To boot (cowgirl boot, that is), her girl-next-door, down-home charm, combined with a generous helping of sex appeal, make Holly a woman we would take back to the ranch anytime.

Holly Williams is a go-getter. From her earliest years she knew what she wanted and how to get it. She has said that even from the tender age of 8, she was writing songs about death, love and loneliness. That's one deep girl. Once she decided music was to be her path, she taught herself how to play piano and guitar so she could follow her dreams.

Although she hails from one of country music's "royal" families, Holly is her own woman. The music may be in her blood, but she is fully able to create her own distinctive sound. She reaches beyond the country music horizons to incorporate lyrical styles from across musical genres. Holly is a dedicated songsmith who strives to capture the elusive with her words, and succeeds more often than not.

Clearly, Holly's sexiness does not just derive from the way she croons like a sultry siren (although that's nice, too). One look at that dazzling face framed by her long and luscious blonde locks, and you realize that Holly is music to the eyes as well as the ears. Her brooding, smoldering gaze twinkles with that country charm. She also has those full, pouty lips that can grin with girlish innocence one moment and switch to full-on seductiveness the next.

It would, however, be nice to see Holly strut her body more proudly, as she tends to wear less revealing clothing. Then again, those jeans and cowboy boots do lend a nice bit of country mystique to her overall appearance.

By the time she graduated from high school, Holly Williams had decided that music was where it was at for her. With a little help from her well-recognized family name, she was able to book herself gigs around Nashville to start her career. After creating a five-song EP and her own website, Ron Sexmith took notice of this emerging singer and invited her on his European tour.

Next up were opening gigs for the likes of John Mellencamp and Billy Bob Thornton. Her debut album, The Ones We Never Knew, received excellent reviews. Hopefully, she can follow it up with consistency over the years to come.

Holly's pale eyes and full lips are what we first notice about her features. She has a wide cheek structure that lends a bit of a "rugged" air to her, with long blonde hair that cascades down to around her mid back. Being a country girl, this look definitely works. She's not exactly in the Faith Hill league, but she's not that far off either.

Holly wears the trademark country jeans and T-shirts to good effect. It's a style that can be described as comfy-casual with a bit of "this is me, like it or not" attitude thrown in. It's the no-nonsense expression of the down-home country girl. "When I started playing guitar the songs just kind of came out and from then on I knew I loved to write and I wanted to play for people forever." -Holly Williams

Holly Williams was born on March 12, 1981 in Nashville, Tennessee, to country star Hank Williams Jr. and his wife Becky. Her folks separated when she was only 1 year old. Although her family was split, their musical legacy would later inspire Holly to pick up the guitar and begin songwriting.

As early as age 8, Holly's drive and creativity began to emerge. In a youthful burst of songwriting, she chronicled lyrics in what she called "Holly's Song Folder." They weren't lyrics typical of an 8-year-old, though. Weighty issues like death and love affairs permeated throughout, illustrating an advanced maturity of thought.

holly williams the model

The pull of music soon wore away, and Holly's next childhood ambition -- modeling -- became her new obsession. Revealing a business acumen not known in many pre-teens, Holly began cold calling modeling agencies to jump-start her own career.

Holly's parents, however, believed that she was too young for that line of work, and put a quick end to her overzealous quest for success. Thus, Holly returned to the more normal childhood path of school, friends and family. Yet music always had a way of creeping back in her life, largely due to her father's presence.

holly williams the songwriter

When she turned 17, Holly decided to try playing the guitar. She instantly fell back in love with music and ended up on a songwriting tear, writing more than 50 songs. From this point on it was only a matter of when, not if, she would launch her music career.

With high school at an end, Holly decided it was time to branch out and absorb as much music as she could. Having been inspired by bands like Queen, Radiohead and the Beatles, and songwriters like Tom Waits and Bob Dylan, she vigorously studied many of their albums in order to gain some understanding of how to best craft her own songs.

holly williams and ones we never knew

Instead of going on to college, she decided to take a year off to try to get her music career off the ground. She booked her own shows at various venues around Nashville and performed constantly, all the while continuing to write her own music. One year turned into three, and after a brief relocation to L.A., she settled back home in Tennessee.

By 2003, Holly had cut a five-track EP and toured through Europe with Ron Sexsmith. Later that year she toured with John Mellencamp, then with Billy Bob Thornton and his band. Both experiences proved invaluable, providing her with plenty of new writing material for future albums. She signed on with Universal South in January of 2004. This ultimately culminated in her debut CD, The Ones We Never Knew, which she co-produced with Monroe Jones.

holly williams on tour

From her home in Nashville, Holly plans to keep traveling and experiencing more of life for the time being. Her next big tour will take her to Australia along with fellow songstress Kasey Chambers.

Though she writes of pain and sorrow on her album, Holly insists she is not just another melancholy chick. "I don't want people to see me as another depressed young singer writing about sad relationships -- even though, you know, I've had my fair share," she has said.

Nor does Holly aspire to the megastardom that comes with celebrity. She plans on sticking to smaller venues and more intimate performances in front of her adoring fans. She is, however, getting set to record a new album. "I've written the next album... But when I started writing, I wrote probably 400 or 500 songs," said Williams. Being the prolific writer that she is, one album a year should be a breeze for Holly.

What else do you need to know?