Revisiting the Infamous Hank Williams Jr. vs. Charlie Daniels Feud From 1984, I Still Think Charlie Was Right

Humans are nothing if not fickle and sensitive, which can often lead to feuds that, at their core, are illogical and unnecessary—the kind of conflicts where getting over it is the only way out and also the one thing to which neither party will agree. But in the case of the infamous rift between Hank Williams Jr. and Charlie Daniels that started in 1984, I can’t help but side with Charlie on this one.

First, let’s set the scene: it’s the night of September 22, 1984, and Williams and Daniels are co-headlining the Hooper Eblen Center at Tennessee Tech. Although Williams would later say there was “no such thing as an opening act,” the general order of events had Williams going first and Daniels going second.

Thus, Williams kicked off the show and just kept playing. His set stretched well into Daniels’ set time, despite numerous people telling Williams his time was up. Williams kept on playing. The venue cut the electricity to the stage. Williams just picked up an acoustic guitar and kept going.

This Moment Created a Rift Between Hank Williams Jr. and Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels would later say, “It was a very unprofessional and amateurish thing for Hank to do. I have no respect for him,” per the Tennessee Tech archives. Hank Williams Jr., meanwhile, had a much different perspective when speaking about the incident with David Allan Coe. In this interview, Williams said he had been performing for years. (A credit no one can deny him, considering his father.)

Williams went on to say he had never experienced anything like that with other artists, like Waylon Jennings, with whom he performed as a young musician. It’s clear in his interview that he felt like Daniels was in the wrong, agreeing when Coe would suggest, “You were just being yourself, isn’t that correct?”

Fortunately for country music fans everywhere, Williams and Daniels eventually made up, at least enough to share bills in the years that followed. Still, it’s hard not to side with Daniels on this one. There very much is such a thing as an opening act. And while there are no small parts, the first act ought to respect the time of everyone else who is waiting to get on that stage when they’re done.

In these moments, I recall a punk band from my hometown. They weren’t sure how many songs they had time for, but the owner had stepped outside, so when they asked about it on the mic, no one could give them an answer. The frontman said, “That’s okay, we’ll just be cool.” They played one more song because there were, like, five other bands on the bill.

And indeed, erring on the side of caution was cool—for everyone. Maybe Hank Jr. has something to learn from the punks of West Kentucky after all!

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