Hunter Hayes was destined for a life in music from a young age. Hayes was just five years old when he joined Hank Williams Jr onstage to perform the Hank Williams classic “Jambalaya (On the Bayou).”
According to the Roland Note, Hayes joined Bocephus on stage at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 14, 1997. He brought his accordion on stage to perform the classic country song in front of 200,000 fans in attendance, much to Williams’ amazement.
Not only is Hayes adorable and spot-on with the lyrics in the clip, but his accordion playing and stage presence are professional grade.
READ MORE:Watch Pre-Fame Garth Brooks Cover a George Strait Classic
Be sure to watch up to the second solo, when Williams looks to go back to the chorus, but Hayes has plans of his own. He gets down like he’s been struck by Cajun fever.
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Hunter Hayes would go on to a stellar country career of his own. His 2011 self-titled album sold more than a million copies and scored him a No. 1 hit with “Wanted.”
Hayes went on to score a string of hits that included “Somebody’s Heartbreak,” “I Want Crazy,” “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me,” “Invisible” and more.
Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer of Video Content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the Secret History of Country Music. Additionally, Billy covers Yellowstone, 1923 and related television shows through the Dutton Rules podcast. To date, he’s written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.
