Hank Williams Jr. Signs to Big Machine’s NASH Icon
As first hypothesized by Saving Country Music in December of 2014, Hank Williams Jr. is the newest signee to NASH Icon—the joint venture between Cumulus Media and the Big Machine Label Group meant to give new life to aging artists who’ve been passed over by mainstream country radio. Hank Jr. joins Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn in NASH Icon’s inaugural class.
“Country music singers have always been a real close family and today the Nash Icon family has added me as a new member. I have done shows with Ronnie Dunn, recorded a hit record with Reba and absolutely love Martina McBride,” said Hank Jr. “I am writing songs better than ever and am signed with a label that is already making history ”¦ it’s an exciting time!”
Williams is signing with the label to release what will be his 37th album, and a follow up to 2012’s Old School New Rules. Hank Jr. was a long-time recording artist for Curb Records before leaving the label in 2009. He joins Tim McGraw as a disgruntled Curb artist now working under the auspices of Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta.
Hank Williams Jr. was once a commercial powerhouse in country music, selling over 70 million records, and winning two CMA Entertainer of the Year awards in the 1980’s. He also carries the most revered name in country music.
Rumors began to swirl that Hank Jr. could be the next member of the NASH Icon family after he started wearing a hat with the word “ICON” stamped in gold letters on the front. He also was a surprise last minute addition to the lineup of December’s American Country Countdown Awards which Cumulus Media and Big Machine were a significant part of.
In recent years, Hank Jr. has been known to only perform around 15 to 20 shows a year, and his once frenetic album output has slowed significantly. As the oldest, and arguably most venerable member of the NASH Icon roster, it will be interesting to see just what type of revitalization NASH Icon brings to his career.
April 29, 2015 @ 9:32 am
“I am writing songs better than ever….”
Whoa there, Hank. His mid-70’s to mid-80’s albums were great. Since then, outside of a couple songs here and there, they have been pretty poor.
April 29, 2015 @ 9:08 pm
Bingo. One of my all-time favorites is Hank Williams Jr. & Friends. That was before his ego set in and his singing voice checked out. Great album.
April 29, 2015 @ 9:42 am
I would have been really excited about this news a year ago, but after hearing Reba’s new album, it’s just wolves in sheep’s clothing. In Reba’s case, however, she could afford nice sheep skin – that was one hell of a media push ahead of her new album and she’s agelessly marketable.
You sent me running to Wiki with the statement “the oldest.” Jr. is only 4 years older than Dunn and 5 years older than Reba. So, he fits the demographic.
April 29, 2015 @ 9:53 am
It’s weird how we perceive performers based on how long they’ve been around. As you mentioned Jr. is only four years older than Ronnie Dunn but he had his first charting hit more than 27 years before Dunn came to prominence with Brooks & Dunn.
As for these signings and this label I guess it’s good for these performers and their fanbases but if all it’s going to be is a lame attempt to appeal to mainstream radio then I’m not sure what the point is. Mainstream country radio in it’s current state is not going to be playing a bunch of sixty year olds so why not just admit that and instead make a really great album for artistic reasons.
April 29, 2015 @ 10:55 am
As I have said before, Hank Jr. was my gateway drug to country music, so he will always have a special position in my country pantheon. Dinosaur is my favorite country song and always will be. However, I agree with RD’s comment that his stuff since the mid-80’s has been…lacking. I think Hank Jr. ought to change the playbook a bit and do an album of songs written by Hank III and Holly. There would be so many great songs to chose from and he would be helping them out too. It is a complete win-win. After that, I think he ought to do an album of Hellbound Glory covers. Think Waylon and Billy Joe Shaver on Honky Tonk Heroes. He could even have Leon join him on a few songs. That would help the younger artist out, especially now that he is out there under his own name and not the Hellbound Glory banner.
Those would be albums I want to hear. In a way, it is sort of like like Charlie Robison’s High Life, recording an album of great songs by other song writers, despite his having his own impressive catalog. Sometimes, it is good to get outside yourself to revitalize.
April 29, 2015 @ 11:12 am
The kind of things you mentioned are what I was referring to in my comment above. With the whole format split seemingly being off the table there is almost zero chance of any of these aging performers to get on mainstream country radio so why not try to make some really good and interesting music that will appeal to their longtime fans.
One problem with this is that I’m sure the label would frown on something too far off the beaten path so instead we will get more of the same with a few cringeworthy offerings like that terrible Reba McEntire single that’s being pushed right now.
April 29, 2015 @ 2:51 pm
I can’t believe The Almeria Club Recordings was released way back in 2002! Time really flies. That was Jr.’s last good/great album.
April 29, 2015 @ 5:17 pm
And that’s the type of stuff I would like to hear from some of these older singers. There’s been a few like Alan Jackson with his bluegrass and gospel records and even lesser names like Suzy Bogguss that have done this kind of thing recently but too many try to stay relevant to country radio so they just keep chasing the monster with ever diminishing commercial and creative success.
April 29, 2015 @ 6:49 pm
I don’t think Hank Jr. doing an album of his kids’ songs would be crazy or that far fetched. If anything, it is completely within the ‘family tradition’.
April 29, 2015 @ 11:28 am
I would like to see him do a acoustic album.
April 29, 2015 @ 11:29 am
I have long been, and will continue to be, a Bocephus partisan. His music speaks to me, and a lot of my memories have a soundtrack of Hank Jr. tunes. That said, I, too, have found his recent output lacking in the quality sector. Gone, it seems, is the drive and genius found in albums such as The New South or Habits Old and New. However, I think this could be corrected if Hank could be paired with a good producer. Maybe this’ll happen at some point. I’d like to see it. Even if Hank doesn’t wind up on the radio (immaterial, as I only listen to the radio long enough to get mad at this point in my life), I’d love to see quality output.
April 29, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
Someone get me an EDM Metropolitan version of “Country Boy – 2015”, stat.
April 29, 2015 @ 3:01 pm
I love Bocephus, but I’m not expecting anything from this association (or from any of its other long in the tooth artists).
I have loved Jimmy Buffett for 40 years, but his new offerings (for the last 20 years, with a few exceptions), all sound the same.
Trgi – why the “Tim McGraw” tag?
Perhaps I missed a reference to him in the thread.
Why is it that, when I see things like this involving aging artists, that Branson comes to mind?
April 29, 2015 @ 5:11 pm
Tim McGraw is mentioned in third paragraph.
April 29, 2015 @ 6:33 pm
Arguably Tim McGraw and Hank Jr. were the two biggest artists in the history of Curb Records. Hank Jr. built Curb, and Tim McGraw brought it into the next era. Now they’re both signed with Big Machine and Scott Borchetta. I think that’s telling of where the country music business is right now.
April 29, 2015 @ 9:15 pm
That statement from Junior is… interesting. Let’s hope that he isn’t surrounded by a bunch of yes-men and actually gets a little bit of genuine feedback. Unlikely, but I don’t think he’s too far gone to not bring a little quality back to his work. Old School New Rules was reactionary and had an air of ignorance about it, but the actual music side of things wasn’t all that bad, and that goes for most of his recent albums. He just needs better lyrics that are less reliant on his ego and politics.
In other news, still waiting on Clint Black. Fingers crossed.
April 30, 2015 @ 6:46 am
Acca Dacca – I’m definitely crossing my fingers for new Clint Black music, too!
Clint recently tweeted: “Soon to be announced. All in good time” when a fan asked him about new music.
Link to tweet: https://twitter.com/Clint_Black/status/590333337073508352
May 4, 2015 @ 7:37 am
Sorry it’s taken so long for me to get back to you, but thanks a million for that update! I actually got so excited that I was about to email or comment and tell Trigger the news before I remembered that this was his site! Hopefully Clint’s signed with NASH. Unlike 99% of his peers, Clint never really petered out so much as he shot himself in the foot by trying to go independent and his label going bankrupt. Not that I think he could compete in the rap EDM orgy that we call “country” music in 2015, but I think he could regain some of his stature. I went to see him in November in El Dorado (here in my native Arkansas) and the crowd was in the few hundred range. There was apparently a women there that Clint pointed out as that particular performance being her 25th concert attendance to see him over the years. He also sounded great; his voice hasn’t aged a day. In fact, he does a better Willie Nelson than Willie Nelson does these days. He played “Time of the Preacher” and it was just like the Red Headed Stranger was there himself.
Pardon me for that ramble of a story, I just really love this guy’s music and his career trajectory has frustrated me, even if it isn’t necessarily his fault that the economy went into the can in 2008 and forced his label to close (thus mooting his musical output since 2005). Since this program was announced I’ve thought of Black as the perfect candidate. Not just because I’m a fan, but he’s quite literally without a label, unlike the rest of these guys that seemed to have record deals already or SOME outlet that they turned away from to sign with NASH. While your comment excited me, I’m remaining somewhat cautious; Clint has periodically mentioned a “new” album since the year his label closed. After so many years it’s starting to sound like hearsay or wishful thinking, so unless we get confirmation of a label signing I’m not holding my breath. Thanks just the same, though.
April 30, 2015 @ 1:16 pm
Grew up on old Hank Jr. and still listen to it regularly. But have not heard anything good from him in a long time. Not only have his song choices/songwriting been terrible, he’s developed that really annoying singing style where he speaks lines and overemphasizes the enunciation at times. I don’t know how to describe it, but I think everyone knows what I’m talking about. I agree with the commenter above- if he did something stripped down or acoustic, a la Cash’s American Recordings, and reigned in that singing style, that might be something to hear.
May 2, 2015 @ 7:30 pm
Reba, Ronnie Dunn, Martina McBride, and Hank Jr. on the same label that is great. Now we need Clint Black, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Mark Chesnutt, Joe Diffie, Sammy Kershaw, Pam Tillis, Sammy Kershaw, Lorrie Morgan , clay, 2 Tracy’s, John berry, and John m Montgomery.