Difference between revisions of "George Jones" - New World Encyclopedia
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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.<ref>Jones, George. ''I Lived to Tell It All.'' New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1996.</ref> | 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.<ref>Jones, George. ''I Lived to Tell It All.'' New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1996.</ref> | ||
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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 [[psychiatric 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, Sr.|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. | 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 [[psychiatric 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, Sr.|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.|Hank Williams, Jr's]] "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" in 1984 while the second was [[Vince Gill|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 Tractor|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 behind him, would reply back to Gill "hey sweetpea." | Poking fun at his past, two country music videos would feature Jones arriving on a riding lawn mower. The first was [[Hank Williams, Jr.|Hank Williams, Jr's]] "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" in 1984 while the second was [[Vince Gill|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 Tractor|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 behind him, would reply back to Gill "hey sweetpea." | ||
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==Awards== | ==Awards== | ||
Revision as of 02:26, 12 September 2008
| George Jones | |
|---|---|
 Jones performing at Harrah's Metropolis in Metropolis, Illinois in June 2002
| |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Glenn Jones |
| Also known as | The Possum No Show Jones |
| Born | September 12 1931 (age 92) |
| Origin | Saratoga, Texas, USA |
| Genre(s) | Country Music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-Songwriter Guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Acoustic Guitar Piano [citation needed] Vocals |
| Years active | 1954 – Present |
| Label(s) | Starday (1954 - 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 |
| Members | |
| Country Music Hall of Fame Grand Ole Opry | |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Acoustic Guitar | |
George Glenn Jones (born September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas), is an award-winning American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette.
Over the past 20 years, Jones has frequently been referred to as "the greatest living country 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."
Throughout his long career, Jones made headlines often as much for tales of his drinking, stormy relationships with women, and violent rages as for his prolific career of making records and touring. His wild lifestyle led to Jones missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones," but Jones never hid or denied his faults and now, with the help of his fourth wife, he has been "clean" for years. Jones clocked up scores of hits during his career, both as a solo artist and in duets with other artists. Jone was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992, and in 2002 he received the U.S. National Medal of Arts.
Early life
Jones was born in Saratoga, Texas and raised in Vidor, Texas, along with his brother and five sisters (another sister died young before George was born), being exposed to music from an early age from his parents own record collection and listening to the gospel music he heard in church. When George was seven, the Jones family bought a radio which introduced George to the country music that would become his life. The gift of a guitar when Jones was a young boy of nine soon saw him busking for money on the streets of his home town Beaumont.
Jones left home at 16 and headed for Jasper, Texas where he found work singing and playing on a local radio station. Before he was out of his teens he married his first wife, Dorothy, but their union didn't even last a full year and Jones joined the USMC. Despite the Korean War being fought at the time, Jones never experienced active service overseas, instead he sang in bars near his base in California. After leaving the Marines his music career took off. Jones will be awarded Kennedy Center Honors for his contribution to American arts and culture on December 8, 2008.
Recent life
He currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, Nancy Jones. Also in a separate house on his property live Sherry Hohimer, his stepdaughter. Sherry's husband, Kirk, helps George Jones with concert setup. Sherry and Kirk's children Carlos and Breann Hohimer and his other step daughter Adina and her son Cameron Estes who had lived on the property (George's grandchildren) live on his property.
Despite being in his seventies, Jones is still an active recording artist and still tours extensively on the North American continent as well as overseas. His other projects include the George Jones "University" which is a twice-yearly training program for those wishing to learn about a career in the music business. He also endorses his own brand of sausages which are produced for him by Williams Sausage Company of Tennessee using Jones's own recipe. The product boxes feature stories from Jones's colorful life. Other food products he has brought out include a range of barbecue sauces.
Jones and wife Nancy run a diner in Enterprise, Alabama, which is decorated with memorabilia from Jones's long career in the country-music business.
Jones is also a partner in Bandit Records, an independent record company set up by Jones and others when Jones's former record company Asylum Records was closed down by its owners AOL Time Warner. Bandit Records philosophy is to "create unique, interesting projects with artistic integrity that can operate free from the constraints of the corporate music industry."
In 2006, he was treated in hospital for pneumonia but made a full recovery and continued with his prolific touring schedule.
2008 marks Jones's fifty-fifth year recording country music (1954-2008, inclusive, according to all major biographies), while he first hit the charts in 1955, according to GeorgeJones.com. Additionally, it is his thirty-ninth (1969-2008, inclusive) as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
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. Georgette Jones, now a published country singer in her own right, has performed on stage with her famous father. He married his current wife, Nancy Sepulveda, on March 4, 1983 in Woodville, TX. Sepulveda also became his manager. Jones credits Nancy for rescuing him from drinking, as well as cocaine consumption. The couple currently live in Enterprise, Alabama.
Substance 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. He was given the nickname "No-Show Jones" as a result of his missing many performances during his days of drug abuse.
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.
{{cquote|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 10-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.[1]
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 psychiatric 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 behind him, would reply back to Gill "hey sweetpea."
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: "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" | 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: "I Don't Need Your Rockin Chair" | 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: "A Good Year for the Roses" with Alan Jackson | TNN/Music City News | ||
| 1998 | Hall of Fame Award | Grammy | ||
| 1998 | Vocal Event of the Year: "You Don't Seem to Miss Me" | CMA | with Patty Loveless | |
| 1999 | Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Choices" | Grammy | ||
| 2001 | Vocal Event of the Year: "Too Country" | CMA | with Brad Paisley, Bill Anderson, and Buck Owens | |
| 2002 | U.S. National Medal of Arts | National Endowment of the Arts | ||
| 2003 | Ranked #3 of the 40 Greatest Men of Country Music | CMT | ||
| 2007 | The key to the city of Corpus Christi, Texas | The city of Corpus Christi, Texas | ||
| 2008 | Kennedy Center Honors | Washington, D.C. |
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | US Country | Billboard 200 | Label | RIAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Grand Ole Opry's New Star | - | - | Starday | - |
| 1958 | Hillbilly Hit Parade | - | - | - | |
| 1958 | Long Live King George | - | - | - | |
| 1959 | Country Church Time | - | - | Mercury | - |
| 1959 | White Lightning and Other Favorites | - | - | - | |
| 1960 | George Jones Salutes Hank Williams | - | - | - | |
| 1962 | Songs from the Heart | - | - | - | |
| 1962 | Sings Country and Western Hits | - | - | - | |
| 1962 | George Jones Sings Bob Wills | - | - | United Artists | - |
| 1962 | Homecoming in Heaven | - | - | - | |
| 1962 | My Favorites of Hank Williams | - | - | - | |
| 1963 | I Wish Tonight Would Never End | - | - | - | |
| 1963 | What's in Our Hearts (with Melba Montgomery) | 3 | - | - | |
| 1964 | A King & Two Queens (with Melba Montgomery and Judy Lynn) | - | - | - | |
| 1964 | Bluegrass Hootenanny (with Melba Montgomery) | 12 | - | - | |
| 1964 | George Jones Sings Like The Dickens! | 6 | - | - | |
| 1965 | Famous Country Duets (with Gene Pitney and Melba Montgomery) |
- | - | Musicor | - |
| 1965 | George Jones and Gene Pitney: For the First Time! Two Great Singers (with Gene Pitney) |
3 | 141 | - | |
| 1965 | George Jones and Gene Pitney (Recorded in Nashville!) (with Gene Pitney) | - | - | - | |
| 1965 | Mr. Country & Western Music | 13 | - | - | |
| 1965 | New Country Hits | 5 | - | - | |
| 1965 | Old Brush Arbors | - | - | - | |
| 1966 | Country Heart | - | - | - | |
| 1966 | I'm a People | 1 | - | - | |
| 1966 | It's Country Time Again! (with Gene Pitney) | 17 | - | - | |
| 1966 | Love Bug | 7 | - | - | |
| 1966 | We Found Heaven Right Here on Earth at "4033" | 3 | - | - | |
| 1967 | Hits by George | 9 | - | - | |
| 1967 | Walk Through This World with Me | 2 | - | - | |
| 1968 | If My Heart Had Windows | 12 | - | - | |
| 1968 | Sings the Songs of Dallas Frazier | 14 | - | - | |
| 1969 | I'll Share My World with You | 5 | 185 | - | |
| 1969 | Where Grass Won't Grow | 15 | - | - | |
| 1970 | Will You Visit Me on Sunday? | 44 | - | - | |
| 1971 | George Jones with Love | 9 | - | - | |
| 1971 | George Jones Sings the Great Songs of Leon Payne | 26 | - | - | |
| 1971 | We Go Together (with Tammy Wynette) | 3 | 169 | Epic | - |
| 1972 | A Picture of Me (Without You) | 3 | - | - | |
| 1972 | George Jones (We Can Make It) | 10 | - | - | |
| 1972 | Me and the First Lady (with Tammy Wynette) | 6 | - | - | |
| 1972 | We Love to Sing About Jesus (with Tammy Wynette) | 38 | - | - | |
| 1973 | Let's Build a World Together (with Tammy Wynette) | 12 | - | - | |
| 1973 | Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You) | 12 | - | - | |
| 1973 | We're Gonna Hold On (with Tammy Wynette) | 3 | - | - | |
| 1974 | In a Gospel Way | 42 | - | - | |
| 1974 | The Grand Tour | 11 | - | - | |
| 1975 | George & Tammy & Tina (with Tammy Wynette) | 37 | - | - | |
| 1975 | Memories of Us | 43 | - | - | |
| 1976 | Alone Again | 9 | - | - | |
| 1976 | Golden Ring (with Tammy Wynette) | 1 | - | - | |
| 1976 | The Battle | 36 | - | - | |
| 1978 | Bartender's Blues | 34 | - | - | |
| 1979 | My Very Special Guests (with various artists) | 38 | - | - | |
| 1980 | Double Trouble (with Johnny Paycheck) | 45 | - | - | |
| 1980 | I Am What I Am | 7 | 132 | Platinum | |
| 1981 | Together Again (with Tammy Wynette) | 26 | - | - | |
| 1981 | Still the Same Ole Me | 3 | 115 | Gold | |
| 1982 | A Taste of Yesterday's Wine (with Merle Haggard) | - | 123 | - | |
| 1982 | Anniversary - 10 Years Of Hits | 16 | - | Gold | |
| 1983 | Jones Country | 27 | - | - | |
| 1983 | Shine On | 7 | - | - | |
| 1984 | You've Still Got a Place in My Heart | 17 | - | - | |
| 1984 | Ladies' Choice | 25 | - | - | |
| 1984 | By Request | 33 | - | - | |
| 1984 | First Time Live | 45 | - | - | |
| 1985 | Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes? | 6 | - | - | |
| 1986 | Wine Colored Roses | 5 | - | Gold | |
| 1987 | Too Wild Too Long | 14 | - | - | |
| 1987 | Super Hits | 26 | - | 2× Multi-Platinum | |
| 1989 | One Woman Man | 13 | - | - | |
| 1990 | You Oughta Be Here with Me | 35 | - | - | |
| 1991 | Friends in High Places | 72 | - | - | |
| 1991 | And Along Came Jones | 22 | 148 | MCA | - |
| 1992 | Walls Can Fall | 24 | 77 | Gold | |
| 1993 | High Tech Redneck | 30 | 124 | Gold | |
| 1993 | Super Hits, Volume 2 | - | - | Epic | - |
| 1994 | Bradley Barn Sessions (with various artists) | 23 | 142 | MCA | - |
| 1995 | George and Tammy Super Hits (with Tammy Wynette) | - | - | Epic | Gold |
| 1995 | One (with Tammy Wynette) | 12 | 117 | MCA | - |
| 1996 | I Lived to Tell It All | 26 | 171 | - | |
| 1998 | It Don't Get Any Better Than This | 37 | - | - | |
| 1998 | 16 Biggest Hits | 50 | - | Epic | Gold |
| 1999 | Cold Hard Truth | 5 | 53 | Asylum | Gold |
| 1999 | Live With the Possum | 72 | - | - | |
| 2001 | The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001 | 5 | 65 | Bandit | - |
| 2003 | The Gospel Collection | 19 | 131 | - | |
| 2004 | 50 Years Of Hits | 20 | 118 | Gold | |
| 2005 | Hits I Missed...And One I Didn't | 13 | 79 | - | |
| 2006 | God's Country: George Jones and Friends (with various artists) | 58 | - | Category 5 | - |
| 2006 | Kicking Out the Footlights...Again (with Merle Haggard) | 25 | 119 | Bandit | - |
| 2008 | Burn Your Playhouse Down - The Unreleased Duets | 15 | 79 | - |
Fourteen number-1 U.S. Country Hits
- "White Lightning" (1959)
- "Tender Years" (1961)
- "She Thinks I Still Care" (1962)
- "Walk Through This World With Me" (1967)
- "We're Gonna Hold On" (with Tammy Wynette) (1973)
- "The Grand Tour" (1974)
- "The Door" (1975)
- "Golden Ring" (with Tammy Wynette) (1976)
- "Near You" (with Tammy Wynette) (1977)
- "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (1980)
- "(I Was Country) When Country Wasn't Cool" (with Barbara Mandrell) (1981)
- "Still Doin' Time" (1981)
- "Yesterday's Wine" (with Merle Haggard) (1982)
- "I Always Get Lucky With You" (1983)
Notes
- ↑ Jones, George. I Lived to Tell It All. New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1996.
Further reading
- Dawidoff, Nicholas. In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music. New York: Vintage Books, 1998, ISBN 0-375-70082-X
- Jones, George, with Carter, Tom. I Lived to Tell it All. New York: Dell Publishing, 1997, ISBN 0-440-22373-3
- Malone, Bill C. Country Music U.S.A.. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1985, ISBN 0-292-71096-8
External links
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