One of many things lost for country music fans during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has been surprise live collaborations, pairing legends with younger artists and admirers from other genres.
Attendees of Hank Williams Jr.'s Saturday night (April 3) show at Billy Bob's Texas got just that, with Miranda Lambert, Kid Rock and Hank Jr.'s son Sam Williams joining the Country Music Hall of Famer for a star-studded rendition of "Family Tradition."
Lambert's involvement reminds us of Williams Jr.'s influence on today's country stars, while Kid Rock represents the rockers and rappers on Bocephus' list of rowdy friends. And there's something touching about a third generation of the elder Hank Williams' family embracing this particular country song.
Thanks to the magic of social media, we can all relive the kind of moment that's so 2019 (in a great way).
"Family Tradition," an autobiographical single about Williams Jr. embracing his father's legacy while being his own man, was a Top 5 hit in 1979. The album its from, also titled Family Tradition, reached No. 3 on the Billboard US Top Country Albums chart.
The show was part of the Fort Worth honky-tonk's ongoing 40th anniversary celebration. Future birthday parties include headlining gigs for Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Midland, Dwight Yoakam and Jon Pardi.
Lambert's been grabbing headlines with The Marfa Tapes, a collaborative album with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall that's slated for a May 7 release. All three are scheduled to perform on April 18 at the ACM Awards.
The Academy of Country Music announced a lineup of 29 artists on April 5. Eric Church, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and Mickey Guyton highlight the list of performers.
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