George Jones
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For other persons named George Jones, see George Jones (disambiguation).
| George Jones | ||
|---|---|---|
 George Jones
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | George Glenn Jones | |
| Also known as | The Possum No Show Jones |
|
| Born | September 12, 1931 (age 75) | |
| Origin | Saratoga, Texas, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Country Music | |
| Occupation(s) | Country Music artist | |
| Instrument(s) | Acoustic Guitar | |
| Years active | 1955 – Present | |
| Label(s) | Starday (1955 - 1958) Mercury (1958 - 1962) United Artists (1962 - 1965) Musicor (1965 - 1971) Epic (1971 - 1991) MCA Nashville (1991 - 1999) Asylum (1999 - 2001) Bandit (2001 - Present) |
|
| Website | GeorgeJones.com | |
| Notable instrument(s) | ||
| Acoustic Guitar | ||
George Glenn Jones (born September 12, 1931), is an American country music artist known for his distinctive voice and phrasing that frequently evoke the raw emotions caused by grief, unhappy love, and emotional hardship. He has had more songs than any other singer on the country charts – 167 as of November, 2005. He has also had the most Top 40 Hits – 143 – and is second to Eddy Arnold with the most Top 10 Hits – 78. Over the past twenty years, Jones has frequently been referred to as "the greatest living country singer"[1] and "the Rolls-Royce of country singers." Frank Sinatra once called him "the second best white male singer." The country music scholar Bill C. Malone writes, "For the two or three minutes consumed by a song, Jones immerses himself so completely in its lyrics, and in the mood it conveys, that the listener can scarcely avoid becoming similarly involved."[2]
Contents |
[edit] Drinking and Drug Abuse
Jones' alcohol consumption was legendary. For a great part of his life he woke up to a Screwdriver and spent the rest of the day drinking bourbon.
Perhaps the best known story of his drinking days is tragicomic. While married to the former Shirley Corley, his second wife, Jones resorted to some desperate measures in getting alcohol.
Once, when I had been drunk for several days, Shirley decided she would make it physically impossible for me to buy liquor. I lived about eight miles from Beaumont and the nearest liquor store. She knew I wouldn't walk that far to get booze, so she hid the keys to every car we owned and left. But she forgot about the lawn mower. I can vaguely remember my anger at not being able to find keys to anything that moved and looking longingly out a window at a light that shone over our property. There, gleaming in the glow, was that ten-horsepower rotary engine under a seat. A key glistening in the ignition. I imagine the top speed for that old mower was five miles per hour. It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did.
[3]
The riding mower doesn't seem to be a one-time event. Wife Tammy Wynette told her own riding mower story in her 1979 autobiography.
About 1 am I would wake up and look over to find he was gone. I got into the car and drove to the nearest bar 10 miles away. When I pulled into the parking lot there sat our rider-mower right by the entrance. He'd driven that mower right down a main highway. He looked up and saw me and said, `Well, fellas, here she is now. My little wife, I told you she'd come after me.'[4]
In the 1970s, Jones was introduced to cocaine by a manager before a show in which he was too tired to perform. This accelerated his already unpredictable actions. His self-destructive bent brought him close to death and to the inside of a mental hospital in Alabama at the end of the decade. Although somewhat celebrated by some of his fans as the hard-drinkin', fast-livin' spiritual-son of his idol, Hank Williams, he missed so many booked engagements that he became known as "No-Show Jones." He was often broke and later admitted that friends Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash came to his aid financially during this period.
Poking fun at his past, two country music videos would feature Jones arriving on a riding lawn mower. The first was Hank Williams, Jr's "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" in 1984 while the second was Vince Gill's "One More Last Chance" in 1993. In fact, Gill's song mentioned the riding lawn mower with the lines "She might have took my car keys, but she forgot about my old John Deere." At the end of Gill's video, he is leaving the golf course on a John Deere tractor and greets Jones with "Hey possum." Jones, arriving at the golf course driving a John Deere riding lawn mower with a set of golf clubs mounted in front of him, would reply back to Gill "Hey sweetpea."
[edit] Marriages
Jones was married twice before he turned 24. His first marriage was to Dorothy Bonvillion in 1950, a marriage that lasted but a year. They had one daughter, Susan. In 1954, Jones married Shirley Ann Corley. This marriage lasted until 1968 and they had two sons, Jeffrey and Brian. He next married fellow country musician Tammy Wynette in 1969. They were married until 1975 and had one daughter, Georgette. He married his current wife, Nancy Sepulvedo, on March 4, 1983 in Woodville, TX. Sepulvedo also became his manager. Jones credits Nancy for rescuing him from drinking, as well as cocaine consumption. The couple currently live in Tennessee.[5]
[edit] Spouses
- Nancy Sepulvedo (March 4, 1983 – Present)
- Tammy Wynette (February 16, 1969 – 1975) (divorced) 1 child
- Shirley Ann Corley (September 14, 1954 – June 11, 1968) (divorced) 2 children
- Dorothy Bonvillion (1950 – 1951) (divorced) 1 child
[edit] Awards
| Year | Award | Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Most Promising New Country Vocalist | Billboard | |
| 1962 | Most Promising New Country Vocalist | Country Music D.J. Convention | |
| 1962 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Cash Box | |
| 1962 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Billboard | |
| 1963 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Country Music D.J. Convention | |
| 1963 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Cash Box | |
| 1963 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Billboard | |
| 1970 | Walkway of Stars at the Country Music Hall Of Fame | Country Music Hall of Fame | |
| 1972 | Top Vocal Duo | Cash Box | with Tammy Wynette |
| 1973 | Top Vocal Duo | Cash Box | with Tammy Wynette |
| 1976 | Top Duet | Cash Box | with Tammy Wynette |
| 1980 | Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "He Stopped Loving Her Today" | Grammy | |
| 1980 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Academy of Country Music | |
| 1980 | Male Vocalist of the Year | CMA | |
| 1980 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Song of the Year | CMA | |
| 1980 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Single of the Year | CMA | |
| 1981 | Male Vocalist of the Year | CMA | |
| 1981 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Song of the Year | CMA | Won "Song of the Year" two years in a row. |
| 1981 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Music City News | |
| 1981 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Single of the Year | Music City News | |
| 1986 | Music Video of the Year | CMA | |
| 1987 | Living Legend | Music City News | |
| 1992 | "He Stopped Loving Her Today" Voted All-Time Country Song | ||
| 1992 | Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame | Country Music Hall of Fame | |
| 1993 | The Pioneer Award | Academy of Country Music | |
| 1993 | Vocal Event of the Year | CMA | with Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, Pam Tillis, T. Graham Brown, Mark Chesnutt, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, and Clint Black |
| 1995 | Vocal Collaboration of the Year | TNN/Music City News | |
| 1998 | Hall of Fame Award | Grammy | |
| 1998 | Vocal Event of the Year | CMA | with Patty Loveless |
| 1999 | Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Choices" | Grammy | |
| 2002 | U.S. National Medal of Arts | National Endowment of the Arts | |
| 2003 | Ranked #3 of the 40 greatest men in country music | CMT |
[edit] Discography
| Year | Album | Record Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | The Grand Ole Opry's New Star | Starday Records |
| 1958 | Hillbilly Hit Parade | Starday Records |
| 1958 | Long Live King George | Starday Records |
| 1959 | Country Church Time | Mercury Records |
| 1959 | White Ligtning and Other Favorites | Mercury Records |
| 1960 | George Jones Salutes Hank Williams | Mercury Records |
| 1961 | Country and Western Hits | Mercury Records |
| 1962 | From the Heart | Mercury Records |
| 1962 | Sings Country and Western Hits | Mercury Records |
| 1962 | George Jones Sings Bob Willis | United Artists Records |
| 1962 | Homecoming in Heaven | United Artists Records |
| 1962 | My Favorites of Hank Williams | United Artists Records |
| 1963 | I Wish Tonight Would Never End | United Artists Records |
| 1963 | What's in Our Hearts | United Artists Records |
| 1964 | A King & Two Queens | United Artists Records |
| 1964 | Bluegrass Hootenanny | United Artists Records |
[edit] Gold & Platinum Albums
| Certification Date | Album | Certified | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/18/81 | I Am What I Am | Gold | Epic Records |
| 12/29/83 | I Am What I Am | Platinum | Epic Records |
| 09/11/89 | Anniversary - 10 Years Of Hits | Gold | Epic Records |
| 12/18/90 | Still The Same Ole Me | Gold | Epic Records |
| 02/13/92 | Super Hits | Gold | Epic Records |
| 02/03/94 | Super Hits | Platinum | Epic Records |
| 10/04/94 | Walls Can Fall | Gold | MCA Nashville Records |
| 12/05/94 | Wine Colored Roses | Gold | Epic Records |
| 09/12/95 | George and Tammy Super Hits | Gold | Epic Records |
| 03/07/00 | Cold Hard Truth | Gold | Asylum Records |
| 07/03/01 | High Tech Redneck | Gold | MCA Nashville Records |
| 11/05/02 | 16 Biggest Hits | Gold | Epic Records/Legacy Recordings |
| 11/05/02 | Super Hits | 2x Platinum | Epic Records |
| 10/25/05 | 50 Years Of Hits | Gold | Bandit Records |
[edit] Music Videos
| Year | Video | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" | |
| 1987 | "The Old Man No One Loves" | |
| 1991 | "She Loved A Lot In Her Time" | |
| 1991 | "You Couldn't Get the Picture" | |
| 1992 | "Walls Can Fall" | |
| 1993 | "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" | |
| 1993 | "High Tech Redneck" | |
| 1994 | "A Good Year for the Roses" | with Alan Jackson |
| 1995 | "One" | with Tammy Wynette |
| 1996 | "Honky Tonk Song" | |
| 1998 | "Wild Irish Rose" | |
| 1999 | "Choices" | |
| 1999 | "The Cold Hard Truth" | |
| 2002 | "50,000 Names" | |
| 2005 | "The Blues Man" | with Dolly Parton |
| 2006 | "Funny How Time Slips Away" |
[edit] Songs In Top 100 Since 1955
In parentheses: weeks at #1, #2, or #3[6]
| No. | First Charted | Peak Position | Weeks Charted | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10/29/55 | 4 | 18 | Why Baby Why, co-written by Jones |
| 2 | 1/28/56 | 7 | 7 | What Am I Worth, co-written by Jones |
| 3 | 7/14/56 | 7 | 8 | You Gotta Be My Baby, written by Jones |
| 4 | 10/20/56 | 3 (1) | 11 | Just One More, written by Jones |
| 5 | 5 | Gonna Come Get You (Juke Box flip side hit, apparently, of Just One More), written by Jones | ||
| 6 | 1/26/57 | 10 | 1 | Yearning (with Jeanette Hicks), co-written by Jones |
| 7 | 3/9/57 | 10 | 2 | Don't Stop The Music, written by Jones |
| 8 | 1 | Uh, Uh, No (Juke Box flip side hit, apparently, of Don't Stop The Music), written by Jones | ||
| 9 | 6/10/57 | 13 | 6 | Too Much Water, co-written by Jones |
| 10 | 4/14/58 | 7 | 10 | Color of the Blues, co-written by Jones |
| 11 | 11/17/58 | 6 | 16 | Treasure of Love, co-written by Jones |
| 12 | 12/8/58 | 29 | 1 | If I Don't Love You (Grits Ain't Groceries), flip side, apparently, of Treasure of Love, co-written by Jones |
| 13 | 3/9/59 | 1 (5) | 22 | White Lightning |
| 14 | 7/20/59 | 7 | 13 | Who Shot Sam, co-written by Jones |
| 15 | 11/23/59 | 15 | 12 | Money To Burn |
| 16 | 11/23/59 | 19 | 12 | Big Harlan Taylor, flip side, apparently, of Money To Burn |
| 17 | 4/4/60 | 16 | 12 | Accidentally On Purpose, co-written by Jones |
| 18 | 4/25/60 | 30 | 1 | Sparkling Brown Eyes, flip side, apparently, of Accidentally On Purpose |
| 19 | 8/22/60 | 25 | 2 | Out Of Control, co-written by Jones |
| 20 | 11/7/60 | 2 (1) | 34 | The Window Up Above, written by Jones |
| 21 | 5/29/61 | 16 | 2 | Family Bible |
| 22 | 6/19/61 | 1 (7) | 32 | Tender Years |
| 23 | 9/18/61 | 15 (1) | 3 | Did I Ever Tell You (with Margie Singleton) |
| 24 | 2/24/62 | 5 | 12 | Aching, Breaking Heart |
| 25 | 4/14/62 | 1 (6) | 23 | She Thinks I Still Care Grammy: Hall of Fame |
| 26 | 4/28/62 | 17 | 5 | Sometimes You Just Can't Win, flip side, apparently, of She Thinks I Still Care |
| 27 | 6/16/62 | 11 | 10 | Waltz Of The Angels (with Margie Singleton) |
| 28 | 7/21/62 | 13 | 11 | Open Pit Mine |
| 29 | 8/25/62 | 28 | 1 | You're Still On My Mind |
| 30 | 10/6/62 | 3 (4) | 18 | A Girl I Used To Know (& The Jones Boys) |
| 31 | 10/13/62 | 13 | 9 | Big Fool Of The Year (& The Jones Boys), flip side, apparently, of A Girl I Used To Know |
| 32 | 2/9/63 | 7 | 18 | Not What I Had In Mind (& The Jones Boys) |
| 33 | 4/6/63 | 29 | 1 | I Saw Me (& The Jones Boys), co-written by Jones |
| 34 | 5/4/63 | 3 (1) | 28 | We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds (with Melba Montgomery) |
| 35 | 7/13/63 | 5 | 22 | You Comb Her Hair |
| 36 | 11/30/63 | 20 | 5 | What's In Our Heart (with Melba Montgomery), co-written by Jones |
| 37 | 12/7/63 | 17 | 7 | Let's Invite Them Over (with Melba Montgomery), flip side, apparently, of What's In Our Heart |
| 38 | 2/1/64 | 5 | 18 | Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On The Right) |
| 39 | 2/8/64 | 15 | 9 | My Tears Are Overdue, flip side, apparently, of Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On The Right) |
| 40 | 3/28/64 | 39 | 3 | The Last Town I Painted |
| 41 | 6/6/64 | 31 | 7 | Something I Dreamed |
| 42 | 6/20/64 | 10 | 16 | Where Does A Little Tear Come From, flip side, apparently, of Something I Dreamed |
| 43 | 9/5/64 | 31 | 5 | Please Be My Love (with Melba Montgomery) |
| 44 | 9/26/64 | 3 (6) | 28 | The Race Is On |
| 45 | 12/12/64 | 25 | 15 | Multiply The Heartaches (with Melba Montgomery) |
| 46 | 1/30/65 | 15 | 15 | Least Of All |
| 47 | 3/13/65 | 9 | 21 | Things Have Gone To Pieces |
| 48 | 4/24/65 | 16 | 10 | I've Got Five Dollars And It's Saturday Night (George & Gene) (with Gene Pitney) |
| 49 | 6/5/65 | 14 | 12 | Wrong Number, co-written by Jones |
| 50 | 7/3/65 | 25 | 7 | Louisiana Man (George & Gene) (with Gene Pitney) |
| 51 | 8/28/65 | 6 | 18 | Love Bug |
| 52 | 10/9/65 | 40 | 3 | What's Money, co-written by Jones |
| 53 | 11/6/65 | 8 | 18 | Take Me, co-written by Jones |
| 54 | 11/20/65 | 50 | 2 | Big Job (George & Gene) (with Gene Pitney) |
| 55 | 3/12/66 | 6 | 17 | I'm A People |
| 56 | 3/12/66 | 46 | 3 | World's Worse Loser |
| 57 | 6/4/66 | 47 | 3 | That's All It Took (George & Gene) (with Gene Pitney), co-written by Jones |
| 58 | 6/25/66 | 30 | 7 | Old Brush Arbors |
| 59 | 7/30/66 | 5 | 16 | Four-O-Thirty-Three, co-written by Jones |
| 60 | 11/19/66 | 70 | 3 | Close Together (As You And Me) (with Melba Montgomery) |
| 61 | 1/21/67 | 1 (2) | 22 | Walk Through This World With Me |
| 62 | 5/20/67 | 5 | 17 | I Can't Get There From Here |
| 63 | 9/9/67 | 24 | 10 | Party Pickin' (with Melba Montgomery) |
| 64 | 10/7/67 | 7 | 18 | If My Heart Had Windows |
| 65 | 2/3/68 | 8 | 14 | Say It's Not You |
| 66 | 4/13/68 | 35 | 11 | Small Time Laboring Man, co-written by Jones |
| 67 | 7/6/68 | 3 (1) | 13 | As Long As I Live |
| 68 | 9/28/68 | 12 | 12 | Milwaukee, Here I Come (With Brenda Carter) |
| 69 | 11/23/68 | 2 (2) | 17 | When The Grass Grows Over Me' |
| 70 | 3/29/69 | 2 (2) | 18 | I'll Share My World With You |
| 71 | 7/19/69 | 6 | 14 | If Not For You |
| 72 | 11/15/69 | 6 | 14 | She's Mine |
| 73 | 11/22/69 | 72 | 13 | No Blues Is Good News, flip side, apparently, of She's Mine |
| 74 | 3/14/70 | 28 | 10 | Where Grass Won't Grow |
| 75 | 7/4/70 | 13 | 14 | Tell Me My Lying Eyes Are Wrong (And The Jones Boys) |
| 76 | 11/21/70 | 2 (1) | 1 | A Good Year For The Roses |
| 77 | 3/20/71 | 10 | 13 | Sometimes You Just Can't Win, new version of his 1962 hit |
| 78 | 6/12/71 | 7 | 14 | Right Won't Touch A Hand |
| 79 | 10/2/71 | 13 | 12 | I'll Follow You (Up To Our Cloud) |
| 80 | 12/25/71 | 9 | 13 | Take Me (with Tammy Wynette), new version of his 1965 hit, co-written by Jones |
| 81 | 2/12/72 | 6 | 14 | We Can Make It |
| 82 | 2/12/72 | 30 | 8 | A Day In The Life Of A Fool |
| 83 | 5/20/72 | 2 (1) | 14 | Loving You Could Never Be Better |
| 84 | 7/8/72 | 6 | 15 | The Ceremony (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 85 | 10/14/72 | 46 | 7 | Wrapped Around Her Finger, co-written by Jones |
| 86 | 10/28/72 | 5 | 16 | A Picture Of Me (Without You) |
| 87 | 11/25/72 | 38 | 9 | Old Fashioned Singing (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 88 | 3/3/73 | 6 | 14 | What My Woman Can't Do, co-written by Jones |
| 89 | 4/7/73 | 32 | 9 | Let's Build A World Together (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 90 | 6/23/73 | 7 | 13 | Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) |
| 91 | 9/1/73 | 1 (2) | 17 | We're Gonna Hold On (with Tammy Wynette), co-written by Jones |
| 92 | 11/24/73 | 3 (1) | 16 | Once You've Had The Best |
| 93 | 2/9/74 | 15 | 13 | (We're Not) The Jet Set (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 94 | 4/6/74 | 25 | 12 | The Telephone Call (with stepdaughter Tina) |
| 95 | 6/8/74 | 1 (1) | 17 | The Grand Tour |
| 96 | 7/27/74 | 8 | 12 | We Loved It Away (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 97 | 10/26/74 | 1 (1) | 13 | The Door |
| 98 | 3/22/75 | 10 | 14 | These Days (I Barely Get By), co-written by Jones |
| 99 | 5/17/75 | 25 | 13 | God's Gonna Get'cha (For That) |
| 100 | 7/26/75 | 21 | 11 | Memories Of Us |
| 101 | 11/1/75 | 92 | 4 | I Just Don't Give A Damn, flip side, apparently, of Memories Of Us, co-written by Jones |
| 102 | 2/7/76 | 16 | 12 | The Battle |
| 103 | 5/22/76 | 37 | 9 | You Always Look Your Best (Here In My Arms) |
| 104 | 6/5/76 | 1 (1) | 15 | Golden Ring (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 105 | 9/4/76 | 3 (2) | 16 | Her Name Is |
| 106 | 12/11/76 | 1 (2) | 16 | Near You (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 107 | 5/21/77 | 34 | 8 | Old King Kong |
| 108 | 7/16/77 | 5 | 13 | Southern California (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 109 | 8/13/77 | 24 | 10 | If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You) |
| 110 | 1/7/78 | 6 | 14 | Bartender's Blues (James Taylor vocal harmony) |
| 111 | 7/1/78 | 11 | 13 | I'll Just Take It Out In Love |
| 112 | 12/9/78 | 7 | 13 | Mabellene (with Johnny PayCheck) |
| 113 | 5/26/79 | 14 | 11 | You Can Have Her (with Johnny PayCheck) |
| 114 | 6/30/79 | 22 | 11 | Someday My Day Will Come |
| 115 | 3/1/80 | 2 (1) | 14 | Two Story House (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 116 | 4/12/80 | 1 (1) | 18 | He Stopped Loving Her Today |
| 117 | 6/2/80 | 31 | 9 | When You're Ugly Like Us (You Just Naturally Got To Be Cool) (with Johnny PayCheck) |
| 118 | 8/23/80 | 2 (1) | 17 | I'm Not Ready Yet |
| 119 | 9/6/80 | 19 | 11 | A Pair Of Old Sneakers (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 120 | 12/13/80 | 18 | 12 | You Better Move On (with Johnny PayCheck) |
| 121 | 1/17/81 | 8 | 15 | If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) |
| 122 | 10/3/81 | 1 (1) | 17 | Still Doin' Time |
| 123 | 2/6/82 | 5 | 19 | Same Ole Me (Oak Ridge Boys backing vocals) |
| 124 | 8/7/82 | 1 | 15 | Yesterday's Wine (with Merle Haggard) |
| 125 | 12/4/82 | 10 | 19 | C. C. Waterback (with Merle Haggard) |
| 126 | 1/15/83 | 3 (2) | 19 | Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love On Me) |
| 127 | 5/7/83 | 1 (1) | 18 | I Always Get Lucky With You |
| 128 | 9/10/83 | 2 (1) | 22 | Tennessee Whiskey |
| 129 | 12/17/83 | 6 | 18 | We Didn't See A Thing (with Ray Charles and Chet Atkins) |
| 130 | 4/7/84 | 3 (2) | 19 | You've Still Got A Place In My Heart |
| 131 | 9/22/84 | 2 (3) | 23 | She's My Rock |
| 132 | 12/22/84 | 15 | 16 | Hallelujah, I Love You So (with Brenda Lee) |
| 133 | 4/27/85 | 19 | 18 | Size Seven Round (Made Of Gold) (with Lacy J. Dalton) |
| 134 | 8/3/85 | 3 (1) | 20 | Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes? |
| 135 | 11/23/85 | 3 (2) | 22 | The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song) |
| 136 | 4/19/86 | 9 | 21 | Somebody Wants Me Out Of The Way |
| 137 | 9/13/86 | 10 | 23 | Wine Colored Roses |
| 138 | 1/17/87 | 8 | 20 | The Right Left Hand |
| 139 | 5/16/87 | 26 | 18 | I Turn To You |
| 140 | 12/19/87 | 26 | 14 | The Bird |
| 141 | 2/26/88 | 52 | 10 | I'm A Survivor |
| 142 | 6/4/88 | 63 | 6 | The Old Man No One Loves |
| 143 | 9/3/88 | 43 | 10 | If I Could Bottle This Up (with Shelby Lynne) |
| 144 | 12/17/88 | 5 | 20 | I'm A One Woman Man |
| 145 | 4/29/89 | 26 | 13 | The King Is Gone (So Are You) |
| 146 | 7/29/89 | 31 | 16 | Writing On The Wall |
| 147 | 11/11/89 | 62 | 6 | Radio Lover |
| 148 | 9/8/90 | 8 | 20 | A Few Ole Country Boys (with Randy Travis) |
| 149 | 8/31/91 | 32 | 20 | You Couldn't Get The Picture |
| 150 | 1/11/92 | 55 | 14 | She Loved A Lot In Her Time |
| 151 | 4/11/92 | 60 | 7 | Honky Tonk Myself To Death |
| 152 | 10/17/92 | 34 | 20 | I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair (with Vince Gill, Mark Chesnutt, Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, Joe Diffie, Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis, T. Graham Brown, Patty Loveless, and Clint Black) |
| 153 | 3/20/93 | 65 | 6 | Wrong's What I Do Best |
| 154 | 11/13/93 | 24 | 20 | High-Tech Redneck |
| 155 | 3/12/94 | 52 | 10 | Never Bit A Bullet Like This (with Sammy Kershaw) |
| 156 | 11/12/94 | 56 | 7 | A Good Year For The Roses (with Alan Jackson) |
| 157 | 7/1/95 | 69 | 4 | One (with Tammy Wynette) |
| 158 | 9/14/96 | 66 | 6 | Honky Tonk Song |
| 159 | 9/20/97 | 14 | 20 | You Don't Seem To Miss Me (with Patty Loveless) |
| 160 | 5/80/99 | 30 | 20 | Choices |
| 161 | 11/6/99 | 45 | 20 | The Cold Hard Truth |
| 162 | 11/20/99 | 30 | 13 | A Country Boy Can Survive (Y2K Version) (with Hank Williams, Jr. and Chad Brock) |
| 163 | 5/13/00 | 55 | 12 | Sinners And Saints |
| 164 | 8/4/01 | 47 | 9 | The Man He Was |
| 165 | 10/13/01 | 24 | 20 | Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?) (with Garth Brooks) |
| 166 | 3/30/02 | 55 | 1 | 50,000 Names |
| 167 | 4/23/05 | 26 | 23 | 4th Of July (with Shooter Jennings) |
[edit] Trivia
- Jones is known as "No-Show Jones" as a result of his missing many performances during his days of drug and alcohol abuse.
- Jones has had more individual songs than any other singer on the country charts, 167 as of November 2005. He has had the most Top 40 Hits, 143. He is second to Eddy Arnold for the most Top 10 Hits, 78.
- According to a formula derived by Joel Whitburn, Jones is second to Eddy Arnold in his overall ranking for hits and their time on the charts.
- Jones has had four wives and was married twice before he was 24.
- The late Johnny Cash once stated "When people ask me who my favorite country singer is I say 'You mean besides George Jones?'"
- Jones was married to fellow country legend Tammy Wynette. They were married from 1969 until 1975
- Frank Sinatra once called Jones “the second best white male singer.”
- Jones’ 1980 hit, "He Stopped Loving Her Today", is considered by many to be the greatest country song of all time.
- He sings a duet with Harry Connick, Jr. called "Nothing New for New Year", on Connick's album Harry for the Holidays (2003).
- Jones has written or co-written many songs, such as "The Window Up Above," "Life to Go," "These Days (I Barely Get By)" (co-written with Tammy Wynette), "What My Woman Can't Do (Can't Be Done)," "A Drunk Can't Be A Man," "That's All It Took" (recorded by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris), "Why Baby Why," "We're Gonna Hold On," and "My Favorite Lies."
- George Jones met and played with Hank Williams when Williams appeared on a Beaumont, Texas radio station where Jones worked in the early fifties. Jones had been asked to back Hank on the electric guitar during a live radio performance. Jones has often recalled that he practiced intensely but when Hank kicked off the song he was so awestruck that he didn't hit one note during the entire performance.
- Jones has recorded with many other artists over the years, including duets with Gene Pitney, Johnny Paycheck, Merle Haggard, Melba Montgomery, Tammy Wynette, Randy Travis, Lacy J. Dalton, the Staples Singers, Mark Knopfler, Alan Jackson, Linda Ronstadt, Ricky Skaggs, and Dr. Hook.
- The late Waylon Jennings once said "If we could all sing like we wanted to, we'd all sound like George Jones."
- Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is an avid George Jones fan and got to record "Say It's Not You" with Jones during the Bradley Barn Sessions.
- Many artists from various genres of music have claimed to be George Jones fans, including Elvis Costello (who recorded with Jones on his My Very Special Guests LP), Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Sinatra, Mick Jagger, Gram Parsons, Kid Rock and John Fogerty.
- His wife, Nancy, unexpectedly had to accept his 1993 Country Music Association award because he was inconveniently disposed in the restroom at the time.
- While experimenting as a rockabilly singer during the fifties, Jones went by the name "Thumper Jones."
- Father of country music artist Georgette Jones.
[edit] Further reading and Reference
- In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998, ISBN 0-375-70082-X
- Country Music U.S.A., Bill C. Malone, University of Texas Press, 1985, ISBN 0-292-71096-8
- Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs, 1944 to 2005, Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls, WS, 2005, ISBN 0-89820-165-9
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/jones_george/bio.jhtml
- ^ Country Music U.S.A, Bill C. Malone, page 288
- ^ Jones, George. (1996). I Lived to Tell It All. New York: Dell Publishing Company
- ^ Wynette, Tammy; Wynette, Dew and Wynette, Joan, "Stand By Your Man," 1979, New York: Simon and Schuster
- ^ http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/jones_george/bio.jhtml
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs, 1944 to 2005, pages 194-196
[edit] See also
- Academy of Country Music
- List of country musicians
- Country Music Association
- List of best-selling music artists
- Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame (1992 Inductee)
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Official MySpace
- George Jones Country Sausage
- Record Label
- at the Country Music Hall of Fame
- at the Grand Ole Opry
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | George Glenn Jones |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | The Possum and No Show Jones |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Country Music Artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 12, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saratoga, Texas, United States of America |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
