WHO IS SHE?:
As the granddaughter of Hank Williams and the daughter of Bocephus himself, Holly Williams has a genetic predisposition toward cowboy boots and ballads. But this 23-year-old songbird has struck out on her own, adding a collection of rambling folk-rock tunes to the Williams's considerable family songbook.
WHAT HAS SHE DONE?:
Holly made her name the old fashioned way on the grueling Nashville club circuit before getting noticed by a talent agency. She graduated to opening gigs for John Mellencamp and REO Speedwagon and a spot on the Passion of the Christ: Songs Inspired By compilation with a cover of her grandfather's tune "How Can You Refuse Him Now?" Holly just followed that up with The Ones We Never Knew, her debut album.
WHY DO WE CARE?:
Though her music is a stylistic departure from her family's dusty country roots, Holly possesses the same talent for writing compelling, emotional lyrics as her grandfather. Like her country-punk brother Hank III, Holly is proving the next generation of the Williams dynasty has its own powerful voice.
Playboy.com: You must have had an interesting childhood. What was it like growing up in the Williams household?
Holly Williams: It was actually pretty normal. I was raised like any other Southern kid -- church every Sunday unless you have a 108-degree fever. I didn't live in this huge mansion, because my parents split when I was two and my dad was always on tour. But we always had a few days together a year and those were awesome. Dad would take us out for our birthday in a limo. It was cool when we'd be traveling in these fast limos trying to get to the next concert on time. But it was gross seeing women try to sleep with my dad left and right; all those bras and underwear on stage were heinous.
Listen to a clip from Holly Williams's Everybody's Waiting For A Change.
PB: Did you go to your dad's shows when you were older?
HW: In high school he didn't want us to go to shows, but I remember sneaking in one night. We were hammered and I walked up to the radio booth at a show and sang "Family Traditions." It was fun, you know. Being 18 at a Hank Jr. show and drinking beer is classic.
PB: Well, those shows are events.
HW: Definitely. During his tours in the '80s he was shooting guns, mooning audiences and getting half naked on stage. Sometimes he would even do an instrument roundup and walk around and play everything on stage, including pedal steel guitars, bass and drums. Nowadays people just know him as the Monday Night Football guy, but his talent on instruments alone is just amazing.
PB: Do you keep up with your brother Hank III?
HW: Yeah, we try to keep up. We didn't really grow up together, since he was 10 years older than me. I remember when I was nine years old looking up at the balcony of church and seeing him with a four-foot pink Mohawk. He used to cut his skin like the Sex Pistols and was obsessed with Sid Vicious, so my parents were all worried. He was the older brother so I was scared of him for most of his life, but then I figured out he was going through teenage angst.
