Early rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and bluegrass performer-turned-country star Keith Whitley were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Hank Williams Jr. is unleashing his alter ego Thunderhead Hawkins on a new record of raunchy blues songs.

ESPN is hoping that one of the architects of rock n' roll can bring some new energy to their “Monday Night Football” show with fewer fans in the stands this year. The new season starting Monday will feature a new version of Little Richard's hit “Rip It Up” featuring new instrumentals and backup vocals from the Virginia-based band Butcher Brown. The song replaces Hank Williams Jr.'s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight," which was repurposed with new lyrics like, “All my rowdy friends are here for Monday night.”ESPN said in a press release on Friday that Little Richard's song will be combined with NFL and team highlights. “We’re truly excited to have teamed up with ESPN for this project, and are honored to have had the opportunity to work with the music of the King of Rock N’ Roll, Little Richard,” said Butcher Brown in a statement provided by ESPN. “Monday Night Football” will kick off with a doubleheader featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers playing New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos.

This combination photo shows, from left, songwriter Dean Dillon, singer Hank Williams, Jr., and singer Marty Stuart, who are the newest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

FILE - Hank Williams, Jr. performs in concert at The BB&T Pavilion in Camden, N.J. on Aug. 19, 2017. Williams, along with Dean Dillon and Marty Stuart, will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart and songwriter Dean Dillon are the newest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Announced by the Country Music Association on Wednesday, Williams will join his father, country legend Hank Williams Sr., in the Hall of Fame's rotunda. He also wrote timeless classics like Tennessee Whiskey," which has been covered by David Allan Coe, George Jones and Chris Stapleton.

PARIS, Tenn. The 27-year-old daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a highway accident in Tennessee, police said. Katherine Williams-Dunning of Springville was the driver of an SUV that was towing a boat when it crossed the median and rolled over Saturday night on U.S. Route 79 northeast of Paris, said Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Brad Wilbanks. In a Facebook post, Williams-Dunning's brother, Sam Williams asked for prayers for his sister and brother-in-law. Country star Travis Tritt wrote on Twitter that the news was heartbreaking.My family and I knew Katie ever since she was a kid," Tritt said. I cannot even imagine what Hank, Mary Jane and the rest of the Williams family are going through right now.Wilbanks said the accident remains under investigation.