Died On This Date (April 26, 2013) George Jones / Country Music Legend
themusicsover George Jones
September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013
George Jones was country music, period. Born in Saratoga, Texas, Jones took to country music as early as 7 years old. He was given his first guitar at nine, and when he turned 16, he left home to pursue his career in music. After serving in California during the Korean War, Jones’ career sped into overdrive. His first hit, “White Lightning” came in 1959, and for the next fifty years, he had at least one every year. His wild days are legendary, in fact, he was so often late for his own concerts due in part to his indiscretions, one of a handful of his nicknames was No Show Jones. Another was The Possum, but the name that has been tagged to him for over two decades prior to his death is the most fitting, The Greatest Living Country Singer. Such a great singer in fact, that the late great Waylon Jennings included the line, “If we all could sound like we wanted to, we’d all sound like George Jones” in his hit, “It’s Alright.” The list of Jones’ achievements and awards is staggering. The first one came in 1956 when Billboard named him the years Most Promising Artist. Several Grammys followed, as did Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards. In 2002, he was recognized with a U.S. National Medal Of Arts, and in 2008, he was a Kennedy Center Honoree. On April 18, 2013, George Jones was admitted to the hospital suffering from a fever and irregular blood pressure. On April 26, 2013, he passed away at the age of 81. He stopped loving her today.
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