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.Despite all that abuse, the man lived to the age of 81.
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.
April 26, 2013
"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.
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Goodbye George. You will be missed.
John Henry
On seeing this, I said, "Oh No!" I loved hearing his voice. The control and range. So sorry.
Sleep without dreams, George.
One of the greats. RIP
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.
Rightfully, a legend.
Thankfully, with enough humor to make fun of his past, like in this Vince Gill video.
Bet he shows up late at the Pearly Gates. Hope St. Peter is as understanding as his fans have been down through the years.
The Rolls Royce of country music.
Peace out, Possum.
The best.
My favorite:
Good Year for the Roses
He didn't have the face of a booze-hound so he must have been doing something right.
Who will be the third this week (Havens, Jones...)?
Oh, almost forget: He stopped loving her today.
A close second
The Grand Tour
And one more:
Walk Through This World With Me
He 'gave country music its voice'?
Not in the least.
For a drunk with emotional problems he sang some good songs though.
He stopped loving her today.
Country singer George Jones dies at 81
Buy through Althouse portal!
The Bradley Barn Sessions
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.
"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.
Awww. George Jones, RIP.
"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.
Man.
I justed listened to "He Stopped Loving Her Today" for the first time.
That's a real fucking punch to the gut.
I was not and am not a country fan, but I had some admiration for his hard life and long life. RIP.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Incredible songwriter. One of the best in the history of the U.S. Great singer too.
His liver may have died 20 years ago, but his amazing voice never abandoned him.
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.
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.
Who are "the three Hanks"? Williams, Snow, and Thompson? Or Williams, Williams Jr, and Williams III? (There may be other possible Hankful trios.)
Someone on facebook mentioned 'who's going to fill their shoes' and now that's going to be in my head all afternoon.
Or Williams, Williams Jr, and Williams III?
This one.
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.
@ Strelnikov
Chrissie Amphlett, lead singer of the Divinyls, on April 21st at age 53. George makes three.
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.
"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.").
He outlived Tammy by 15 years. Rest in Peace, George.
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.
RIP George, you will be missed.
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.
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