Columnist Joe Delaney: Jones’ career marked by epic ups and downs

Joe Delaney

Friday, Feb. 8, 2002 | 9:35 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at joe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4066.

George Jones, country music legend, performs at Sam's Town Live! at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday ... Jones is the quintessential male country song interpreter; his songs are often autobiographical or chosen because he can relate to the lyric's message personally ... He ranks near the top of his field as a singer and a songwriter.

Born in the east Texas town of Saratoga on Sept. 12, 1931, Jones was the youngest of eight children in a very poor family ... His first musical exposure was singing gospel songs in the local Pentecostal church ... As a youngster, he sang for tips on street corners in nearby Beaumont, Texas ... In his teens, he sang in area bars and honky-tonks.

His greatest single influence was Hank Williams ... Lefty Frizzell and Roy Acuff were others ... In 1955, at age 24, he was a twice married ex-Marine living in Houston and recording for Harold "Pappy" Dailey's Starday label, along with Willie Nelson, who was doing much better as a songwriter at that time ... Dailey told Jones to stop singing similar to his idols.

The result was a top-five country hit, "Why Baby Why" ... Nelson went on to Nashville, and Jones soon followed ... Signed to the Mercury label, Jones experimented with rockabilly, calling himself Thumper Jones ... In 1959, as George Jones, he had his first No. 1 country hit, "White Lightning."

In 1961 Jones hit No. 1 twice with "Tender Years" and "She Still Thinks I Care" ... It was during the 1960s that he developed his addiction to drugs and alcohol ... Coupled with latent tendencies toward violence, he gained a reputation as a dangerous drunk ... Jones' notoriously bad behavior, well-chronicled, only enhanced his song catalog.

In 1969 "Walk Through the World" hit No. 1 on the country charts ... It was dedicated to a young Tammy Wynette ... They were married that year, combining his three children with her three children ... She had him move over to her recording label, Epic, a subsidiary of Columbia, now Sony Records, which began a 20-year association with producer Billy Sherrill.

Together Jones and Wynette recorded 10 albums and had numerous single record hits ... They were divorced in 1976. That, combined with the death of Jones' mother, derailed him once more ... Drinking heavily, missing concert dates, deep in debt, his life was at its lowest ebb ... Despite this, in 1980 he had his biggest hit ever, "He Stopped Loving Her Today."

Jones was awarded the Country Music Association's Single of the Year honor and a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance ... The 1980s were a period of recovery, and in 1991 Jones signed with MCA, formerly Decca, and began another upward climb ... In 1992 Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame ... Good things began happening once more.

There was a hit video, "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair," and a hit album, "High Tech Redneck," followed by a highly acclaimed, best-selling acoustic album "The Bradley Barn Sessions," produced by Owen Bradley, recently deceased, and a reunion album with Wynette, "One," prior to her death in 1998 ... Jones today is stronger than ever, not to be missed.

Weekend wrap-up

Other consistent chart-toppers in town this weekend: Tony Orlando (Golden Nugget); Sheena Easton (LV Hilton); Tom Jones and Rick Springfield (in separate theaters at MGM Grand); Patti LaBelle (Paris Las Vegas); and Wayne Newton (Stardust) ... Les Brown's Band of Renown featuring Butch Stone returns to the Stardust Pavilion, Saturday at 7 p.m.

John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" opens tonight at 8 p.m., a two-weekend run, in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Judy Bayley Theatre ... Jazz singer Diane Schuur performs 8 p.m. Saturday (Boulder Station); Gary Puckett sings at 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday (Sunset Station) ... Don't miss the Rudy and Edie Aikels Quintet, 2 p.m. Sunday (Winchester Center) ... See you next Thursday.com