 
Chester Rosson (July 1997) George Jones might be called the embodiment of the honky-tonk cowboy singing tradition. Clearly the longtime master of the genre, his life has often reflected the content of his songs, complete with stormy marriages, bouts with drinking alternating with contrite drying out periods, pot shots taken at friends, and some fairly bizarre behavior (his stage appearances with the voice of Donald Duck, for instance). But throughout the personal difficulties he has produced a huge body of country music hits, many of them absolute classics. Out of some 150 of his songs that charted as hits over a recording career of forty years more than a dozen have been at number one. George Glenn Jones was born in the heart of the Big Thicket to a working family in the heart of the Great Depression. His musical education began with listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio and imitating Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe. After a brief first marriage at the age of 18 followed by a three-year tour with the Marines in California, Jones returned to Beaumont and took a job as a disc jockey. He had done some entertaining in California and met Starday Records founder Pappy Daily of Beaumont, with whom he began recording. He also began performing with the Houston Jamboree. In 1955 he had his first record success with "Why, Baby Why," followed in 1956 by three more Top Ten hits before the 1958 hit "White Lightnin" by his friend the Big Bopper finally hit number one. Many more have followed over the years, including "Tender Years, "You Comb Her Hair." "The Race is On," "Love Bug," and the all-time great "She Thinks I Still Care." His disastrous marriage to Tammy Wynette in 1969 produced memorable duet albums (which have been a staple of his career generally, with the likes of Melba Montgomery, Gene Pitney, Johnny Paycheck, and even James Taylor). His 1980 song "He Stopped Loving Her Today" won him a Grammy as Country Song of the Year. In 1992 he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and continues to produce great country music. |
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