George Glenn Jones is one of the last of his breed:
Pure country singers.He is a link to a bygone age,
A time when the likes of Roy Acuff, Lefty Frizzell
And Hank Williams were kings of the jukebox,
When family values and the neighborhood church
Were important along with the honky-tonk down the street.
Well-respected within the Country Music
Community, George has been listed as the favorite
country singer by many of its top performers,
most of whom he has influenced.
Although he is one of the greatest honky-tonk
Singers, he has often been victimized by its way of life.
He was born September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas,
In a log cabin in an area known as the Big Thicket.
This was a hard area to live in and it was filled with
Lumber camps and oil fields.
George was the eighth child born to a
Heavy-drinking pipefitter (George Washington Jones)
and his wife (Clara).
His father played guitar and his mother played the piano;
They encouraged their son to take an interest in
Music and they bought him a guitar when he was
Just nine years old. It wasn't long before George
Learned how to play it well and he began to play at
Various local and church functions.
A few years later, the family moved to Beaumont
Where he played guitar in the streets for tips.
In 1947, George was hired to play in the band of
Eddie and Pearl at Beaumont's Playground.
This eventually led to his own radio show where a
Co-worker nicknamed him "the possum" due to his
Supposed similarity to the animal.
He married his first wife, Dorothy, at the age of 18,
But the couple was separated with one year.
George joined the U.S. Marines in 1950 and he
Performed while he was stationed in Southern California.
After returning home from Korea in late 1953,
George began playing at dances and in clubs all
George Jones' first country hit came in 1955 with
"Why Baby Why."this was followed by a brief
period as a rockabilly performer,
A time that George is not fond of remembering.
Even though he was asked to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in 1956,
He remained in Texas instead of making Nashville his home.
After leaving Starday for Mercury records in 1959,
George had a big hit with "White Lightning,"
written by his friend J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper),followed
by "Who Shot Sam" later in the year.
George Jones is much more than aconsummate country singer.
He is the model from which any true country artist must be made.
He is the result of a life filled with heartaches,
hard living and hard loving.
Throughout his career, he as never forgotten his
Country roots, even with the advent of the "country"
Music of today's crop of performers.
And, despite some recent events, it appears
George Jones will continue his career well into the next millenium.
