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Johnny Cash once said, “When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, ‘You mean, besides George Jones?'” Nicknamed “No-Show Jones” in honor of all the gigs he missed as a result of his drinking/drugging/God-only-knows, the now-76-year-old Jones still ranks second to Eddy Arnold for the most Top 10 country hits (78).
His hero? Take a wild guess, and anyone but Hank Williams doesn’t count. In the early Fifties, a dream came true for Jones when he met and (sort of) played with Hank, who was visiting the Beaumont, Texas radio station where Jones worked. Asked to back Hank on guitar during a live radio performance, Jones found himself so awestruck he didn’t hit one note during any of the tunes. Now in his 39th year at the Grand Ole Opry, Jones is wrapping up recording a new album, slated to include a duet with country legend Tanya Tucker.
