George Jones

Who was George Jones?

George Glenn Jones was an American musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including "White Lightning", as well as his distinctive voice and phrasing. For the last 20 years of his life, Jones was frequently referred to as the greatest living country singer. 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." Waylon Jennings expressed a common jealousy in his song "It's Alright": "If we all could sound like we wanted to, we'd all sound like George Jones." The shape of his nose and facial features gave Jones the nickname "The Possum." Jones said in an interview that he chose to tour only about 60 dates a year.

Born in Texas, Jones first heard country music when he was seven and was given a guitar at the age of nine. He married his first wife Dorothy Bonvillion in 1950, but ended in divorce in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps until his discharge in 1953. He later married Shirley Ann Corley in 1954. In 1959, Jones released a cover version of "White Lightning" by J. P. Richardson, which launched his career as a singer. After his second marriage ended in divorce in 1968, he married fellow country music singer Tammy Wynette a year later. Several years of alcoholism severely deteriorated his health and led to Jones missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones." After his divorce from Wynette in 1975, Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvado, in 1983 and Jones became mostly sober. Jones died in 2013, aged 81, from hypoxic respiratory failure. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. During his life, Jones had more than 150 hits during his career, both as a solo artist and in duets with other artists.