I’m so thankful I got to see this legend perform back in the 90′s and I was looking forward to seeing him again this year. RIP Mr. Jones. shera~
George Jones, a hard-living honky-tonk singer whose piercing, emotive voice spawned countless imitators and whose marriage to Tammy Wynette was one of the most turbulent in country music, died April 26 at a hospital in Nashville. He was 81.
His publicist, Kirt Webster, told the Associated Press that Mr. Jones was hospitalized for a fever and irregular blood pressure.
Mr. Jones was one of the most honored performers in his profession. Music writers often placed him in the same echelon as Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday for his expressive and unguarded style.
“With other country singers, it’s almost about what they hold back. With Jones, it’s almost a cry for help, pure emotion,” said country music historian Bob Allen, describing Mr. Jones’s singing style. “He could bring a palpable anguish to a song.”
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Mr. Jones influenced several generations of singers and put an astonishing 72 hits from 1955 to 1988 on the Billboard country charts — including his first success, “Why Baby Why” (1955), the moonshiner’s anthem “White Lightning” (1959) and “The Race Is On” (1965).
He recorded with fellow country singers Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck but also duetted with such pop performers as Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards and Gene Pitney.MORE
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