Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kenny Chesney + More Honor Hank Williams, Jr.

Lynyrd Skynyrd made a surprise appearance at the 56th annual BMI awards Tuesday night in Nashville to honor Hank Williams, Jr. as he received the BMI Icon award for his career achievements. Hank clapped and sang along as Skynyrd performed his classic, "Born to Boogie." The southern rockers joined Kenny Chesney, Gregg Allman, and Robert Randolph in musical tributes to Hank.

"It is an honor to be here," Chesney said before he did an acoustic version of Hank's hit "Old Habits." Kenny went on to tell Hank Jr., "I had a lot of heroes in music ... you were a constant source of inspiration for me."

Randolph performed the first Hank Jr. song he remembers hearing, "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound," and says that the singer's music was inspirational to him when he was growing up in New Jersey . Williams inspired many of today's young country stars as well. Jason Michael Carroll and Bucky Covington both say they are huge Hank fans. "He is so deserving of tonight's honor," Bucky said. Taylor Swift says that Hank is not only an icon, he's a genuinely nice person. "You can have hits and write great songs but if you aren't nice to other people that doesn't mean that much. Hank has always been very nice to me and I appreciate that," she says.

Hank Jr. was the youngest person to take home a BMI award when, at age 16, he received his first songwriter honor for "Standing in the Shadows." Williams' career spans 40 years with a slate of hits including early chart success with "Eleven Roses" on through "A Country Boy Can Survive," "Family Tradition" and "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight." Williams re-wrote the latter as the theme for Monday Night Football, which continues in its 18th year. He also recorded a duet with his late father, "There's A Tear In My Beer."

Taylor Swift was presented the Robert J. Burton for writing her hit "Teardrops On My Guitar," which was named the most performed country song in the BMI catalog last year. Casey Beathard was named BMI's Country Songwriter of the Year for co-writing five of the songs in BMI's most-performed list: Rodney Atkins "Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)," Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink," George Strait's "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls," Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus's "Ready, Set, Don't Go" and Tracy Lawrence's "Find Out Who Your Friends Are," featuring Chesney and Tim McGraw.

Other celebrities in attendance at the festivities included Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn and Gary Allan.