Leopard Tales (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 20, 1981 Page: 2 of 4
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February 20, 1981
Son leaves Hank’s shadow
1,250 crowd into Melody Ranch to hear Bocephus
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LEOPARD TALES STAFF
Deadline set
for Collage
EDITOR...............
MANAGING EDITOR .
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
BUSINESS MANAGER
SPORTS EDITOR.....
STAFF ................
BY ALPHA BAUERSCHLAG
MANAGING EDITOR
...... Karl Kunkel
Alpha Bauerschlag
.. Debbie Thomas
.....Tom Cousins
.. Jimmy Clemett
... Cheryl Bradley
Martha Williams j
BY CHERYL BRADLEY
STAFF REPORTER
February 25 is the deadline for
submissions to Collage. Contributions
of poetry, prose, photographs and art
will be accepted and there will be $ 175
in cash awards.
Also, anyone that would like to be
on the editorial or lay-out staff may
contact the sponsor Donna Calvert,
English instructor.
His delivery and music last Sunday
night proved that to that audience.
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Leopard Tales is a laboratory production of Temple Junior College journalism classes. Opinions
expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the faculty or administration. Leopard Tales is
published weekly at Temple Junior College, 2600 S. First St., Temple, Texas. Contents, unless
otherwise noted, are the work of Leopard Tales staff.
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A part of him hung on and suddenly
he knew who he was and what he was.
Waiting impatiently for the
helicopter sent to rescue him, he
fought his battle on the mountain to
stay alive and was anxious to get onto
the other battles that 'were waiting.
Today Bocephus, as he is sometimes
affectionately called, is back in the
mainstream of Southern rock with his
performances and albums. It’s a full-
timejob trying to emerge from his late
father’s long shadow. With songs like
“Family Tradition” and his latest
song, “Texas Women,” Hank
Williams Jr. is telling us he is finally
himself, not a reincarnation of his dad.
Smoke filled the large dance hall as
did the people, some patiently, others
impatiently, waiting to see and hear
Hank Williams Jr.
Approximately 1,250 crowded into
the Melody Ranch just outside Waco
Feb. 15 while, at the entrance, more
people came in to find ‘standing-room-
only’ tickets the only ones left.
Western wear and hats—of all sizes,
shapes with different colored hat
bands and feathers—dotted the
landscape. For some the wait had been
a long one, since 5 p.m.
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Hank still does his dad’s songs, for
he considers them to be some of the
greatest songs ever written. But they’re
done his way. As Hank puts it in his
autobiography, “Living Proof,” “Ole
Hank’s reincarnation has finally hung
up his guitar, and Hank Williams Jr.
has a story to tell.”
Hank was born May 26, 1949. His.
dad had his first appearance at the
Grand Ole Opry the next month. He
walked off the stage the biggest star
country music had ever known.
Three years later, Hank Williams
Sr. was dead. He died in the back seat
of his Cadillac on his way to a
concert—the booze and drugs had
finally won.
By five, Hank Jr.’s mother gave
parties attended by all the greats in the
music industry—Jerry Lee Lewis,
Brenda Lee, Ray Charles and Johnny
Cash to name a few. All gave pointers
to Hank to help Hank Williams Sr.’s
kid make it to the stage.
Hank learned his dad’s movements,
his voice and his stage mannerisms. He
had his first stage show at eight years
of age. He premiered at the Grand Ole
Opry at 11. At 14, he appeared on the
Ed Sullivan Show and in December,
1963, he signed a deal with MGM
Records guaranteeing him $300,000
yearly.
In 1964, he sang the sound track for
“Your Cheatin’ Heart”—the movie
about the life of his dad. At 19, he was
touring with Johnny Cash and they
had the largest money-grossing single
concert in the history of country music
at that time, almost $100,000. He was
on top of the music business.
But success took its toll. The drugs
and booze that had claimed his dad
also began to claim him. He was
married and divorced twice.
Audiences came to watch him forget
his lyrics, drop his guitar or nearly fall.
The pressures were so great that Hank
almost lived his dad’s life too well—he
wanted to die, he wrote in his
autobiography.
That wish was almost granted in
1975 when Hank slid down a
mountain in Montana. He rolled and
tumbled down 500 feet only to land
head first on a boulder. While he
waited for death in the snow with his
face split apart and every facial bone
broken, he discovered he desperately
wanted to live.
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state troopers, even with specially-
equipped unmarked cars, and black
and whites, still are having difficulty
stopping the speeder.
“Most are clocked between 68 and
74 miles per hour, and approximately
one-third are habitual speeders, with
25 or more speeding tickets” said
Talbert.
During an average day, Talbert
issues approximately 6-10 traffic
tickets. However, he says, “each day
differs, and on an average week night,
1 may issue 8-10 citations; weekends
10-12 due to increased alcohol usage.”
“Our biggest problem is getting the
public to realize that lower speed saves
lives. The accident rates for top speeds
are greater than those at lower speeds,
due to reaction time. When driving at a
high rate of speed it’s harder to react to
a dangerous situation than at lower
speeds,” Talbert said.
In Bell County last year, 26different
rural traffic accidents resulted in 28
deaths, due to excessive speed or
alcohol usage.
As customary for stage acts, Hank’s
band first played for about 30 minutes
to whet our appetite. After a short
break, the band reappeared and Merle
Kilgore, who has been on the road
with Hank for about 13 years, sang a
few songs for us.
Finally, with the hand-clapping,
boot-stomping, whistling of the
crowd, Hank came on stage and
started his magic.
Some of the ‘older crowd’ might
have come to hear Hank sing his dad’s
songs but what they got was strictly
Hank Williams Jr. he does his own
songs with a great deal of Southern
blues influence. A far cry from the
reincarnation of his dad. Hank
Williams Sr. country music’s greatest
legend, the younger Hank had been
pushed toward and groomed for all his
younger life.
In an effort to crack down on
speeders in Bell County, the
Department of Public Safety will soon
start using radar-equipped unmarked
pickup trucks along highways.
Mark G. Goode, engineer-director
of highways and public transportation
said in a recent issue of Texas Traffic
Safety Report that Texas motorists
have failed to meet a 40 percent
compliance rate with the 55 mph speed
limit during the federal fiscal year
ending Sept. 30, 1980.
“We have about 35 percent of Bell
County motorists that comply with the
55 mile-per-hour speed limit” said
Department of Public Safety trooper
Ted Talbert.
Under federal law, sanctions for
non-compliance could result in loss to
the Texas highway fund of up to $8-
million in fiscal year 1982.
With 65 percent still exceeding the
55 mph speed limit in Beil County,
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Leopard Tales (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, February 20, 1981, newspaper, February 20, 1981; Temple, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1380187/m1/2/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Temple College.