Jones, George

views updated

Jones, George

Jones, George, the ultimate honky-tonk singer; b. Saratoga, Tex., Sept. 12, 1931. Jones is the one artist that new country male vocalists of the 1980s and 1990s consistently cite as a key influence on their vocal style. Indeed, his distinctive singing style, often jumping from a grumbling bass to a falsetto hiccup within the same measure, is immediately recognizable. Jones is also one of those artists whose legend (as a rabble-rousing, hard-drinking, hard-living performer) has more than once threatened to engulf him, yet somehow he survives and maintains his popularity.

Jones began performing honky-tonk material after his discharge from the Marines in the early 1950s. In 1954, he hooked up with Harold “Pappy” Daily, who served as his manager and also ran Starday records, which issued his first recordings. His early records showed the deep influence of Hank Williams, although he also briefly jumped on the rockabilly bandwagon, recording under the names “Thumper Jones” and “Hank Smith and The Nashville Playboys.” His first big hits came at United Artists in the early 1960s with songs drenched in honky-tonk heartache, including 1962’s “She Thinks I Still Care.” He also recorded his first duets with Melba Montgomery at this time.

In the mid-1960s, Jones’s recordings suffered from the typical girly chorus and mushy strings that were among the worst excesses of the Nashville Sound. He married Tammy Wynette in 1969, and moved to her label, Epic, in 1971, hooking up with producer Billy Sherrill. There he recorded a series of hugely successful duets with his then-wife, beginning with 1973’s “We’re Gonna Hold On,” and continuing even after their divorce through the 1970s. He also recorded a number of solo hits, all custom-tailored to his legendary status as a heartbroken, heavy drinker: most notably 1981’s “If Drinking Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)” and 1986’s “The One I Loved Back Then.” In the late 1980s, Jones branched out to cut a series of duets with unlikely younger partners, from Linda Ronstadt to Elvis Costello and James Taylor. Through the 1980s, Jones had a tendency to coast along on his reputation, both in the choice of his material and in often lack-luster (or missed) performances. Of late, he has made yet another comeback (although he’s never really gone away) with “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair,” a good-natured but defiant statement of where this old fella’s coming from!

The revival of the honky-tonk sound among today’s “New Nashville” vocalists is largely credited to the influence of Jones. Every time Randy Travis dramatically drops his voice to a low bass note, he’s emulating the style pioneered by Jones. Although none of the new singers can match his unique vocal style, many try to emulate his image.

In 1992, Jones was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Four years later, he published his much-sanitized autobiography Jones has had trouble getting his more recent recordings played on country radio, despite the plaudits of many of today’s country stars. He was so dismayed when he was told that he could only perform part of his most recent release on the 1999 CMA awards show that he refused to attend, a symbolic gesture of old Nashville’s rejection of the more pop-oriented younger acts.

Discography

Sings (1960); Church Time (1960); Sings the Hits of His Country Cousins (1962); New Favorites (1962); Homecoming in Heaven (1962); Sings Bob Wills (1963); Sings Like the Dickens (1963); My Favorites of Hank Williams (1963); George Jones and Gene Pitney (1965); The Race Is On (1965); Live at Dancetown U.S.A. (live; 1965); At His Best (1967); I’ll Share My World with You (1969); Sings the Songs of Leon Payne (1973); The Grand Tour (1973); Bartender’s Blues (1978); My Very Special Guests (1979); IAm What I Am (1980); Double Trouble (with Johnny Paycheck; 1980); Still the Same Old Me (1981); A Taste of Yesterday’s Wine (with Merle Haggard; 1982); Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes (1984); By Request (1984); Wine-Colored Roses (1987); I’m a One-Woman Man (1988); First Time Live (1989); You Oughta Be Here (1990); Halleluja Weekend (1990); And Along Came Jones (1991); Friends in High Places (1991); Walls Can Fall (1992); High Tech Red Neck (1993); Bradley Barn Sessions (1994); I Lived to Tell It All (1996). tammy wynette:We Go Together (1971); We Love to Sing About Jesus (1972); Golden Ring (1976); Togetther Again (1980); Encore (1981); One (1995).