२६ एप्रिल, २०१३

"Hank Williams may have set country music's mythology and Johnny Cash its attitude, but [George] Jones gave the genre its ultimate voice...."

Goodbye to George Jones.
With recordings that spanned 50 years, including Number One singles White Lightning, She Thinks I Still Care and He Stopped Loving Her Today, Jones influenced generations of country singers and was considered by many to be the greatest of them all.

Jones' life also included legendary battles with substance abuse, mostly alcohol, and four marriages, including one to fellow singer Tammy Wynette and another, his last and longest, to Nancy Sepulvado.
Despite all that abuse, the man lived to the age of 81.

४३ टिप्पण्या:

John henry म्हणाले...

Goodbye George. You will be missed.

John Henry

Larry Davis म्हणाले...

On seeing this, I said, "Oh No!" I loved hearing his voice. The control and range. So sorry.

ricpic म्हणाले...

Sleep without dreams, George.

Patrick म्हणाले...

One of the greats. RIP

Patrick म्हणाले...

He drove to a liquor store on a riding lawnmower when his second wife, Shirley Corley, hid all the car keys.

When I was younger, I thought that was a cool and funny story. Now, I mostly think it's sad.

Calypso Facto म्हणाले...

Rightfully, a legend.

Thankfully, with enough humor to make fun of his past, like in this Vince Gill video.

Bob म्हणाले...

Bet he shows up late at the Pearly Gates. Hope St. Peter is as understanding as his fans have been down through the years.

अनामित म्हणाले...

The Rolls Royce of country music.

Peace out, Possum.

Widmerpool म्हणाले...

The best.

My favorite:

Good Year for the Roses

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

He didn't have the face of a booze-hound so he must have been doing something right.

Strelnikov म्हणाले...

Who will be the third this week (Havens, Jones...)?

Strelnikov म्हणाले...

Oh, almost forget: He stopped loving her today.

Widmerpool म्हणाले...

A close second

The Grand Tour

Widmerpool म्हणाले...

And one more:

Walk Through This World With Me

tiger म्हणाले...

He 'gave country music its voice'?

Not in the least.

For a drunk with emotional problems he sang some good songs though.

dreams म्हणाले...

He stopped loving her today.

Country singer George Jones dies at 81

Widmerpool म्हणाले...

Buy through Althouse portal!

The Bradley Barn Sessions

edutcher म्हणाले...

The epitome of Too Much, Too Soon.

And, like Jerry Garcia, nobody thought he would make it to retirement.

He did, because he was able to clean up his act, and that probably explains the length of his last marriage.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

"He Stopped Loving Her Today" has to be one of the all-time saddest songs in any musical genre. If you can listen to that song, or watch the ending to "Old Yeller," without tears in your eyes then you were born without a heart.

Shanna म्हणाले...

Awww. George Jones, RIP.

Shanna म्हणाले...

"He Stopped loving her today"

They placed a wreath upon his door And soon they'll carry him away...

I always thought it was funny when Hillary made her 'no tammy wynette standing by her man' comment because Tammy Wynette left George because of his drinking. He managed to live through it all and was still making music a few years back.

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

Man.

I justed listened to "He Stopped Loving Her Today" for the first time.

That's a real fucking punch to the gut.

Methadras म्हणाले...

I was not and am not a country fan, but I had some admiration for his hard life and long life. RIP.

jacksonjay म्हणाले...


I always thought it was funny when Hillary made her 'no tammy wynette standing by her man' comment because Tammy Wynette left George because of his drinking. He managed to live through it all and was still making music a few years back.

The irony of Hillary's stupid comment is that Tammy was one hellofa tough lady! Independent, self-made and tough as nails!

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Jones came by his popularity among Southerners honestly: He was a Marine and a binge drinker. But even with his limitations, we have learned that we can trust men like him.

Baron Zemo म्हणाले...

George Jones is what country music is all about. He is the master.

One of my favorite songs of all time is his brilliant Choices!

Æthelflæd म्हणाले...

Walk Through This World with Me is my favorite. I believe he's been sober for close to 20 years now. He also sang some gospel with Vestal Goodman in his later years.

Dr Weevil म्हणाले...

Perhaps even sadder than the song: when Tammy Wynette died at 55, he said he never thought (with all his drinking and drugging) that he'd outlive her.

Farmer म्हणाले...

Incredible songwriter. One of the best in the history of the U.S. Great singer too.

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

His liver may have died 20 years ago, but his amazing voice never abandoned him.

Unknown म्हणाले...

An entire book on the making of "He Stopped Loving Her Today". Pretty good read.

http://www.amazon.com/Stopped-Loving-Her-Today-Pretty-Much/dp/1617031011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366995426&sr=8-1&keywords=isenhour

Our Professor might like you to order it.

Cody Jarrett म्हणाले...

I always thought I should be a George Jones fan, but I never really was. I much prefer any of the three Hanks, and Cash is King.

But still...it's a loss.

Dr Weevil म्हणाले...

Who are "the three Hanks"? Williams, Snow, and Thompson? Or Williams, Williams Jr, and Williams III? (There may be other possible Hankful trios.)

Shanna म्हणाले...

Someone on facebook mentioned 'who's going to fill their shoes' and now that's going to be in my head all afternoon.

Shanna म्हणाले...

Or Williams, Williams Jr, and Williams III?

This one.

Dr Weevil म्हणाले...

Another amusing-but-sad thing: the reviewer of his memoirs in (I think) The American Spectator noted that he ended up apologizing for a lot of things he didn't even remember doing. Also, that people had thought for years that the lawnmower story was too bad to be entirely true, but he confirmed it in the book. As I recall, he not only drove a ride-on mower 8 miles to the liquor store when his wife hid the car-keys, he was pulled over for drunken driving on the way back home.

Clyde म्हणाले...

@ Strelnikov

Chrissie Amphlett, lead singer of the Divinyls, on April 21st at age 53. George makes three.

Clyde म्हणाले...

I had to make a trip to the library to return a couple of books that were due today. On the way home, I stopped off for pizza and as I was driving back, I heard it mentioned on the country station I was listening to. They then played "The One I Loved Back Then," which is one of my favorite George Jones songs. I love the little twist to the story.

I'm having a beer in George's memory, since I don't have any whiskey in the house.

Steve Koch म्हणाले...

"He stopped loving her today", what a great, great song. Jones hated the song and said "Nobody'll buy that morbid son of a bitch". It turned out to be the country song of the year, won a Grammy, and rejuvenated Jones' career (Jones said "a four-decade career had been salvaged by a three-minute song.").

Michael म्हणाले...

He outlived Tammy by 15 years. Rest in Peace, George.

JohnJ म्हणाले...

Jones' rendition of "When Did You Stop Loving Me?"

One of the very few country songs I'd go out of my way to hear--even after it was appropriated by Honda (I think it was).

Gonna be sure to play it on the way home, tonight.

Ipso Fatso म्हणाले...

RIP George, you will be missed.

sakredkow म्हणाले...

I was partial to The Grand Tour - which I first heard on Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Show. Bob called it a "rip snorter" and it surely is.