself.

To write his own songs—
sing his own truth—
step out of a shadow
that wasn’t his to carry.

But they told him—

no one wants to hear that.

Still—

he didn’t quit.

And eventually…

he broke free.

Today I have two deep cuts for you—

🎵 Living Proof — Living Proof (1974)
🎵 Orange Blossom Special — Man of Steel (1983)

Hope yall enjoy… have a great weekend too.

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson | All rights reserved.

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Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 10)

Mr. Lincoln ♫ Thanks a Lot

Today’s pairing carries a powerful heritage combo. “Mr. Lincoln” reaches back into American history, tipping its hat to the spirit of freedom and the larger story of the nation, while **“Thanks a Lot” — originally written and recorded by Hank Williams — connects Hank Williams Jr. directly to the legacy of his father. Together the songs show Bocephus standing in two traditions at once — the story of America and the story of his bloodline in country music — reminding us that some songs don’t just entertain… they carry the weight of where we came from.

♫ Mr. Lincoln
Album: Major Moves
Year: 1984

 ♫ Thanks a Lot
Album: Born to Boogie
Year: 1987

Hope y’all enjoy and have a weekend full of good stuff. 🤠

Hank when he was a baby with his famous family

You got that right! I lean toward the older ways… and theres damn few backwoods lawyers left today ♩

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson | All rights reserved.

`’.,°~

Outlaw Roots — The Hank Jr. Legacy (Week 9)

Feeling Better 🎶 Tuesday Gone..

For this week’s Hank post I picked two songs from very different moments in his career  “Feelin’ Better” comes from the album The New South (1977), a record that arrived not long after Hank’s near-fatal mountain fall in 1975 and marked the period where he really started breaking away from Nashville’s expectations and forging the Bocephus sound alongside the outlaw movement led by artists like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Ten years later came “Tuesday’s Gone” on the album Wild Streak (1987), a southern-rock-leaning cover of the classic originally recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1973. By that point Hank was in the middle of a huge 80s run where Wild Streak produced multiple country hits like “Young Country,” proving that the rebellious sound he started building in the late 70s had fully taken hold.

Also a cool fact about “Tuesday’s Gone”… it’s one of the first songs I ever learned on guitar back in 1988. I didn’t even know at the time that it was a Skynyrd song — I thought it was a Bocephus original haha. I think it was about a year later when I finally learned the truth. 😁… it’s a beautiful cover..

So let’s get into the music… yall have a great weekend. 🎸

© 2026 Bryan Loia Hudson. All Rights Reserved.

`’.,°~