1979 Hank Williams Jr. – Family Tradition

Family Tradition is an album released by country music artist Hank Williams Jr. It was released in April 1979 by Curb Records, his third studio album for the label.

Family Tradition was a significant success, both critically and commercially for Williams. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, making it Williams’ first Top 5 album since 1969’s Live at Cobo Hall. Four of the ten tracks were released as singles, the first single being “I Fought the Law”. “I Fought the Law” was originally a hit for the rock & roll group The Bobby Fuller Four in the early 1960s and the song was a moderate success for Williams, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The follow up singles, “Old Flame, New Fire” and “To Love Somebody” had little success, only peaking at number 54 and number 49 respectively. The final single, the album’s title track, “Family Tradition”, would become one of Williams’ most popular and recognized songs. It peaked at number 4 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, his first Top 10 single since 1974. Williams’ performance received rave reviews by critics and he received his first Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. The album was also a significant commercial success for Williams, becoming only his second album to be certified Gold by the RIAA.