I am devastated to announce the death of the greatest country singer of all time, George Jones. Has there been a great one than “No Show Jones”, from his “White Lightning” early years to his drug and alcohol mid period with late ex-wife Tammy wynette through to the consistent albums of the 1990s, Jones was, after Hank Williams, country music’s single greatest figure, and, after Frank Sinatra, the greatest male vocalist of the 20th century.
Everybody from Elvis C. to Emo rock owes their vocabulary of pain to the great man and nobody around today or yesterday for that matter can compare. Even Ray Charles loved him.
“He Stopped Loving Her Today”, “Good Year For The Roses”, “Brown To Blue”, “She Thinks I Still Care”, I wish there was some way to get his catalog in order!
I don’t think there is a music lover anywhere who isn’t completely distraught. I’ve been a fan since the early 1980s, Elvis Costello was the catalyst, his covers on Almost Blue and the George Jones And Friends HBO special. But it was over after that and I have been in awe of the great singer, the emotional backbone of country music for 50 years.
I only saw him live once, at Carnegie Hall in2006 and it wasn’t a great set but it was definitely George! I saw No Show!!!
RIP, big guy. Jones was 81, couldn’t we get another decade out of him?