Sometimes an artist, prompted by his or her record label, needs a little push to make something big happen. In the case of Hank Williams Jr., that something was the creation of an "event record." It would hopefully zoom to the top of the charts, per Classic Country Music Stories on Facebook. Warner Bros. had the notion of putting Williams with marquee-name artists who could give extra pizzazz to a recording. But which song would it be? The material had to lend itself to such a project.
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The song that was chosen was from a source that Williams felt ambivalent about - his famous father. "Mind Your Own Business" was penned and recorded by Williams Sr. back in 1949. It was a hit for him. The tune soared to the number 5 rung on the Billboard country chart. That was truly an amazing time for him; he made his Grand Ole Opry debut shortly after.
Hank Williams Jr. Took A Shine To His Dad's Hit Song, "Mind Your Own Business"
In 1985, Williams Jr. was working on an album called Montana Cafe. He told his producer, Jim E Norman, that he liked that particular song. Per the outlet, "After the entire song was recorded, they all realized that this was the main thing that Hank, Jr. had been trying to veer away from for years: covering his dad's old songs." He wanted his own professional and artistic identity. Singing his father's material was not the way to accomplish that.
Still, he sometimes dipped into his father's repertoire of songs. A trio of his dad's tunes did very well for him. They were "Honky Tonkin,'" "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," and "Kaw-liga."
The Song Needed Some Extra Oomph, So Other Acclaimed Artists Were Brought In To Record It With Hank Williams Jr.
This was looking like the "event record" on Warner Bros. schedule. Williams Jr. thought that these artists might make it more special - Reverend Ike, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, and Tom Petty. Recording their voices required some traveling to locales such as Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, and North Hollywood. The effort paid off. Per the outlet, "The technicians effectively blended it all together for a seamless five-voice recording of "Mind Your Own Business," which reached #1 on December 27, 1986...."
