George Jones
By Will Jordan
George Jones’ life story reads like a traditional country song. He overcame obstacles, beat all the odds and rose to the very top of the charts as a singer/songwriter only to be severely humbled by DUI arrests, car accidents, drug-induced psychoses and other near death experiences.
Many of his friends and fellow songsters died because of some of the same circumstances he has battled, but he and others who rallied around him with love and support didn’t allow tragedies to drag him to his grave, hence his nickname, “Possum.” He was only playing dead.
He’s now been dry for years, built back scorched relationships with family, friends and fans, and recently climbed back into the head chair of the country music table. Happy and ambitious again, Jones is content in his Williamson County community.
“This is a tough life, but it is a life I have loved,” the 73-year-old country music legend says. “All I ever wanted to do – and all I can do – is sing. And I have been very lucky to be able to say my dreams came true.
“I had some big problems with drinking and drugging, and I can’t blame it all on my career, but my career definitely helped it along. When you are famous, everyone wants to be your friend and give you things. Some of those things are not so good. It’s hard to tell what is real and what isn’t. You travel from one city to another every day, and it is hard to hold onto what is ‘normal.’ It’s hard to remember what is right and what isn’t. Then people look to you to have their answers and expect so much of you. The pressure of what everyone expects from you becomes a bit intense. You have lots of hours of doing nothing as you drive from one town to another and idle time sometimes leads you into things that you never would be normally.”
Jones was depicted in the tabloids for his erratic behavior, but seeing himself pictured in print and on TV may have helped encourage him to seek help.
“The press coverage of all of your mistakes is a nightmare,” he says. “It is not and was not nice to see myself being arrested or in bad shape on television and in the newspapers. But I was out of control with my addictions. I can only thank God that I cleaned up those messes before ‘reality’ shows and tabloid press became such a popular thing.”
Now the only headlines about Jones are positive. He was recently included in a group of 10 country artists who were commemorated with statues, during an evening billed as Legends in Bronze at Owens’ Crystal Palace. He also just celebrated his 50th year as a recording artist. Though he’s slowed down a bit on the road, his current tour is filling seats in every house he plays.
“Now-a-days, at my age, I tend to just want to work two or three days a week,” he says. “I always say I am only going to do 60 or 70 shows a year, but I always get talked into 90 or more. This fall, in fact, we are doing a 35-city tour in Canada. We toured there last year, and the crowds were just fantastic. We were selling 10,000 seats a night, and the fans were just hungry to hear real country music. With that kind of reception, you just get recharged and want to perform for those people.”
Jones still enjoys life on the road because he has whittled it down to a couple of days a week and because his wife, Nancy, is there.
“She travels with me and cooks on the bus, so it is not that much different than being at home,” he says. “The way we travel now-a-days, in big beautiful tour buses and jets, can’t be compared to the old days. We fly to a lot of shows and we have a fantastic bus that has everything – private bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. We basically live on it. We don’t even go to hotels.”
But Jones is quick to add that no place feels as comfortable as his home in Williamson County.
“I am out and about a lot in Williamson County,” he says. “I see my fans every day. I feel close to them because we see so much of them. I know a lot of the working people around Cool Springs and Franklin. We eat out at least one meal a day and we go into Franklin or Cool Springs all of the time. I have recording sessions, business meetings, etc., so people see a lot of me – probably more than they want. Franklin and Williamson County have been very good to me and my family. Our friends and neighbors are wonderful, and I love living here.”
When he is at home, Jones’ life is pretty normal – that is, for one of the most famous country music artists of all times.
He can be seen eating out, shopping at the CoolSprings Galleria or driving around Williamson County. He spends a lot of time working and overseeing projects on the Jones’ “compound,” where he and Nancy, his children and grandchildren live.
“I seem to always have projects going on at home, new fencing, paving roads, building bus barns, whatever,” he says. “I like to buy cars, so I am always looking at new models. I have my record company and various business activities like my sausage and water, so I participate in meetings and appearances. We have quite a bit of family living near, so I see the grandkids a lot. It is a good life, and I’m really happy to still be alive and enjoying it.”
The legendary country singer headlined the Williamson County Fair, scheduled last year at the Williamson County AgExpo Park on Long Lane in Franklin.
“I was excited to headline last year’s fair,” Jones says. “It’s always exciting to play your hometown area, but it does make you a bit nervous, to be honest. Of course, I celebrated my 50th anniversary as a recording artist, so I have quite a bit of material that people want to hear. I try to give them as many as I can in a show, but I change out my show every year so that we can rotate in some new songs.”
Even after all the tribulations he’s been through, his daughter, Georgette, has ignored his warnings and decided to follow in her father’s footsteps as a country music singer. She recently released her debut CD.
“I am excited and happy about Georgette’s debut CD, [but] truthfully, I did not encourage her that much to be in the record business,” he says. “This business takes a lot out of you, and she knows first hand what a toll it took on me and her mother, Tammy Wynette. As much as it may appear to be a glamorous job, it is very tough on those that do it. You sacrifice a lot of your life and, for a woman, it is particularly hard. That said, Georgette waited a while before she made the plunge and, if this is the life she wants, then I wish her all the success possible.”
Jones is also back in the studio, this time with old friend Willie Nelson, though both are so busy, it’s hard to find the time when they are both available to record.
“Willie and I started recording a project last year,” he says. “Who knows when it will be released? We’ve only got a couple of songs done so far. We’ve been recording in Nashville, and Willie doesn’t live here, so we catch up as he passes through town. We’re doing it simply because we thought it would be fun. We’ve also invited Merle Haggard and Jerry Lee Lewis to join us on a couple of songs.
“There are not then many of us ‘old timers’ left who are still recording and touring. Willie and I both lost a couple of very, very close friends with the passing of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. I think when we got together for the memorials, we realized that our numbers were dwindling and we should take the time out now to do something together. In our earlier days, we were both so busy that we didn’t get to do much together or spend a lot of time together. Now we’re making up for it.”
