From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Thu Sep 12, 2002 1:18 am Subject: Born To Be With You : George Jones GEORGE JONES (By Alain Dormoy) Born George Glenn Jones, 12 September 1931, Saratoga, Texas. Nicknamed "The Possum", George Jones is widely considered the greatest honky tonk singer, the direct inheritor of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. As a teenager, he worked with local artists in Beaumont, Texas, imitating Roy Acuff and Hank Williams. After his first marriage had foundered after slightly more than a year, he joined the marines and performed while he was stationed in south California. After being discharged in 1953, he went back to Beaumont where he met Harold "Pappy" Daily, co-founder of the young Starday Records. His first record, "No Money In This Deal" caught little public attention but Jones became part of the Houston Jamboree barn dance show, taking a second job as a Beaumont DJ, soon getting married for the second time. He had his first top ten hit with "Why Baby Why" in 1955, followed by three more in 1956. Trying to capitalise on Elvis' success, Pappy Daily had him record some rockabilly material under the name "Thumper Jones". In 1959, "White Lightning", penned by The Big Bopper, became his biggest hit yet, followed by "Who Shot Sam". It was in 1960 that he started to develop the famous ballad style that would inspire so many imitators. "Tender Years" in 1961 was number one for 7 weeks. He was still produced by Pappy Daily but they both had moved to Mercury by that time. They went on to United Artists in the early 60's where they had several more hits, the biggest one being "She Thinks I Still Care". George got the Billboard Favorite Country Vocalist award. In 1963 he had another major hit with "The Race Is On" and he did a duet with Melba Montgomery called "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds". Daily moved him to Musicor Records in 1965 where he recorded as many as 300 songs, including some duets with Gene Pitney. Among his major hits with Musicor: "The Love Bug" and Dallas Frazier's "Walk Through This World With Me" in 1967, his first number one since 1962. His hard drinking lifestyle was attracting notice and his second marriage ended in 1968. That's when he met Tammy Wynette whom he married in 1969, joining the Grand Ole Opry that same year. They could not record together until George's Musicor contract ended in 1970. At that time, Billy Sherrill brought George to the Epic label, putting an end to his 15-year co-operation with Pappy Daily. Sherrill was regularly using strings and pop ingredients in the records he produced. George had several his at Epic, both alone and with Tammy. Their married life was becoming difficult with George's lifestyle. They were divorced in 1975, but Sherrill, knowing their domestic problems were making headlines, was shrewd enough to foresee the profit that could be derived from having them do duets even after they were divorced: They had two number one hits in 1976: "Golden Ring" and "Near You". What was George's greatest triumph came in 1980 with a Bobby Braddock ballad, "He Stopped Loving Her Today". Another number one which earned George a Grammy (Country song of the year), a Country Music Association award both for Song of the year and Single of the year. On top of that Jones won Male vocalist of the year (in '80 and again in '81) and the album containing the song, I Am What I Am, won George his first gold record. His personal crises were worsening, and doubts were arising as to how long he could survive, both artistically (he was nicknamed "No Show Jones") and physically. After having a number of short-lived relationships with women, he was married for the fourth time. He moved from Nashville to Texas with his new wife Nancy Sepulveda in 1983 and began to recover, to the point of being able to cut liquor and end his drug dependency. He continued making hits, including a duet with Ray Charles "We Didn't See A Thing" (he also did a duet with Brenda Lee). Over the 80's he restored his credibility, having been where Hank Williams had been *and back*. He had never really been away from the country scene but in 1992 "I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair", in which he expressed his determined refusal to retire, was perceived as a come back. He had left Epic, after his final hit there with Johnny Horton's "One Woman Man" and had joined MCA. He is still making credible music and, consciously or not, many of today's country singers still try to emulate the style he pioneered. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1992. Autobiography: George Jones with Tom Carter, I Lived To Tell It All. New York : Villard, 1996. (Paperback : New York : Dell, 1997.) Official website: http://www.georgejones.com Recommended listening : The Essential George Jones : The Spirit Of Country (Sony Legacy). 2 CD-set, 44 tracks from 1955-1978.