Hank Williams Jr. to Be Honored as Next CMT 'Giant' in New Two-Hour Special 'CMT Giants' Taping October 25 in Los Angeles

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- CMT honors the extraordinary life and music of the legendary Hank Williams Jr. in the two hour special, CMT GIANTS: HANK WILLIAMS, JR, which will be taped before a live audience on Thursday, October 25 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 22 at http://www.ticketmaster.com/. The tribute will feature live performances by superstars Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Kid Rock, Gretchen Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Buddy Guy, with more soon to be announced. Jimmy Kimmel and Terry Bradshaw are slated to present. CMT GIANTS: HANK WILLIAMS, JR will premiere on CMT on Saturday, November 17 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT.

Hank Jr. has long been the voice of the common man, serving up observations on life and society that have made his fans listen intently and respond with a rousing "Hell Yeah!" as he puts words and music to their thoughts, hopes and everyday life. Nicknamed "Bocephus" by his famous father, he was only three when his father died in 1952. Eight years later his mother was coaxing him on stage to sing his daddy's songs, urging him to continue the legacy. He made his debut on the Opry at 11 and by the time he was 14 he was in the studio recording his debut album. His rendition of "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" became a hit and all eyes were on the artist, constantly looking for shades of his father's genius.

What followed in the years since has been a whirlwind ride during which the younger Williams successfully emerged from his famous father's shadow, forging a career of his own. He managed to create music that resonated with the same gut-wrenching emotion that marked his father's best work, yet beyond that he left little room for comparison as he blazed a trail with such classic hits as "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound," "All My Rowdy Friends," "Old Habits," "A Country Boy Can Survive," and "Born to Boogie."

The CMT GIANTS franchise began last year when Reba McEntire was honored for her stellar career by such stars as Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, LeAnn Rimes, Megan Mullally, Wynonna and Dolly Parton, each of whom paid tribute to Reba by lending their voices to her biggest hits.

CMT GIANTS is produced by Tom Forrest and Tailight TV. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

Visit CMT's press-only Web site http://www.cmtpress.com/ for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.

For digital promotion links, log on to: http://webtools.cmt.com/viewpromo.php?promo_id=454 .

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks , is the leading television and digital authority on country music and Heartland entertainment, reaching more than 84 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT's broadband channel, CMT Loaded.

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