In Sherrill, Jones found what Andrew Meuller of Uncut described as "the producer capable of creating the epically lachrymose arrangements his voice deserved and his torment demanded...He summoned for Jones the symphonies of sighing strings that almost made the misery of albums like 1974's The Grand Tour and 1976's Alone Again sound better than happiness could possibly feel." Jones was invited to sing at the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. He was involved in several high-speed car chases with police, which were reported on the national news, and one arrest was filmed by a local TV crew; the video, which is widely available online,[citation needed] offers a glimpse into Jones' alter ego when drinking, as he argues with the police officer and lunges at the camera man. In 2013, Robbie Robertson told Uncut, "He was the Ray Charles of country music - the one who could make you cry with his voice...We wouldn't listen to country music, the guys in The Band, but we'd listen to George Jones..." Robert Plant told Uncut's Michael Bonner in 2014, "I now have to listen to George Jones once a day. Jones accepted the responsibility for the failure of the marriage but vehemently denied Wynette's allegations in her autobiography that he beat her and fired a shotgun at her. Furthermore, the video shows how Jackson hides and fights back his sentiment. [28] The service was broadcast live on CMT, GAC, RFD-TV, The Nashville Network and FamilyNet as well as Nashville stations.

Jones was scheduled to perform his final concert at the Bridgestone Arena on November 22, 2013. Jones would go to extreme lengths for a drink if the thirst was on him. I love to hear an old guy lay out his situation. He had to be, really, the greatest." When asked about recording Jones and Wynette, Sherill told Dan Daley in 2002, "It did increase my scotch intake some. All of them were emotional as they dedicate their songs. Other disparate artists who recorded with Jones include Dennis Locorriere and Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook, Mark Knopfler, the Staples Singers, Leon Russell, B.B King, Blackberry Smoke and Linda Ronstadt. No more smoking, no more drinking. He was taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where he was released two weeks later. Perhaps the most famous drinking story concerning Jones occurred while he was married to his second wife Shirley Corley.

), Burn Your Playhouse Down – The Unreleased Duets, If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will), Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love on Me), Take Me to Your World / I Don't Wanna Play House, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Jones&oldid=981942428, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, United States National Medal of Arts recipients, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with style issues from February 2018, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from January 2017, Articles that may contain original research from March 2017, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017, Articles with Encyclopædia Britannica links, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, King George, Thumper Jones, The Possum, No Show Jones, "We Sure Make Good Love" (with Loretta Lynn), "Don't Be Ashamed Of Your Age" (with Jerry Lee Lewis), "(I Don't Care) If Tomorrow Never Comes" (with Hank Williams, Jr.), "You Don't Seem To Miss Me" (with Patty Loveless), "Here We Are" & "All Fall Down" (with Emmylou Harris), "She Once Lived Here" & "You Can't Do Wrong and Get By" (with, "Fiddle And Guitar Band" (with Charlie Daniels), "Flame In My Heart" (with Virginia Spurlock), "Burn Your Playhouse Down" (with Keith Richards), "The Window Up Above" (with Leon Russell), "Love Bug", "She Thinks I Still Care" & "Selfishness In Man" (with Vince Gill), This page was last edited on 5 October 2020, at 08:52. Jones recalled to Billboard in 2006 that he would lie in bed with his parents on Saturday nights listening to the Grand Ole Opry and insist that his mother wake him if he fell asleep so he could hear Roy Acuff or Bill Monroe.

Amongst Jackson, other country artists paid tribute to Jones such as Patty Loveless and Vince Gill. Jones also spoke publicly about his hopes for a reconciliation and would jokingly reference Tammy in some of his songs - during performances of his 1981 hit "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" he would sing "Tammy's memory will" - but the recrimination continued unabated. Jones also recorded duet albums with Gene Pitney and his former bass player Johnny Paycheck. In the same program, Jones admitted that he remained ambivalent and resentful towards his father up until the day he died and observed in his autobiography "The Jones family makeup doesn't sit well with liquor...Daddy was an unusual drinker. For the rest of the 1960s, Jones would score only one number one (1967's "Walk Through This World With Me") but he practically owned the country music charts throughout the decade. Jones managed longer stretches of sobriety with Wynette than he had enjoyed in years but as the decade wore on his drinking and erratic behavior worsened, leading to the couple's divorce in 1976. Some significant performances include "I Must Have Done Something Bad", "Wild Irish Rose", "Billy B. In the liner notes to Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country Rich Kienzle states, "Jones sings of people and stories that are achingly human. Years of alcoholism compromised his health and led to his missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones".
Dishes, utensils, and glasses flew in all directions. Although he had disliked "He Stopped Loving Her Today" when it was first offered to him, Jones ultimately gave the song credit for reviving his flagging career, stating that "a four-decade career had been salvaged by a three-minute song". In the same film, producer Billy Sherrill states, "All I did was change the instrumentation around him. It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did. His last album to have significant radio airplay was 1992's Walls Can Fall, which featured the novelty song "Finally Friday" and "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair," a testament to his continued vivaciousness in old age.

One aspect of Jones' early career that might be overlooked[according to whom?]

[16] He appeared at a televised Johnny Cash Memorial Concert in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 2003, singing "Big River" with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. The shape of his nose and facial features earned Jones the nickname "The Possum".[3].

He moved and influenced people especially the country music enthusiasts. George Jones eulogy On May 2, 2013, Gill performed the song with Loveless at the funeral of fellow country artist George Jones . And you beat up on yourself by drinkin' and losing friends that won't put up with that...It's just one terrible big mess you make out of your life."

From there, he worked at the KRIC radio station. It wasn't love at first sight or anything like that. Jones married Shirley Ann Corley in 1954. [8], Jones moved to Mercury in 1957. He drank to excess but never while working, and he probably was the hardest working man I've ever known." [6] The program featured informal chats with Jones holding court with country's biggest stars old and new and, of course, music.

Much like Hank Williams, Jones seemed suspicious of success and furiously despised perceived slights and condescension directed towards the music that he loved so dearly. Jones' first hit came with "Why Baby Why" in 1955.

He was stationed in San Jose, California, for his entire service.[7]. ", In October 1970, shortly after the birth of their only child Tamala Georgette, Jones was straitjacketed and committed to a padded cell at the Watson Clinic in Lakeland, Florida, after a drunken bender; he was kept there to detoxify for 10 days before being released with a prescription for Librium. The song was at the center of controversy when the Country Music Association invited Jones to perform it on the awards show, but required that he perform an abridged version. When I pulled into the parking lot there sat our rider-mower right by the entrance.

Jackson and Jones are great friends, they are, indeed, brothers by heart. You might try that or "In the Garden" or any other great song on the collection. The Academy of Country Music awarded the song Single of the Year and Song of the Year in 1980.