Country Throwback: 39-Years-Ago-Today-Hank-Williams-Jr.'s-'All-My-Rowdy-Friends-(Have-Settled-Down)-Goes-No.-1

Country Throwback: 39 Years Ago Today Hank Williams Jr.’s ‘All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)’ Goes No. 1

Nearly four decades ago today, Hank Williams Jr. released his hit single “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down).” 

The hit track was Bocephus’ first single on the album, The Pressure Is On. The single would become his fifth No. 1 hit. He was just 31 at the time. 

In the song, Williams Jr. refers to all his formerly “rowdy friends” (Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings) and how they aren’t partying together anymore. 

A Decade of Achievement for Hank Williams Jr.

It’s safe to say, Williams Jr. wasn’t close to settling down himself. In 1981 he was at the top of his game. He released Rowdy, which produced three No. 1 singles for the singer. That year, the ACMs would nominate Williams Jr. as top Male Vocalist. 

The success train didn’t stop there. Throughout the 80s, Williams Jr. would continue to make a name for himself. In 1982, he had a total of nine albums on the Billboard charts. Later on, he released High Notes, which would become his most significant album that year.

In 1986, Bocephus would take home his first ACM award for Entertainer of the Year. He would also release his No. 1 album, Montana Cafe featuring the hit song, “Mind Your Business.” 

He was proving himself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of country music. 

The awards kept coming to him. In 1987, he was nominated for four awards and took Entertainer of the Year. He also received Entertainer, Music Video of the Year, and was nominated for Male Vocalist at the CMA Awards. That year he would go on to win his first Grammy. 

To round out Williams Jr.’s triumphant decade, in 1989, he became the voice millions would hear when they tuned into NBC’s ‘Monday Night Football.’ “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” was the broadcast’s opening song until October 2011.