More than 20 years ago, legendary country artist Hank Williams, Jr. was playing a sold out concert in Lafayette, Louisiana. 200,000 people filled the stands, and they were thrilled to see one of their favorite artists perform live. Like always, Williams, Jr. gave a fantastic performance, but another musician made his astonishing debut on a massive stage to a packed arena.
A 4-year-old boy took to the stage next to Hank Williams, Jr., with his accordion in his hands. He played, he sang, and he impressed every single person in attendance, including the musical superstar. That day, on that stage, Williams, Jr. predicted the extremely talented little boy would become a star, and he was right
The little boy in the video is Hunter Hayes. Hunter is still quite young, but at just 26-years-old, he is already a force in the world of country music. His resumé is long and impressive, boasting three Grammys including Best New Artist in 2013, a CMT Artist of the Year award, a double platinum album, number one singles, and other honors.
Those are fantastic statistics, but it’s Hunter’s real musical talent that makes him stand out from a crowd of overproduced studio pop stars. Hunter started his career at a very young age and is something of a musical prodigy. He plays more than twenty instruments, including the accordion he plays in this video, and sings in both English and French. On his debut major label album, Hunter played every single instrument on the record, co-wrote the songs, and even shared producer credits. That’s quite an accomplishment for such a young musician.
This young man has a long career ahead of him, but he got his start on a stage in Louisiana, his home state. Watch the performance in the video below and please like and share with your friends!