His father, dead before age 30, left a musical legacy that will live on as long as American songs are sung -- a lengthy list of classics that includes "Your Cheatin Heart," "Im So Lonesome I Could Cry, "Hey, Good Lookin" and "Honky Tonkin."

Hank Williams Jr. can't match that. But then, few can. And at 59, he can claim a solidly successful career as an entertainer that includes a niche in popular culture as the kickoff act for "Monday Night Football."