HANK WILLIAMS JR. RELEASES “FIREMAN RING THE BELL” FROM RICH WHITE HONKY BLUES

12-Song Album Produced by Dan Auerbach Available Next Friday, June 17 via Easy Eye Sound

As Hank Williams Jr. readies fans for Rich White Honky Blues, set for next Friday, June 17 via Easy Eye Sound, the Country Music Hall of Famer debuts his take on R.L. Burnside’s “Fireman Ring the Bell,” a high-tempo blues burner, driven by punchy slide guitar punctuated by the longtime legendary country outlaw’s dynamic vocals.

A 12-song collection reprising classics from Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Burnside, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner and a few from Bocephus himself, captured live over the course of just three days by GRAMMY-winning producer Dan Auerbach, Rich White Honky Blues finds Williams making good on his legacy with a turpentine and rough wood take on the hill country blues that informed his father’s raw-boned style.

Today’s release follows “Jesus, Won’t You Come By Here,” which premiered exclusively with CMT and CMT.com. With Kenny Brown’s electric guitar, Auerbach on dobro and Bobbie Wood’s churchy piano and organ, the Country Music Hall of Famer sings with a robust conviction that suggests the larger than life amongst us transcend mortal limitations.

With another cover from blues legend Burnside, Williams’ “Georgia Women” premiered with Tennessean, sharing “Bocephus achieves tapping into the spirit of his father’s iconic teacher Rufus ‘Tee Tot’ Payne, and a century of other blues legends.”

Released alongside the announcement of Rich White Honky Blues, album opener “.44 Special Blues” (Williams’ take on Robert Johnson’s “32-20 Blues”) was dubbed by Rolling Stone as “a lonesome, acoustic blues number,” while Consequence shared “the spry solo track digs into the County Music Hall of Famer’s bluesy roots, with its vintage-style refrain, ‘Baby where’d you stay last night,’ pairing perfectly to his well-worn wail.”

“You bring who you are,” Williams says. “All that… all… of… that… is where my music comes from. When we got into the studio, the more we played, the deeper we got – and the deeper we got, the harder I wanted to go.”

“It’s that rawness, and how real it is,” shares producer Auerbach. “I was always searching for the rawness, the darkest stuff. Once we were in it, as soon as we started playing, Hank was invested. That lifted everybody else up, to really push each other.”