At the age of 19, Hunter Hayes became one of the hottest new stars in country music. His name and songs have been creating a pretty good noise on the radio in this era of musically inclined generation. Hayes brought home multiple Grammy nominations and awards, not to mention the recognition he received from other music academy awards such as ACM, CMA, and other more. Little did we know that this stage craze wasn’t really new for Hayes, he was a child prodigy who began his career at the age of two. Interestingly, he also cut his first album when he was only nine.
Going back to his four years old days, Hayes brought glee in the hearts of the people when he guessed in Hank Williams Jr’s sold-out concert in Lafayette, Los Angeles, in 1995. In the middle of the show, Hank Jr. brought a little baby cowboy, Hayes on the stage. Little Hayes bravely walks in front of the crowd of 200,000 fans. He confidently stands on the stage with his accordion at hand.
A Legend in the Making On Stage
When Hank Jr. asked Hayes about what he would do, the terrible 4 years old replied in his cutest southern accent,
“I, uh, wanna do something called Jambalaya.”
The crowd did not expect much from the child prodigy, but they became astonished to find out that genuine star was in their midst. Perhaps, most boys would be more concerned with playing at this age, but Hunter is already belting out his innocent yet kicking rendition of the hit song “Jambalaya.”
After Hank Jr. played and sang along with him, he uttered in complete astonishment,
“Those 14- and 15-year-olds in this business better look out, ’cause here comes the 4-year-old.”
The country legend’s words became accurate and prophetic. The talented kid grew up to be a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist that has a unique way of expressing his music. He plays over thirty instruments, now isn’t that a talent?
Watch below to see the moment when the world first got to know this amazing kid, and don’t forget to share to spread the love of music!
Jambalaya was released by Hank Williams in 1952 and achieved popularity across a variety of different genres. The song was named after the Cajun dish, jambalaya. Further, the song had various translations that include Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Estonian.
Tags
Hank Williams Jr., Hunter Hayes, Jambalaya