BIOGRAPHY OF…..GEORGE JONES
Whether the times have favored honky tonk songs or lushly produced "pop" offerings, George Jones has continued to make his brand of county music, which has produced hits in every decade of the second half of the 20th century. In fact, Jones has had more charted singles than any other artist in any format in the history of popular music.
George Jones first hit the charts in the 1950s. In 1999, he celebrated the 40th Anniversary of his first Number One record, "White Lightning." It was also the year that Jones won his second Grammy as Best Male Country Vocalist for his performance on the single "Choices," his 164th charted record from the "Cold Hard Truth" CD. His only previous Grammy was in 1981 for his performance of "He Stopped Loving Her Today.
"Although there are other Gospel titles on the market, those songs were recorded separately over the years and eventually put together as albums. "I used to record a Gospel song or two every time I recorded an album in the old days. This is the first time that I ever sat down and decided on a group of songs to record and went into the studio specifically to make a Gospel collection," said Jones.
Whether the times have favored honky tonk songs or lushly produced "pop" offerings, George Jones has continued to make his brand of county music, which has produced hits in every decade of the second half of the 20th century. In fact, Jones has had more charted singles than any other artist in any format in the history of popular music.
As hard as it might seem, 2003 marks a first in Jones’ musical history. In April of this year, Jones released his first fully conceived Gospel Collection. Produced by Jones’ legendary producer, Billy Sherrill, GEORGE JONES Sings The Greatest Stories Ever Told: THE GOSPEL COLLECTION features 24 Southern Gospel favorites.
"I’ve always loved to sing Gospel music. Of course, growing up we all sang in the Church and my mother really loved the old Gospel songs. With the way my career started in the honky tonks and my own history, I sometimes felt it was wrong for me to sing these songs. After my car accident and after I had changed the way of my life, I felt really good about recording these songs. I felt that I was sober and worthy and just wanted to put out a collection of songs that praised the Lord and spoke of how wonderful life can be."
"I was thrilled to record this collection: Particularly because my wife, Nancy, talked my old friend and producer, Billy Sherrill, into coming out of retirement and producing the project. We had a blast working together again and I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it. I hope it reminds everyone what a great talent Billy is and what a distinctive sound he has. I also had the joy of recording with my old friend Patti Page and one of my new closest friends, the great Vestal Goodman."
Another first for Jones in 2003 is his entry into the food business. Jones has introduced a line of marinade sauces under the banner of "George Jones’ Ole Fashioned Steak Marinade" or Barbeque or Dipping Sauces. He has also introduced a line of sausage products called "George Jones’ Country Style Sausage" which features sausage patties, links, chubs and boxed sausage and biscuits. The sauces are produced by Pete’s Country Meat Market in Loretto, Tn. and the sausage is manufactured and distributed by Williams Sausage of Union City, Tn.
