The entertainment world is filled with children of successful people who went into the same profession and became famous themselves. Think of Jane Fonda, daughter of legendary actor Henry Fonda. And Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland. There's Josh Brolin, son of James Brolin. Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn. I could go on and on. Plenty of examples like those exist in country music as well. What follows are just a few of them, including Hillary Scott, Hank Williams Jr., Pam Tillis, and Paula Nelson.
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Hillary Scott, Daughter Of Linda Davis
Hillary Scott, 38, sings with Lady A ( formerly known as Lady Antebellum) as the group's co-lead vocalist. She has a gorgeous voice, as demonstrated on their hit songs like "Bartender," "Need You Now," and 'Just A Kiss." Her mom, Linda Davis, is "a Grammy-winning country star," per multitracks.com. Her dad is Lang Scott, a songwriter. With a pedigree like that, Hillary was set for success on her own. She is a Grammy winner herself, and a member of the Christian group Hillary Scott and The Scott Family, per Billboard.
In a nice example of paying the family tradition of making great music forward, Hillary and her daughter, Eisele Kaye, who is 11, released their own holiday tune on November 15 called "Hard to Wait for Christmas." Maybe Eisele will follow in Hillary's professional footsteps someday!
Hank Williams Jr., Son Of Hank Williams
Hank Jr, now 75, arrived in his own right in the county music spotlight long ago. He "created an influential sound of his own that blended country, blues, and rock. His music was bold, boisterous, defiant, outspoken, and often intensely biographical," per Country Music Hall of Fame.
Hank's legendary dad died of an apparent heart attack at the age of only 29, but he is credited with helping to usher country music into the contemporary era and significantly amplifying its appeal.
The younger Hank longed to be accepted on his own artistic terms, not just as Hank Sr.'s son. He did that handily. He is in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, composed the award-winning theme song for Monday Night Football, and has earned CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year awards, just to cite a few of his well-deserved honors.
Per Country Music Hall of Fame, "Listen closely to country radio's defining sounds and points of view over the last four decades," wrote David Cantwell in the New Yorker magazine in 2016, "and Hank Williams Jr. is right there—often, he was there first."
Pam Tillis, Daughter Of Mel Tillis
Pam Tillis, 67, is the daughter of the great Mel Tillis. She had her creative and commercial zenith largely in the 1990s. Scott Wynn, writing on wqmx.xom, summarized Pam's talent and appeal: "The great gift that Pam Tillis gave us was an incredible voice that was filled with deep rooted passion and confident power. Her versatility was unmatched...As far as singing ability was concerned, she was the most passionate singer in our format - period! She would sound good singing the dictionary."
She debuted at the Grand Ole Opry at the tender age of 8, sharing the stage with her father. "It was a larger-than-life moment for me. It was sort of like he was passing me the baton." Pam took that baton and ran with it. She has been twice a Grammy winner and she landed a trio of CMA awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year thirty years ago. Pam also went on tour in 1997 with Lorrie Morgan and Carlene Carter, two children of notable country music performers.
Whatever came her way, Pam remained steadfastly true to herself. "In all of my years in the music business, I've been very proud that I wasn't calculated, that I really did what I felt, and what I thought was honest for me to sing."
Paula Nelson, Daughter Of Willie Nelson
At 55, Paula Nelson has already lived a lifetime of ups and downs. "[By 12th grade], I was doing a lot of coke, anything I could get my hands on, really," she explained to the Austin Chronicle sixteen years ago via People. Not long after Paula dropped her fifth studio album, she was chosen as Female Artist of the Year by the Country Music Association of Texas. She and her dad have worked together. When Willie released an album of covers in 2013, Paula did the singing honors on "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?"
While being the child of a famous person definitely has its drawbacks, Paula sounds very humble and appreciative. Per the outlet, "I'm extremely grateful. My dad will text me and say, 'I'm listening to you on your radio. It sounds great. You're sounding great,' " she said on One by Willie. "And that's a huge bonding experience that I wouldn't take anything for."
