Country Music icon Hank Williams Jr. has released his latest musical project: a blues album, featuring a few Williams originals as well as covers of songs by Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, R.L. Burnside, Muddy Waters and more. Williams is of course the only son of early country music superstar and icon Hank Williams, who was taught to play guitar as a child in Alabama by local bluesman Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne.
The album was produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach for his Easy Eye Sound label and features a core band of slide guitarist Kenny Brown, claimed as “my adopted son” by R.L. Burnside, bassist Eric Deaton, who first toured with Fat Possum’s Juke Joint Caravan, backing up T-Model Ford and Paul “Wine” Jones, plus drummer Kinney Kimbrough, son of North Mississippi blues legend Junior Kimbrough.
“The blues is where it all comes from,” says Williams. “It’s the start of everything musical in my family; everything starts with Tee-Tot and flows from there. I’ve always flirted with this stripped back blues – all the way back to the ’80s. But I finally made an album that’s just that, and I like it.”
“It was always there. We just had to set the right trap…” – Dan Auerbach
The release of Rich White Honky Blues on Easy Eye Sound, was preceded by three singles and videos. Album opener “.44 Special Blues” (Williams’ take on Robert Johnson’s “32-20 Blues”) was dubbed by Rolling Stone as “a lonesome, acoustic blues number,” while Consequence shared “the spry solo track digs into the County Music Hall of Famer’s bluesy roots, with its vintage-style refrain, ‘Baby where’d you stay last night,’ pairing perfectly to his well-worn wail.”
Rich White Honky Blues Track List .44 Special Blues Georgia Women My Starter Won’t Start Take Out Some Insurance Rich White Honky Blues Short Haired Woman Fireman Ring the Bell Rock Me Baby I Like It When It’s Stormy Call Me Thunderhead TV Mama Jesus Will You Come By Here |