12 GEORGE JONES QUESTIONS

Mark Whittington and Dave Wilson, Las Vegas Sun

Friday, Oct. 19, 2007 | 7:35 a.m.

Who: George Jones

When: 8 tonight

Where: Dallas Events Center, Texas Station

Tickets: $24.95 to $54.95; 547-5300, www.texasstation.com

If you think rock stars cornered the market on self-destructive behavior, think again.

Country legend George Jones, "The Possum," who plays Texas Station tonight, could guzzle and toot with the best of them. He left a trail of smashed guitars and demolished hotel rooms.

Over time, his life seemed to merge into the lyrics of his hits "A Drunk Can't Be a Man," "Things Have Gone to Pieces" and "These Days I Barely Get By."

Here's a quiz to see whether you can separate the fact from the fable:

True or False?

1. He was sliced across the belly with a razor when he was 20 and almost died.

2. He recorded rockabilly tunes under the name Thumper Jones.

3. After his first marriage broke up, he joined the Marines.

4. When his second wife hid the car keys because he was drunk, he drove his lawn mower eight miles to the liquor store.

5. His habit of missing gigs because he was drunk and stoned - 59 shows in 1979 alone - earned him the moniker "No-Show Jones."

6. He ventilated the floor of his tour bus, "the Gas Chamber," with his .38. The bus later rolled down an embankment with the band inside.

7. He's had more than 160 songs on the charts, but says he can't remember most of his recording sessions because he was drunk.

8. He sang duets with Melba Montgomery, James Taylor, Tammy Wynette (before and after their divorce), Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Richards.

9. He founded George Jones University to teach aspiring musicians about the business. He also has his own bar, theme park and brand of sausage.

10. He quacked his way through a couple of concerts as his alter-ego , Dee-Doodle Duck.

11. After a quadruple bypass and a stint in rehab, he was driving drunk and crashed his SUV into a bridge, almost killing himself.

12. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is the greatest country song of all time.

The Answers

All true.

Jones described himself as "country music's national drunk and drug addict."

But Waylon Jennings put it in perspective:

"If we could all sing like we wanted to, we'd all sound like George Jones."

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