Paul told me this story when we were recording my album, Souvenirs Of A Misspent Youth. I begged him to let me record him telling the story and he was nice enough to do it. I still think it's one of the funniest and most heartbreaking musician stories I've ever heard. Here's a link to the record we recorded the day he first told me the story. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/islkrbqXnKfSd4k.html

I met Hank Jr. in Midland Texas in the mid 70's. I was 16 years old. He was doing a telethon at KMID TV. Me and a couple friend's of mine were able to sneak into the room that he and the Yellow Rose band hung out in while not live on TV. Friendliest music star I've ever met. He fed us McDonalds hamburgers, signed our belts and hats and let us sit right beside him. After a while, some tall skinny guy came into the room and said that the room was getting too crowded and someone needed to leave, and since he didn't know us, it was "WE" who had to go. Hank Jr quickly snapped and told him if he felt too crowded by his friends it was "HE" who needed to get out! That tall skinny guy left and we stayed put with Hank Jr. I'll never forget that!

In high school, in 1987, my good friend Ted was the world's biggest Hank Jr. Fan. He had a really cool Black satin jacket with the big Hank Jr./Ruger gun logo on it. He got into a fight at a gas station with a guy from our high school one afternoon and the guy stabbed him in the stomach. He survived the stabbing, but his jacket, sadly didn't. His mom wrote to Hank's fanclub address, I believe, and Merle Kilgore sent him a get well card from Hank and a brand new jacket. I'll always remember that..made me a life long Hank and Merle Kilgore fan. I just told my 16 year old son the tale a few days ago as we drove by that same gas station.

"He fired my ass, and fired Paul Griffith" and "He fired everybody just as hard as he could go".......

That was a great story Otis! Thanks for sharing, it’s awesome hearing all these old stories. ✌🏻

Thank you Otis for putting this on your KZfaq channel. I remember hearing this from your pod cast years ago. It’s still a great story. Again,thanks!

I was at the KC show. I was 16 or 17 and that was the first show that I was going to with just my friends and I, but the day of the show my dad got some free tickets so he took my aunt, uncle, and little sister, they had great tickets down low and our tickets were in the lawn seats, but when Hank started showing his ass my dad my dad came truckin up the hill and found me and my friends and made us leave when they did because he was sure that a riot or stampede was going to breakout.

It’s great to see your copy of “Father and Son” and read the comments of those who have read Larry’s work. He was a huge music fan and is sorely missed by so many here in north Mississippi.

I dig seeing the books, the tape recorder, the cat, and the whole visual thing. Great story lol. Poor southpaw drummer.

Thanks Ottis Gibbs, Hank Williams Jr,is my favorite country singer in the world. Bocephus is a legend in his own time on his own doing he is a stand alone kind of a guy , dont give a shit about only what he wants and thinks 😉

Just love your interviews... funny, insightful and always interesting....

Ahhh….Father & Son. One of my all time favorites. Everything by Larry Brown is pure greatness. Wish he’d left us with more.

My favorite video yet. Very funny story, and mentioned Stan Lynch, my favorite Heartbreaker.

Bill Marshall played drums with Hank Jr. for years. He's a friend of mine here in Memphis, TN. I don't know how he did it but he did indeed!!!

BOCEPHUS, HANK Williams Jr always puts on a great show

Totally Hilarious guy and very entertaining storyteller. Thankyou from Australia.

Love your stories man

Paul Griffith does an excellent interview. Keep the great content coming.

Fun interview! I could not suck it up to even be in the same room as Hank Jr, much less share a stage or play in his band - no matter how hungry I was.

Really enjoy these "basement" tapes! The candor,wit,Radio Shack tapes are awesome!!! Keep on trucking!

Hot damn Otis I smiled and laughed all the way through!

🎸 How freaking crazy!! I saw Hank Jr. in Emans @ Ball State U. in mid80's,,He was beating on a tom shirtless singing Kaw-Liga!! wildest Concert i ever tripped out at. Bocephus for President🎸

ill admit i didnt know what to expect on this one so im very glad this turned out to be an honest engaing amusing as all ur posts thanks Otis

Hank Jr had his own Tour bus. Road crew had their own Tour bus also. I saw them whenever I was at one of his concerts

Saturday morning drinking a cup of coffee and had almost spit it out 3 times! Great story. 😂

Great story and enjoyed how he told it. You have to appreciate his honesty

Hey Paul… Saw you many times at Humphrees with A-Train back in the day! Great to hear this story! 🍻

Great story thank you Otis for sharing being a Right handed guitar player and a lefty drummer I can completely understand this story love it!😎

Cadillac Jack's #1 son by Kevin Gordon is one of the best records ever written. Drums were killer.

What a crazy story. Guess I’m glad I’m right handed…Even though Hank sticks to only jammin’ on guitars and piano these days. Really been enjoying the stories you’ve been sharing and those in ‘em, Otis. 👍🏼✌🏼

One of the most incredible road stories ever ‼

One of my all time favorite sideman stories…

Thanks! You have no idea how bad I needed that today. What a roller coaster ride.

Great story Otis!

As a bass player, and recovering Drummer. That, is a hilarious story!

LMAO, love honesty and humility.

Otis: shamelessly exploiting your cat in the thumbnail preview! ;-)

What kind of guy is Bocephus? I dunno, ask Hank III lol

Fired for being left-handed: "... one of the ex-wives" Hahahahahahahahahaaha!

Wish I had the link Otis.. for the fabled KC show… I don’t know if it’s gonna be like watching a car fire…? Or more sadly,a house fire… You got the best vids Otis..!! A man with his finger on the pulse of Country…and Western..music and folklore..👍🏼❤️

Larry Brown was an amazing author! I've read most of his work. Really hard-hitting stories.

I think the Kansas City Tape needs to be heard - at least in excerpts!

Me and some friends had dinner in Nashville with a man named Dixie Matthews,he told us he was the piano player for Hank Jr.very nice person.

Pure GOLD!!! Hahahahahahah!

Great Musician story!!!

Not surprising to hear Hank Jr is so petty and self-centered. I can't think of a single record of his I ever cared for. Big star, yes. Big fizzle, as far as I'm concerned.

Great story!

She was such a class act. Tom T was a song writer with such deep meaning songs about life and just living a normal life.

Off topic, but that Larry Brown book was one of my favorites when I read it several years back. I need to revisit it

Hysterical and so perfectly captures the trials and tribulations of being a sideman in the music biz.

Guys I love this story! As a lefty, I feel yer pain!

I gotta say, that was just gosh darn funny, as hell! I'm gon share that, every chance, I get. The "no feelings, left to hurt" thing, put me on the floor. I've been there, friend.

Okay this is pretty funny. Plays in Hank's band, and gets fired from Hank's band, all without ever meeting Hank.

what don't kill you will make you tougher.....

Got to see Hank in Philly a crazy show seeing country rock in a city that is not country crowd. I think Hank was loaded that night it was still a good show.

good vid dood!!!

Pure gold.....👍👍🍻😎

I haven’t looked at Hank JR since I learned about his sister and the way she was treated by her family. God bless her.

Is there any chance you might have one of these with Hayward Bishop?

Mack Vickery wrote several of Hank JR's songs on his early albums [1966-1968] Mack and Merle Kilgore wrote a hit for Faron Young during this era - " She Went a Little Bit Farther ". Hank Jr went on to become a great artist and songwriter in his own right. The irony is he is not actually a JR.

Otis, I could watch your cats all day.

Wow. What a great story.

Best family ever.

Fuck that was good. Thankin.

If there’s one new Larry Brown reader because of this one, I’d call it a success. “Fay” is my favorite but I can see why you chose “Father and Son” for this one.

Hi, Hank Jr fan since 1982. That’s a heck of a story, but a professional bum rap, too. Loving these other stories. I kind of figured out through the years that he was a self-absorbed jerk at times, but I still loved his song writing and his performing style. I have two questions that have been nagging me for years. Hope someone can answer. Question 1: How did he get the idea to write Montana Café? Question 2: In Country State of Mind is that Mickey Gilley that comes in at the tail end of the song saying “I know where Hank Jr is“? Thanks in advance! - Tony

Being from close proximity of Oxford ms great to see Larry brown fathers and sons everyone who is Otis fan should check out Larry Brown great writer . Oh yea Bob Dylan is a fan of that matters . Joe, Fay, his short stories , miracles of catfish, his book about his years as a firefighter and starting to write.

It was meant to be he did it because that whole Louisiana golf Coast Mobile, Alabama Shreveport is

Rock on dude 👍👍👍

Funny story... but it leaves a sour taste, it really does.

I love Hwjr's ,Bocephus, thunder head Hawkins ,rock'n Randall's music but I have heard some horror stories about his attitude towards people and his inflated ego ( none of it did i witness first hand ). But im still a diehard fan of his music.

Great story! Wacked, but great!! LOL

I work for General Motors in Kc in the early 80s. I saw hank Jr. 1983 I believe. I was 20-21 years old and thought this was going to be a crappy country show blah blah. Jr and his band rocked the joint down! It was awesome!! Instant fan of hanks and country music came into my life going to the show thinking it was going to suck. It didn’t!

A musician gets hired, works hard and long to learn his part, first gig is in a large venue, plays perfectly and the band loves him. Then gets fired with no explanation, only a "drop him off". Guy is crushed and embarrassed, only to later learn he was fired due to no fault of his own. Yeah, tell everybody.

In my teens and early twenties (mid 70s to mid 80s) I was a huge Hank Jr. fan. I saw him several times. I finally got sick of his wallowing in his Daddy's memory, name dropping, repetitive songs and realized he had become a caricature of himself and lost interest. Years later I saw an ACL rebroadcast of a show from that period and I was shocked at how bad it was. I guess I had just sobered up? As a lefthander all I can say after this story is that, "the struggle is real."

You can listen to the Kansas city show audio on KZfaq somewhere. There was a time I might of thought what happened was cool. Not so much anymore. It'd be one thing if you were going to see Johnny Thunders and expected a disaster.

You grip me by the neck peal my head back and pore words in my brain i just love it, I've never done them but have you ever done mushrooms ...?

The struggle is real brother , lefties unite

I have seen the documentary about Jr's sister and reccomend it. It was very kind not to bash Jr as much as they could have but it's not hard to figure out what is not shown.

Back in the 1960s and1970s, the best country gig was at a place called 'The Pines' in Anchorage, Alaska. I played there many times off and on (keyboards) - eventually it was torn down - but when the 'stars' hit town, they would go there after their gigs at the high school auditoriums (because there were no big venues to play at). Anyway, Hank Jr. comes to town, plays his gig with his band and promised to meet and greet his fans at the Pines. Only he never showed. Of course not. In the end, he didn't win over any new fans because he called Anchorage a 'gravel pit in the middle of nowhere'. Well at least he was honest but still not a class act. Ego as big as the galaxy. Meh. Sort of like when I played behind Jeannie Pruitt ("Satin Sheets") (didn't bring her own band and I was a local hire) and she fired me onstage. A few words to her from my mouth had me packing my equipment while onstage. But thanks for sharing another musician's story in the country music industry. Yep, it can suck BIG TIME. Love the humor though...it's the only way you get through all of it. :)

Great but sad story.

I was at the KC show with a friend who didn’t like country. Missed the openers. Hank was so wasted he couldn’t remember the words to his songs. A few songs in he flips us off and tells us to kiss his ass. You know you’re in trouble when people start chucking $5 beers at the talent. The stage was open and we could actually see Hank get in the car and leave. He did the same thing a few weeks before somewhere else. I remember telling my friend I hoped that wouldn’t happen and it did.

Hank senior is hands down my favorite country singer and songwriter. I have NEVER been able to listen to Junior's music; it almost makes me sick to my stomach. Honestly, it's nice to know there's no reason to like him as a person. Communication is extremely important, and anyone who doesn't even engage his band members is a turd. 😂😂

lol, in high school I got dragged to a Hank and Skynrd combo show. And maybe i decided it was a good idea to take some psychedelics to put an edge on it. Wow it was weird...The crowd was insane and Hank was about the same level of wasted as the crowd. I remember walking around and noticing everyone seemed to have snuck in 5ths of booze and were going nuts. Skynard kind of rocked though. it was early 90s and was Skynyrd 2.0, but they were fun. I def want to hear the KC tape now....

Hank cud be a crank.

I love old bocephis

Nice kitty

Otis .Love Frankie Im sure he has some stories to tell

Your cat is groovy

Never have I heard anything good about Bocephus. Did David Allen Coe ever open for him? What an event that would be, something for the whole family to enjoy, an evening of wholesome entertainment.

Did he get some good work after the Bocephus debacle?

❤

I was the biggest Bocephus fan and when I was 6 I actually wrote him and joined the fanclub he sent me a letter and a autograph and a lil Bocephus badge I wore everywhere ... 40 years later I just bought his new album and still his number 1 fan 😂

I wonder if Paul knew Fred Carter Jr?

Either Merl Kilgore or the bandleader should have this story taped to this back. They should have known what was about to take place. Drop them off.

What’s the story with the “Kansas City Tape”?

How can we hear the Kansas City Tape?

When I was 13yrs old I experienced a life altering event all centered around a Hank "Live" cassette tape. I think people who's destiny to become addicted can't prevent it or at least I couldn't. Like I said I was 13yr old almost 14. I was doing normal things 14yr olds do but what was different is what some people call being nervous, restless and discontent. I was that most of the time in spades. One afternoon I walked from my house to a local store called "Sky City"....pictures a Walmart mixed with a Family Dollar. I went in and stole a Hank Live cassette tape. Well it came with this plastic cover...which was actually supposed to keep you from stealing it. I went home and took out my Case xx pocket knife and in the process of cutting off the plastic housing...I cut my right index finger...really cut it. My father loaded me up, drove me to the ER and got my fingers sewn up. They also trying to be kind gave me a prescription for a few Lortab. I went home took one of those pills and put on my new Hank Live cassette and every problem I ever had just melted away. Hank Jr was right there with his band performing for me. I then went on to chase that feeling for almost thirty years. Fortunately I have been sober since 12/23/13 but I will always bear the scars both physically and mentally from my first ever Hank Jr concert.

One of the best shows I ever saw was Bocephus, he played every instrument on the stage with full solos. The worst show I ever saw was Bocephus where he stumbled across the stage slurring and forgetting lyrics.

The rodeo stage has always been a revolving stage for all acts